The gentle summer teacher

Hanne Sydanmaa is an authorized teacher from Finland, but during the summers she comes to New York and teaches at yogasutra.

For the past two Sundays she has been helping me with the backbends and I really like the way she goes about it. She is incredibly gentle, and guides my body by pressing certain points with her fingers so I "get" what energy needs to move where. She asked me to do only the half drops, and noted that if I force the bending all the way to the floor I could hurt my lower back.

It was really good to get a break from the intense bending, and to really go only till where my body can go.

On the other hand I am grateful that my regular teachers drop me all the way so that eventually I do get to go back, but once in a while it is really nice to take it easier.