GETTING STARTED WITH HANDS ON ASSISTS - SET UP THE ROOTS FIRST

Hands-on assists can be a transformative addition to your yoga teaching toolkit, elevating your students' practice and deepening their connection to the postures.

However, if you're new to hands-on assists, it's natural to feel a bit apprehensive about putting your hands on your students.

Teaching yoga can already be a juggling act, so taking it slow, starting simple, and acquiring professional training and experience are essential steps to ensure safe and effective assists for your students.

In this blog post, we'll explore some tips to help you get started on your journey of incorporating hands-on assists into your yoga teaching.

Ask for Permission

One of the fundamental principles of hands-on assists and to create a space that feels safe is obtaining consent from your students. It's crucial to respect their personal boundaries and preferences.

There are various ways to gain consent, and using consent cards is an excellent starting point. Consent cards give your students the agency to decide whether they want hands-on assistance during the class. You could also get them to raise a leg in downward dog or give you a wave if they are lying on their back at the start of the class. If I am planning to assist I always ask within the first 5 mins saying “I will be coming around and offering hands on assists today, if you DO NOT want hands on assists, give me a wave now” Do this when they are in a private space ie lying down, childs pose or downward facing dog.

Additionally, remember that consent can change during the session, so as you move into touch be sure to show the student you’re there, check verbal and energetically with your students to ensure they're comfortable with hands-on assists.

Prioritise Your Body Care

Before engaging in hands-on assists, take a moment to focus on your own body. Treat the process of moving in and out of assists as if you were performing a yoga pose yourself. So much of the time as teachers it can be easy to forgot safety in our own body. Doing this long term can be very detrimental and quite frankly dangerous for us - and Im unfortunately speaking from experience. This is something that I have remedied over time with awareness after going through different issues with my hips and back but it is something that hopefully just by highlighting this now you can avoid so TAKE NOTE.

Ground yourself by connecting with the earth beneath you, pay attention to your feet. Keep your knees bent when necessary to maintain stability and prevent strain on your lower back. Activate your core muscles to support your movements, and relax your shoulders to maintain a gentle, nurturing touch but also prevent tension being held in the shoulders and of course don’t forget your own practice. This has so many benefits to your teaching; it keeps your flexible, strong and taps you into an intuitive place when you are teaching and assisting.

By taking care of your body, you'll not only ensure your own well-being but also create a safer and more comfortable experience for your students.

Start with Foundations

When offering hands-on assists, begin by looking at the foundations of your student's posture and body and also the foundations of the practice, that being the breath. Often, misalignments in the upper body can be traced back to issues with the base or foundation of the pose. and often disconnection in awareness is linked back to the lack of connection with the breath.

Before jumping in with an assist technique you know, take a moment to assess the student's alignment and what is actually required and make sure your student is connected into the breath. This systematic approach allows you to address the root of the issue, providing more effective and supportive assists tailored to your student's specific needs.

So the technique is to STOP, LOOK & LISTEN. So this means instead of rushing in and delivering an assist that is based on what you know and what you think they need before the connection is made, when you stop and look from the ground up and listen for the breath you are tailoring each assist to benefit them in a deeper way.

Take it Slowly - get grounded & move mindfully

The key to successful hands-on assists lies in patience and mindfulness. Approach your student slowly and mindfully, making your presence known as you approach them. You could do this by coming up from behind and breathing so they can hear you or you can move around the front of them first so they can see you and then move to the back.

Once you've made contact, stay with that student for the entire duration of the pose. One of the mistakes I see made alot and one I made myself is wanting to assist as many people as possible in five breaths. You want to facilitate time for you and your student to feel into the assist and what you are trying to do. Encourage them to tune into their body and sensations, you can do this by saying things like “do you feel the difference” once you have corrected or “make sure you breathing” and here you could verbally instruct with the breath for example “ inhale lengthen, exhale deepen” while assisting this with your hands, helping them deepen their understanding and practice.

When it's time to exit the assist, do so with the same slow and mindful approach to prevent any sudden movements that might disrupt your student's balance or concentration.

Incorporating hands-on assists into your yoga teaching can enhance the overall experience for your students.

By following these tips, asking for consent, prioritising self-care, starting with foundations, and embracing patience, you can gradually integrate this invaluable layer into your teaching repertoire. With dedication and the right training, you can become a skilled and confident yoga teacher who enriches the practice of your students through thoughtful and supportive hands-on assists. 🙌

Further Your Learning

If you're ready to expand your knowledge and confidence in offering hands-on assists, come and join us for our specialised training program the "The Art of Assists for Yoga Teachers - 20HR Training" offered on October 7th - 8th 2023.

This course will provide you with valuable insights, hands-on experience, and expert guidance to help you refine your skills and become a go to yoga teacher and space holder with the ability to offer multi layered classes that includes the hands on support. Head over and check it out.

Be sure to reach out if you have any questions. I’d love to hear from you.