Hi there! I am a Yoga instructor and have been practicing Hatha Yoga for 10 years now and although I have read Iyengar’s teaching I am only recently beginning to practice with an Iyengar-trained instructor. Today I was in Tadasana and he made a fist and placed the fist on my sternum, then with his other hand he slapped his fist into my sternum. At the time I didn’t feel any negative effects and I am familiar with the art of physical adjusting, but ever since this adjustment I have a pain on my right side (either my lats or maybe my serratus anterior?) that keeps cramping up, and I also feel a sense of panic/anxiety, which is unusual for me. I can see energetically that some emotions may have been released but I’m wondering if anyone knows the purpose of such an adjustment and/or if anyone out there also uses this type of assisting with their students? I will ask the teacher next time I see him although that will not be for a month or so. Thanks so much for your help, take care and Namaste, Ali
Hi Ali
I’ve been practicing for about 12 years and teaching for four, and I’ve never heard of an adjustment like that. As a teacher I would really want the feedback if an adjustment I was doing was harmful, so I hope that you tell him.
Peace,
Julia
I have never heard of an adjustment like this one–my own asana teachers having been students directly of Iyengar himself. I can’t imagine any circumstances that this type of adjustment would be appropriate (both energetically or physically) within a classroom setting or one-on-one. You can help settle the panic/anxiety you are feeling by helping to return your vata prana to it’s major seat. If it is appropriate for you, some gentle supine twists which deepen on the exhales and that you release of out on an exhale can help. A vata-pacifying diet of nourishing and uplifting foods, books, company, music, etc. will also help you feel more steady and like yourself. If the panic/anxiety is feeling centered at your heart or coming from your heart than you can also do a chakra balancing practice that uses breath and the “back body.”
I should have started here: Have you asked yourself what you need around this? If it is action, then try the above, or another practice that makes sense to you. It may just be that you need something else, perhaps just to “feel” or acknowledge the panic/anxiety. Sometimes that is enough to have it run it’s course so it can then diffuse. Sometimes these experiences are simply an opportunity to experience our own latent emotions, sometime it an energetic means to create empathy for others. Regardless, remember what you already know: that no emotion or state of mind is, or has ever been, permanent or unchanging. I know the adjustment was unsolicited, but if there is something here to gain, try not to miss the opportunity.
Take care of yourself,
Nichole
One of the modalities I teach incorporates a chest compression (it’s more of a supine bear hug). However, we prepare the student for what may arise, perform the adjustment selectively and monitor them closely. Many such adjustments are performed on soldiers coming back from war zones. It’s heart breaking how traumatized and disconnected from their bodies they are. We help the organism come back to life.
I can’t speak for Iyengar yoga but form a Martial Arts POV I don’t recommend having it done much if at all. You can generate one heck of a lot of damaging power by placing your hand on someone and hitting that hand with your other hand. And you are dangerously close to your heart with hits to the sternum. Get to close to the end of the sternum and hit it and you can do some serious “life threatening” damage.
Also hitting the sternum is what is done in medical situation to attempt to start ones heart or stop and arrhythmia. I don’t know about Iyengar training but I would be hard pressed to allow someone to do that to me.
Thank you all so much for your replies. Nichole, thank you for pointing out that this can be an opportunity to learn. I sometimes forget that 
This whole situation has definitely helped me define what I feel is appropriate in my own teaching, making me feel even stronger about each adjustment I make being a healing touch, for that works best for my body. It also reminds me that my belief in the practice of Yoga is that we all find our own “edges” and if we’re not ready to go to the next edge, it can be harmful to push someone into it. Or, to quote another teacher of mine, it’s not helpful to “blast the heart center open.”
I am feeling better today and am practicing all Yin today so I can re-center. Thank you all again, and enjoy your Memorial Day, Namaste!
Hello Ali,
I am familiar with many adjustments in many poses and continue to train with one of the most gifted yoga teachers available. I share this with you to qualify my feedback and nothing more.
Adjustments should not jar students. At no point should a student be adjusted or assisted in such a way as to risk disrupting their nervous system. The sort of adjustment you describe sound both aggressive and violent. From what you write it would be very difficult to apply that adjustment in any other fashion.
There are several adjustments in tadasana but to my knowledge there are none that address the sternum directly, nor are there any involving a fist, nor any involving a slap.
Unfortunately some teachers have not processed their ego from their teaching or, what’s worse, have a practice that ignites it like a bellows. Add to that some very risky adjustments created by someone who is not well steeped in asana and you’ve got a dangerous combination.
However we choose what we choose in our lives for reasons. You can discuss this with your teacher or un-select him as a teacher or you can stay in there and get whatever lesson is there, hoping it is not one of injury.
ali,
why would you ask another what someone else motives were? why not just ask the one who did the doing? on here we can only make assumptions.
From this perspective I could say he did this
1 because you needed to have these emotions come up so he was speeding you along and you should be thanksful
2 He did not know what he was doing
3. your mind has created the after effects.
4. he is just weird,
etc…
If you enjoy his teachings you may evolve faster if you release the mind chatter which this post may helped to increase.
my .02
with love
brother Neil
Namaste Ali,
There are adjustments in yoga, but they are usually very gentle and not as aggressive and violent as the one you described. Personally i think this has been borrowed from the martial arts and adjusted in a yoga setting.
The point you describe sounds like the CO-17 vital acupressure point on the body and in Jujitsu it is a point that can cause many disruptions if it is stroke with force. This point is extremely sensitive to pressure and can cause heart palpitations and emotional responses such as fear and axienty as it is an alarm point for the pericardium. It is also the intersection point of four of your important meridian points (SP, SI, KI and TW) and an important point influencing Ki (or pranic flow). See the attached image, click on it for a larger version.
To address the pain on your right side, this is what might have happened:
One or more of the upper thoracic vertebrae shifted slightly and is possibly also “irritating” a nerve. This would cause the latteral but more probably the serratus and/or other muscle groups adjacent to the spine to try and “compensate” for the imbalance in forces perceived from the “normal” condition. These muscles will try to immobilise any further movement which probably causes the cramping. Breathing in/out deep will immediately signal “danger” and cause a feeling of anxiety possibly followed by cramping. (In my very limited opinion.)
The question now is how to treat this: I would suggest plenty of rest and perhaps some acupuncture to re-balance the energy flow and perhaps a visit to the chiro to adjust the vertebrae again if a nerve is irritated.
Hope this helps.
It sounds to me like it is from martial arts and it sure as heck is not for any adjustment, it is a strike for attack. I am a Yoga Newbie but I have over 30 years in Martial Arts and that is my take on it.
You are probably right, but my own knowledge of martial arts are limited so I can only guess, thanks for confirming it.