ELEVATE YOUR PRIVATE YOGA SESSIONS WITH HANDS-ON-ASSISTS: TECHNIQUES FOR PERSONALISED SUPPORT

Private yoga sessions offer a unique opportunity to provide tailored support and guidance, addressing individual needs and goals. One powerful way to enhance these sessions is through hands-on assists.

For me personally, over a decade of teaching experience and especially over the last 7+ years I have built my private practice, supporting many private clients. Having the powerful layer of hands-on assists to support my private clients has been one of the most valuable tools in my tool box and I would say a big reason why I have been able to retain my students for a long period of time.

By incorporating intentional touch and physical guidance, you can significantly elevate the effectiveness of your private sessions, creating a more personalised and transformative experience for your students.

1. Understanding the Power of Hands-On Assists

Hands-on assists are not just about adjusting poses; they’re about connecting with and supporting your student on a deeper level. When applied thoughtfully, they can:

  • Enhance Alignment: Help your student find optimal alignment in their postures, ensuring they’re practicing safely and effectively.

  • Facilitate Deeper Stretching: Assist in deepening stretches and improving flexibility by guiding the body into a more supportive position.

  • Increase Awareness: Provide tactile feedback that helps students become more aware of their body’s sensations and movements.

In private sessions, these assists become even more impactful as you can focus on specific needs and preferences, making each assist more meaningful and relevant.

2. Techniques for Personalised Hands-On Assists

To maximize the benefits of hands-on assists in private sessions, consider these techniques:

  • Initial Assessment: Begin by assessing your student’s physical and emotional state. This helps you tailor your assists to their current needs. Are they dealing with tension, injury, or emotional stress? Understanding their context will guide your approach.

  • Use my 4 S’s Method: Integrate the 4 S’s Method—Stop, Stabilise, Space, Steady.

    • Stop: Pause to observe your student’s alignment and comfort. This allows you to tailor each assist to the person in front of you.

    • Stabilise: Help them find grounding and stability in their posture - down into the earth and also into the center of the body and the posture.

    • Space: Help your student to find space within the pose/body to enhance their stretch, release or relaxation.

    • Steady: Guide them gently out of the pose, ensuring they feel supported throughout.

  • Customise Your Approach: Adjust your assists based on their unique body mechanics, experience level, energetics and goals. For example - if you have a beginner student you will most likely focus just on alignment assists and if you have a student that is quite depleted energy wise, you may want to focus on just enhancing assists such as grounding and massage.

  • Communicate and Collaborate: Always communicate with your student about what feels right for them. Encourage feedback and collaborate to find the most effective assists for them individually and their practice.

3. Enhancing the Student-Teacher Relationship

Incorporating hands-on assists in private sessions can strengthen the trust and working relationship between you and your student. When done with intention and care, assists can:

  • Build Trust: Your students will appreciate your attentiveness and personalised support, fostering a deeper level of trust and connection.

  • Show Compassion: Hands-on assists demonstrate your commitment to their individual growth and well-being, showing that you genuinely care about their progress.

  • Encourage Growth: By addressing their specific needs, you help them progress more effectively, which can lead to increased motivation and satisfaction in their practice.

4. Practical Tips for Effective Hands-On Assists

  • Stay Mindful: Always approach assists with mindfulness and respect. Ensure your touch is compassionate to your students needs, always working for your students highest good and purposeful, aligning with your student’s comfort and boundaries.

  • Educate Your Student: Teach your students how to use their breath and body awareness in conjunction with your assists. This empowers them to take an active role in their practice.

  • Review and Reflect: After the session, discuss the assists with your student. Ask what felt good and what could be adjusted in future sessions. This can be a chat at the end of the session or a chat at the start of the next session. This feedback loop helps refine your techniques and strengthens your teaching approach.

Hands-on assists are a valuable tool for enhancing private yoga sessions. By incorporating these techniques, you offer personalised support that addresses individual needs and goals, creating a more impactful and transformative experience. When you embrace the power of intentional touch you will see how it can elevate your teaching and deepen your students’ connection to their practice.

Ready to elevate your private sessions with hands-on assists?

Explore our Hands-On Assists Training to practically the techniques you need to support your students with this new skill. And not only this you will build confidence not just with your assists but holistically with your teaching in a safe and nurturing environment.

Or join my FREE masterclass - The Yoga Assist Blueprint Masterclass: Techniques for Transformation on 6th October 2024, this online masterclass is designed to give you foundational knowledge and tools to assist your students with clarity, intention, and care - so you can not only enhance their experience on the mat but also elevate your teaching skills.

Amy McDonald