Living my Yoga - Day 5 of Training - Assisting with Darren Main

I had the wonderful opportunity to spend the day with Darren Main http://www.darrenmain.com/ at the tranquil space workshops!

Therapeutic assisting: we worked with Darren to go deeper into some of basic and advanced asanas. We learned the effects of hands-on therapeutic assists with a focus on inversions, PNMF, backbends and twists.

• Stabilization - a student will trust the teacher if they feel stable
• "Less is more"
• "Press into my touch" - sometimes you don't have to move someone into the posture, sometimes guiding them into the pose is the better choice as the student engages the muscles and will have better muscle memory

Types of assisting:

• Verbal cues - it is amazing how sometimes in class I have that amazing 'AHHHAAA' moment. The teacher has been saying something over and over, every class, and then just a small change in wording, or maybe my day was a little different...and all of a sudden I get it. My hip is suppose to be there! WOW...that feels perfect!

• Hands on - Press points (energetic assists) ...sometimes when a teacher just walks by e I change my pose..they don't even half to touch me...It's the idea that sometimes we cheat without consciously knowing

• Therapeutic assists - hands on, like a thai massage, manipulating the body for the student...OK..these are the most AWESOME assists ever. If I am in pigeon pose and i feel the teacher walk by...I am praying they stop and adjust me...it always makes my day (tip...remember that when I am a teacher!)

• Personal demo - As I have been practicing teaching with some friends...I find this the 'easiest' of all types of assists - it is so easy for me to show someone how to do cobra or warrior 1 ...but I really need to learn to save these personal demo's for more complex poses...so the student can  have that so fulfilling 'AHHHAAA' moment I described earlier.

Remember...teachers don't assist to correct a student....teachers assist to:

• Stabilize the student - allow them to feel safe to go deeper
• Create Body awareness
• Create proper alignment for safety
• Crate a new experience for the student

So...in searching for some great assisting pictures I found the following...which I could not resist posting...not quite on point of assisting..but, never the less hilarious!

source: http://www.foundshit.com/yoga-dog-meditating/