As a practitioner advances on their yoga journey, precision in postures becomes increasingly vital to prevent injury and deepen one’s practice. One crucial tool for achieving this precision is hands-on adjustments by a qualified teacher.
Hands-on adjustments in yoga, often referred to as “physical assists,” are gentle corrections and modifications made by yoga teachers during practice to help students align their bodies more accurately. These adjustments provide real-time feedback to practitioners, guiding them toward a safer and more effective experience.
If you’re considering a certificate course in an online hands-on adjustment teacher training course (TTC), this article will help you understand the importance of hands-on adjustments in yoga, the benefits they offer, and the nuances teachers and students should be mindful of during the process.
- Enhanced Alignment and Safety: The most immediate benefit of hands-on adjustments is achieving better alignment in postures. Here, alignment refers to the precise positioning of the body in poses to ensure that each muscle, bone, and joint is in the correct position. When alignment is incorrect, even if the mistake is subtle, it can lead to overstrain, discomfort, and injury. This is particularly true for beginners who might lack the body awareness to understand how their postures should feel or look. A hands-on adjustment TTC allows teachers to physically guide students into the correct position, helping them feel the difference between incorrect and correct alignment. This not only ensures safety but also helps students cultivate muscle memory, leading to a more refined practice.
- Deepened Body Awareness: One of the primary goals of yoga is developing proprioception, that is, the awareness of one’s body in space. While visual cues and verbal instructions are helpful, they often aren’t enough for students to understand the subtle shifts required in their bodies to perfect certain poses. When a teacher gently adjusts a student’s body, it fosters a tactile connection between the student’s mind and their physical form. This increased body awareness gradually enables practitioners to adjust their own postures, preventing reliance on external correction and fostering independence in their practice.
- Supporting Individual Anatomy: Every body type is unique, and no two people will approach or experience a yoga pose in exactly the same way. Hands-on adjustments workshops give teachers the ability to work with the specific needs and limitations of each student’s anatomy. For instance, a student with tight hamstrings might need more support in a forward fold, while another with hypermobile joints may require more stability in standing poses. Through hands-on adjustments, teachers can offer personalized guidance when verbal instructions may not be sufficient. This personalized approach not only enhances the experience for students but also helps them avoid frustration when trying to meet one-size-fits-all instructions. With a gentle assist, students feel supported in their journey toward a deeper, more comfortable expression of the pose.
- Building Confidence and Trust: Yoga is a deeply personal practice, and many students come to the mat carrying physical or emotional blockages. Trust between teacher and student is integral in facilitating growth in yoga. Hands-on adjustments, when done mindfully, can help create this trust and allow students to break through their mental and physical limitations. For example, a student struggling with balance might fear falling out of a challenging pose like Warrior III. A supportive touch from the teacher can provide the reassurance and stability they need to stay in the pose, building their confidence over time. Moreover, being physically guided into a pose can bring an element of surprise to the practice. Students often find themselves achieving postures they previously thought impossible, simply through the encouragement of a skillful adjustment.
- Facilitating Deeper Stretches and Relaxation: In restorative and yin yoga, hands-on adjustments are particularly useful for helping students release tension and experience deeper relaxation. Many poses in these styles are passive, and students might unconsciously hold onto muscular tension, even when trying to relax. A gentle touch on the shoulders, lower back, or hips can encourage students to surrender more fully into the posture, allowing for a deeper release of tension.
- Respecting Boundaries and The Importance of Consent: While hands-on adjustments offer numerous benefits, it’s essential to acknowledge that not every student will feel comfortable with physical touch, whether for personal, cultural, or past trauma reasons. Consent is key in creating a safe and supportive environment for all practitioners. It also creates an empowering experience for those who want them, while respecting the boundaries of those who do not. Many yoga teachers now use consent cards, where students can indicate whether or not they wish to receive hands-on adjustments. Others ask verbally at the beginning of class or offer the option of declining at any point during the practice. These aspects of knowing and understanding boundaries are covered in a hands-on assist yoga workshop so teachers know how to approach the subject.
- Online Yoga and the Challenge of Physical Adjustments: With the rise of online yoga classes, hands-on adjustments have become more challenging, yet they remain equally important. While physical assists are impossible in a virtual setting, teachers can still help students improve their alignment through visual cues, detailed verbal instructions, and demonstrations. In fact, today online yoga alignment courses are also popular, equipping students with the necessary knowledge and tools to approach hands-on adjustments even in an online setting.In some advanced online yoga teacher training courses, students learn how to develop their “verbal adjustments” to substitute physical assists. These verbal cues are designed to be as descriptive as possible, helping students imagine how their bodies should move or feel in the posture. Making use of props, such as yoga blocks or straps, can also mimic the feeling of an adjustment in certain poses. For example, a block under the sacrum in Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana) offers a similar sense of support as a hands-on assist.
- Becoming a Skilled Adjuster as a Yoga Teacher: For yoga teachers, hands-on adjustments require a great deal of skill, sensitivity, and intuition. It’s essential that teachers receive proper training to understand not only the biomechanics of different bodies but also how to approach adjustments in a non-invasive and supportive manner. In hands-on adjustments courses, special emphasis is often placed on learning how to offer adjustments that are subtle yet effective, ensuring that students feel empowered rather than corrected. Furthermore, teachers are trained to always approach adjustments with an attitude of care, respect, and consent.
Hands-on adjustments are a powerful tool in the practice of yoga. They provide immediate feedback, enhance body awareness, and help students progress in their practice safely and effectively. For yoga teachers, offering mindful and sensitive adjustments is a way to connect deeply with students and help them unlock the full potential of each pose.
At the heart of hands-on adjustments lies the importance of trust and communication. Whether in a studio or online setting, this connection between teacher and student helps elevate the practice of yoga, encouraging individuals to grow both physically and mentally on their yoga journey.