A student is in downward dog. My hands nudge their hips a little higher, lifting up away from spine and shoulders. I watch her spine lengthen. I hear her say, "Ahh!" At some point I can feel the lift reach its maximum. The potential movement is complete...for today.
When I was trained as a yoga teacher, we were taught to feel how hard and how gently to touch a student. Our hands must listen, even as we touch. And, our touch must always be toward the goal of alignment. If I try to move a student to look a certain way in a pose, but am not watching their foundation and alignment, I risk doing harm.
So it is on the spiritual journey. I can remember times in my life when mentors and spiritual directors nudged me. They nudged me only as far as a I was ready to stretch in that situation. I imagine that they were not seeking for me to act a certain way, but for me to act in alignment with God's movement in my life. I imagine that they were watching, listening, feeling my response, and decided when to stop nudging. If they had tried to force my spirit, that would have been in vain, and perhaps harmful.
May all of us cultivate sensitivity to energy and to spirit so that we can choose wisely how far to nudge ourselves and each other---always in alignment with energy and spirit.
