Touch Means So Much?

I know people don’t like being touched by strangers. I don’t like it one bit, unless I’m in a certain setting. It seems like there are only a handful of places it’s OK for a stranger to touch you. One of them is what I do for work. Fitness studios. Touch there is welcome...most of the time. There is definitely a more personal connection you get with your students by being able to relate to them physically with your hands or feet or whatever you’re touching them with. It brings a relationship into the mix that is a little more primal. I know I walk a fine line of just how personal you can get. Everyone is different and learning just how much I can touch is something I am constantly learning.  I am used to touching people at any given point on my day-to-day basis, so if I do touch anyone in a sensitive area, say the low back or the place in between the shoulder blades just to get their attention, sometimes people are quite startled. All of the sudden I get nasty responses and the respect for me is lost. I am startled by this every time. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to people barking at me. Hey, when I talked to you before class and asked you if you had an injuries or if touching you was off limits, that might have been a good time to speak up. Most people respond with ‘Oh, a stranger is touching me and it feels nice.’ It’s good to have a physical connection with people. That’s the real power of touch and energy and human connection in general. Especially in a city that’s so full of people, and still so lonely.