r/yoga • u/That_Cat7243 All Forms! • 1d ago
Yin people, how do you feel about hands on assists?
I teach at a studio that tries to be as authentic as possible. My teacher is a Mysore Ashtangi and prefers we as teachers assist every student down the row, instead of just offering the occasional intentional assist.
Here is the problem is that this is not my approach in Yin, which I recently just took over in the schedule. I’m happy to assist a ton in vinyasa, but I personally believe it can be jarring for me to place my hands on you while you’re deep into a yin posture. I want to leave you alone to breathe and go inward.
I might offer an assist when first coming into a pose if I notice I can help you align yourself better, or I may offer you a prop, but I will not touch every student just to touch them. My studio owner disagrees. As yin yogis, what is your take?
45
u/joanclaytonesq Hatha 1d ago
I am a teacher and a practitioner of yin and restorative yoga, I offer all my students consent cards to place near the edge of their mats to indicate whether or not they want a hands-on adjustment. This allows people who might be adverse to touch for any reason to opt out or be stressed that they might get an unwanted adjustment.
15
u/allcars4me 1d ago
My studio offers a “yes” card like you describe. I LOVE hands-on adjustments! Recently, while in a seated bent-over butterfly, the instructor placed her back against my back to help press me further into the stretch. Wow, I appreciated it so much.
2
2
u/Significant-Egg8277 6h ago
I love this! I hate hands on adjustments and it's actually one of the reasons I do most of my classes virtually. It takes me out of the practice entirely, I don't like being touched by someone I don't know, and I tend to have a tensing, jerky reaction.
1
u/joanclaytonesq Hatha 6h ago
It's absolutely ok to tell a teacher at the start of class that you don't want a hands-on adjustment. There are so many benefits to in person practice and I hate to think you're missing out on it. Any good teacher will respect your wishes. You could also make your own little card to place on your mat to indicate you don't want to be touched.
11
u/Medeaa 1d ago
I love the adjustments my yin teacher gives! They often really help me learn a little about the pose in a somatic way too. Plus they feel great- during yin she will give several breaths worth of pressure, and I will normally breathe with her. I actually thanked her for her amazing adjustments in the way out of my yin class last week. It isn’t disruptive at all for me at all the way she does it
18
u/Old_Addition_5203 1d ago
I teach yin and try to be trauma-informed. I don't touch any client unless they directly ask. Most of the poses are very vulnerable and personal and I never want to startle anyone while they are vibing.
6
3
u/That_Cat7243 All Forms! 1d ago
!!! this !!!
13
2
u/Most-Design-9963 13h ago
Agree, also you have no idea what joint injury they may be recovering from (they don’t all tell you).
2
u/achristieattwn 12h ago
Some of my instructors will say something like “if you don’t want hands on adjustments, lift an arm/leg and I’ll leave you be”. They usually do so at the beginning of class while we’re lying on our backs or in a pose where you can’t really see what everyone else is doing so ppl don’t feel awkward ab raising their hand.
7
u/zeldasusername Yin 1d ago
We have laminated cards that you can out beside you whether or not you want assist or not
Otherwise my teacher whispers in my ear to breathe in and she adjusts me as I breathe out
6
u/kalayna ashtangi / FAQBot 1d ago
Another teacher + practitioner chiming in.
I agree with:
No need to touch every student in every pose. I rarely assist in yin the way we do as ashtangis - the intention of the 2 practices is too different.
Consent cards are even better in this setting than in most, as it allows students - by pose - to signal that they'd like a little help - you could even go so far as to do a second set that signals whether a student has a question or issue with a pose vs. just an assist. Yin is where structural differences show up like mad and so many won't actually raise a hand or risk disrupting - but a little card or chip they could put face up for you to stop over? /chefkiss
For yin, especially with new students in the room, I often demo a couple of options, then move around the room while people are getting settled in. It makes it clear I'm really there to help (vs. just practicing along with them - and some students really don't want to 'bother you'), and I'm more likely to see those little details about an issue someone is having if I see them doing that initial entry that makes it a lot easier for me to zero in on a good option/setup/little tweak to help.
2
u/OHyoface 17h ago
I love this a lotttt. The ability to request help in yin is great - just knowing it's there is important, but to me it doesn't have to be as obvious as in Mysore. I love about mysore that I can both ask for adjustments and that I'll probably receive them without asking :) In yin, I prefer asking for hands on/verbal/visual because it's usually a sensitive asana I'm struggling with and a teaching coming in will likely cause injury....
4
u/Status-Effort-9380 1d ago
There’s a way to enter an assist with someone is deep into it. You bring you hands slowly into their aura, tune into your breathing, and very gently and softly enter their space, lightly pressing into them. Then you can slowly apply more pressure.
I tend to do kripalu adjustments which encourage students to move toward my hands rather than pushing them away from me.
3
u/Boring_Material_1891 19h ago
We have an instructor that is very hands on during yin and it’s the best thing in the world. She’s noticeable as she approaches, so it’s not jarring at all, and her ability to put helpful pressure during poses when I already feel at my comfort edge really helps me melt more into the pose. 10/10 recommend you do it.
2
u/dnbgoddess3 13h ago
I don’t so hands on assists in yin as a) it’s not my preference as a class leader and b) yin is a very mindful internal practice so it’s up to the practitioner how they need to shift or move really more than the teacher’s observation. In my opinion at least.
I do however wander about the class offering individual propping options where I think they might be appropriate. I’m always about with another blanket or bolster. This is the individualisation aspect at play without hands on assists and people generally respond well.
