I’m a really somatic teacher. That means I’m interested in how my students experience the movments I share with them. It means I have to be creative when my client doesn’t feel anything.

Why does it matter if my client doesn’t feel anything?

Because it’s one of the the things that helps clients to progress, to take ownership of their movements and it’s one of the ways I know if I’m on the right track with what we’re working on.

Some people though, don’t have a strong sense of proprioception. Proprioception is how you know where you are in space and where your body parts are in relation to each other. Some people don’t have a felt connection to their muscles. Their brains and nervous systems are busy doing other things!

For clients and students like this, it can be helpful to have other ways of eliciting the information. We still want to know how the movement is serving them (or not, as the case may be).

Sometimes, we can just abandon the question! Use our eyes, guage how the student is moving, what their face is conveying and move on.

And sometimes it’s important to keep our students feeling safe and secure. People with a history of trauma may not respond well to being asked to check into their bodies.

On the other hand, some clients feel everything. For clients dealing with chronic pain, a global attention to their bodies can highlight how much things hurt. Focusing instead on only one little bit of themselvees that doesn’t hurt is a better way to explore when and how much to move.

So if you’re a Pilates teacher, yoga teacher, personal trainer or other kind of movement coach, check out the video below to find out what I do when my client can’t feel anything!

Being aware of how you use your language, your cues is part of being a great teacher. Watching how your clients respond to your language is even more important! Ask questions, listen to the answers and model your communication on those answers.

For more detailed cueing options for both online and in person teaching, download my free cuing guide so you and your clients can be the amazing, successful team you want to be!

Alison Crouch

I’m the owner of Boomerang Pilates and creator of the Move SMART program. I teach teachers how to incorporate sustainable movement and authentic teaching in their classes.