why we ask before we touch

In a lot of studios, a hand on your back mid-pose is treated as care. Sometimes it is. But an unannounced touch also tells a nervous system that something can happen to it without warning, and a body that has learned that lesson elsewhere will spend the rest of the hour half-watching the room.

So we ask. Out loud, at the start, every class — whether you would like hands-on assistance or not. You can change the answer at any point, including partway through, including silently by shaking your head.

Saying no costs you nothing. There is no version of the class that is better for people who say yes.