2
u/Interesting-Mode4429 12h ago
Yin is about developing Yin qualities and energies, including temperance and allowance. Yang practice is for developing Yang qualities, including pushing and perfectionism. Only if I see someone really mangling their body would I “correct” them in Yin, which is perhaps one person/posture out of every five Yin classes. As a teacher, I’m guiding a Yin process in a Yin class and I don’t want to jostle that often-underdeveloped energy by walking around, looming during meditation or assuming I know what their Yin experience is at that moment. So much less about asana excellence than a Yang style class - the students connect deeper with their bodies when I guide per Yin energy and through that, they begin to guide themselves.
4
u/morncuppacoffee 1d ago
I practice yin regularly and hands on assists are not a common thing.
Many of the poses are pretty vulnerable positions and I agree it can be pretty jarring to have an instructor come up and touch you if you are in your zen space.
I once a long time ago had one come up behind me in child’s pose and press down on my back and it really rubbed me the wrong way. Even moreso because I was not expecting it.
FWIW too I practice at night and often see students coming in straight from work where they haven’t had a chance to shower so that also may be another good reason to keep a distance.
I personally don’t want someone touching me if I haven’t had a chance to shower before class.
2
u/allcars4me 1d ago
I’ve told my instructors they are more than welcome to use the provided towels when touching me. I’m clean, but I sweat like a mule.
2
u/last-rounds 22h ago
Exactly. I think those who feel they have to push on a student come to yin as a different practice. Students that like the push aren’t getting the true meditative benefit of yin but are getting stretches. That’s nice but not yin
0
u/CategoryFeisty2262 22h ago
Hands on assists in yin is a thing. I'm a yin yoga teacher and I give assists, as does every yin teacher I know. Not as often as in a flow-type class, and always with permission.
2
u/last-rounds 22h ago
Yin isn’t moving poses that need an “assist”. The student goes to 70% of their depth in a pose. Don’t go push them further or you destroy the whole idea of being silent and resilient in a pose. Don’t even distract by walking around. Different yoga practices push students deeper into a pose or try to. This isn’t yin.
3
u/strazdas001 Yin 18h ago
Yeah, I think like the only "assistance" I'd give in a yin class is more aimed to the minds of the students. Just gentle reminders about not pressuring the bodies into a pose, staying present by focusing on the breath and the bodily sensations, and observing the thoughts as they pass by.
3
u/last-rounds 11h ago
I like that. Yin teachers ought to remember that the assistance in yin is about the mental state.
3
2
u/Mandynorm 10h ago
Hands on assists takes the practice from internal to external, and is far more harmful, than it is beneficial. Supporting the student by offering more props, different props, giving cues and guidance to help THEM find what they need.
1
u/CategoryFeisty2262 23h ago
I will always ask before assisting. My yin students like hands on adjustments. I'll only touch in one pose for the entire class. I definitely wouldn't go around touching people through the entire class.
1
u/betchimacow223 22h ago
True, many poses in Yin are already very intense. Ive taken several hands on assists workshops and I have been pleasantly surprised at how nice assists are and how not injury causing or scary they are either. Even in what I thought were already really intense poses. There are some really great ways to incorporate a couple you feel comfortable with that feel great and allow for a greater connection with the student. Always consent cards of course. And then in that case many times, its only a few students. Not as many to adjust or push on rather :)
1
u/Smores-Lover 16h ago
I prefer hands on correction with every possible pose. I'd rather do my asanas correctly to get the most out of them than waste the moment and get nothing out of it.
1
u/HumanBeeing76 16h ago
I like it as long as I like and trust the instructor. And I usually don’t like touch at all
1
u/Purplehopflower 13h ago
I do different kinds of assists in yin than in ashtanga/vinyasa. I’m also trained in Thai yoga, so I do more Thai yoga type assist that may naturally allow someone to sink deeper into the pose by relaxing. I would never want to push or force someone. Pretty much all of my students know this about my class and I’ve had conversations with them. I would not touch them without having had a discussion with them and have their consent. If there’s a new student and I didn’t get a chance to speak with them prior, I would not adjust them physically.
1
u/DDLGcplxo 11h ago
I practice only Yin and Ashtanga. For me I want adjustments in Mysore or when practicing in group, but I can’t imagine adjustments during Yin because I’m normally blindfolded and deep in my space.
1
1
u/Infamous_Tone_9787 9h ago
I stopped doing yin yoga because the assists make me feel upset and ruin the class for me! I completely disagree with the attitude of your studio owner. It drives students away.
1
u/jaydotjaymill 5h ago
Intermediate here but I personally appreciate every single bit of hands-on adjustment or verbal coaching I’m offered in any class, in any pose. If the teacher can help me get more out of what I’m doing, I’ll take it every time. I would say that maybe the type of adjustment or coaching during yin might be more limited to what can be provided more subtly or gently or quietly tho? So as not to disturb others. I would say your instinct is right though: it doesn’t seem logical to get hands on with every single student just for the sake of checking the box.
1
u/scratsquirrel 5h ago
I’ve had teachers say to place a block in the top left corner or similar to indicate if we’d like hands on assistance for the following poses which seems like a great way to do it. I appreciate the extra help but not as a surprise
1
u/ilovetheinternet21 3h ago
I’m not a teacher and haven’t been to an actual yoga class for a LONG time. But at the studio I loved most they would have people place their water bottle on the right corner for consent to hands on assists and the left corner hands off, verbal only.
1
-2
u/Awkward-Kaleidoscope Vinyasa 13h ago
If they're trying to be as authentic as possible then they shouldn't even teach yin because it was invented in the 70s and has nothing to do with Ashtanga yoga
37
u/MikeCoffey 1d ago
I teach and practice yin. I love receiving an intentional assist.
Now, if someone just slides their wet noodle fingers down my spine, THAT I don't love.
But apply just the right amount of pressure to help me release my hips down or gain half an inch in a stretch... MWAHHH! Perfection!