My experience as a "Yoga Maid"

Over the course of this week's Teacher Training sessions, we have been learning about the art of "Assisting" yoga postures.  We had a 6-hour session about it on Sunday and a 3-hour session about it last night (Wednesday).  It certainly was interesting, and borderline one of the most useful things we have learned thus far in our training.

Assists are those juicy little pushes and adjustments the yoga teachers offer during practice.  When done properly, they feel wonderful and help the yoga student to really experience what a posture's full expression feels like.  Basically, the teacher guides you into the pose so you get an idea of what you're supposed to be doing.  In class, the assisting teacher was nicknamed "Yoga Maid" because we truly were waiting on our students, offering props, support in the posture, and adjustments to enhance each posture.  As a bonus, during my time as a "yoga maid", I found myself taking a lot of asana stances just to protect my own body while assisting.  When it was my turn to be a student, I saw that it was a full practice for me, but with not as much work, because my "yoga maid" did a lot of the effort in the poses.   When a teacher assists a posture, he/she is also getting in a tiny workout.

The only problem is that in reality, the adjustments are few and far between.  Why is that?  The most likely reason is that perhaps the yoga class is large and the teacher doesn't have time to get to each student during a posture where they might need adjustment.  Then there is the factor of actually touching people you don't know.  It IS an art because a yoga teacher has to be sensitive his/her students' personal space, knowing how hard or soft to adjust a pose.  I got a fierce case of the giggles during class last night because some of the adjustments place student and teacher in compromising postions (see picture above - and that's a "tame" one!).  Usually, the student is face down or facing away from the teacher, so he/she doesn't realize how close the teacher's face (or other body parts!) are.  In Savasana, lying on your back with your eyes closed, it might be startling to open your eyes and find your teacher straddling you for the sake of adjusting your shoulders.  It feels wonderful, though, so keeps those eyes closed, and allow your teachers to adjust away!

And what did I learn from this experience?  There's no room for "shyness" when it comes to being a yoga teacher.  I'm going to have to touch people.  People whom I don't know.  It might be a little weird, but now that I've experienced it, I know it will really enhance their yoga practice, and maybe even get them coming back for more!  Students might busy themselves with their own practice, not worrying about how the teacher is making the poses more supported, deeper, and more relaxing.  Just enjoy the ride!

"To be great, feel great, act great." - teabag wisdom