When she doesn't do the behavior you ask, I would wait a second and then lure it - luring will be a good way to get behaviors without poking and prodding her. Luring is using a treat (and eventually, once she is happy to follow your hands, just your hands) to get the dog to put themselves where you want them.
Sit, for example: Show her the treat you have in your hand by putting it a couple inches in front of her nose. Move the treat up a couple inches and a little bit backwards over her head - and she'll probably sit automatically. If you're more of a visual learner let me know and I can make a quick video - I didn't find one that was specific enough for my tastes
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
For more ideas on hands-off training, Kikopup on YouTube is a great resource with just about every sort of thing you'd want to train - if you have specific questions, we can also help out, of course!