Читать книгу The Art of Foreign Language Teaching - Peter Lutzker - Страница 60

Another element in the warm-ups which is usually introduced only on the third day of the workshops is massage. He demonstrates specific massage techniques in which one person is sitting on a chair and the other massages him for about five to seven minutes. In pairs, participants then give these massages to each other. For many participants this is a wholly welcomed exercise and is enthusiastically requested on the following days. For others, however, this exercise requires another overcoming of inner barriers. As before, there is a gentle insistence in his manner which makes clear that overcoming such personal borders can be a very worthwhile process, even if it may involve feelings of discomfort and embarrassment. Once again, the expression of those kinds of feelings becomes a decisive element in the entire process.

As with eye contact, physical proximity and touching is part of a social language that defines our relationship to others and reveals our feelings and emotions. Not everybody likes massages and I respect that. But I hope that by the third day, participants trust sufficiently the work to be able to express the discomfort they might feel around any particular exercise. I am constantly saying, “If you don’t feel OK about something please express that. You need to learn to make the work safe for yourself by informing your partner… The important thing is to connect to the feelings (good or bad) that it generates and encourage a culture where everyone is able to say, this feels good or this doesn’t feel good. What you feel about something will always teach you something. (Interview 2)