As teachers, we are continuously honing our communication skills in order to translate what we experience, see and feel to our students. As our teaching grows we can begin to dive deeper into understanding asana, not just as a technician, but also as a skilled observer. 

In order to provide effective hands-on assists, we have to first be confident about what we see and be intuitive, but clear, about what we want to share through our touch, that our cues are unable to transmit.

A good assist can help a student safely access a deeper posture, organise their body in good alignment and experience ease & joy in a held asana. It can also transmit an understanding of a movement or key action. Additionally, the act of sharing touch is powerful both physically and emotionally and should be approached mindfully and kindly.

In this 4-day course we will practice observation whilst applying an understanding of the biomechanics and subtle energetics of the body, then layer on purposeful hands-on assist as a way that enhances experience of asana and supports understanding and learning.

Course Content

• why and when to offer assist 

• biomechanics and energetics of assists

• assisting techniques

• role of the breath 

• dynamics of touch 

• maintaining the flow of the class

• working with different body types 

• ‘self hands-on assists’ teachniques

• use of props

• how to read bodies and hone your observation skills

Objective of Course

• To understand why and when to give an assist

• To understand how to “see” your students

• To understand what assists to give

• To understand how to assist

• To understand what you want to achieve before you touch

• To understand how to provide tactile information that other cues simply can’t provide