Want to take your teaching skills to the next level?
Differentiate yourself as a teacher with this hands-on assisting immersion!
Join Cassandra and Sacred Yoga for a Two Weekend Format, led by Cassandra Ferland, that offers a deep dive into the world of hands-on adjustments, so you gain the confidence and tools to help your students evolve their practice.
Hands-on assists can be a profound way to communicate with your students on the mat.
Skillful adjustments keep students safe and productive in their practice, offer them insights into their physical and energetic alignment, and go a long way in building the relationships that you have with your students. When trust is there, a teacher’s touch can be powerful. It can give students the boost needed to play towards challenging poses like inversions and arm balances, or support them to fully surrender in poses like savasana.
Giving hands-on assists is both an art and a science.
We delve into the science by reviewing body mechanics in all the foundational poses in the yoga practice, and zoning in on important indicators for which adjustments make sense in a variety of bodies. Differences in height, flexibility, strength, and level of practice all play a part in determining what particular hands-on adjustments are appropriate for any given student, so we practice defining those differences and observing them in students in the moment. The “art” component is the ability to observe the energetics of your students, while being mindful of your own energy so you communicate through your hands with clarity and confidence.
30-Hour Foundational Program
June 16-18 and July 14-16th
introducing
The Art of Assisting
JOIN US FOR A
30-Hour Weekend Program on Hands On Adjustments
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Further develop your observation skills, so you can feel confident in making informed decisions about appropriate adjustments in the moment.
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Review variations and modifications of key foundational poses in the yoga practice, and who they’re appropriate for.
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Learn adjustments for foundational poses of all types, that can be applied to all styles of yoga asana practice, from restorative to vinyasa flow.
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Enhance alignment and energy flow for your students.
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Get plenty of practice giving and receiving safe asana adjustments: first, in focused moments with a break down of each pose, and also within a flow.
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Practice protecting your own alignment and safety while giving adjustments.
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Fine tune the energetics of your adjustments - the way you approach, are present to, and retreat from a student’s personal space
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Discuss boundaries and ethics in yoga: consent in this context, as well as our duties, role and impact as teachers
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Develop awareness of the different emotions and energy that can be observed in the classroom, and how adjustments can have an affect.
HOW IT WORKS:
Over two immersive weekends spaced a month apart, we delve into the full range of possibility for hand-on assisting. The time in between the two sessions is a perfect opportunity to digest the material, practice skills, and come back with questions.
Using the poses as a guide, we’ll gain insight into physical and energetic anatomy, and explore the hands-on assists that are appropriate for the variety of bodies that will come your way. With lots of practice giving and receiving assists, you’ll gain more confidence as teachers and practitioners, and leave with a whole new skill set to weave into your classes and private practice!
THE CURRICULUM
Our Schedule Runs Friday evening, Saturday & Sunday on our training weekends.
Weekend 1:
June 16th-18th
Friday 6:00-8:30pm June 16th
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The Energy of Assists: Consent, Power Dynamics, and Holding Space
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Communicating with your Hands
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Warm up and Cool down Assists
Saturday 12pm-6:30pm June 17th
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Communicating with your Hands: Intention, Clarity, Receptivity
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Standing Hip Openers: Neutral and External Rotation
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Twists- Standing, Seated, Reclined
Sunday 12:30pm-5:30pm June 18th
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The Postures of Surya Namaskar
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Backbends 1
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Forward folds
Weekend 2:
July 14th-16th
Friday 6:00-8:30pm July 14th
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Finding the Flow
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Standing balances
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Savasana 1
Saturday 12pm-6:30pm July 15th
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Practice: Integration and Flow
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Backbends 2
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Arm Balances, Inversions
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Standing Forward Folds
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Savasana 2
Sunday 12:30pm-5:30pm July 16th
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Practice: Integration and Flow
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Seated and Reclined Hip Openers
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Savasana 3
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Closing Circle
HERE'S EVERYTHING YOU GET WHEN YOU SIGN UP:
26 Contact Hours of Continuing Education
Experience
You will be given an opportunity to practice demonstrated hands-on techniques with your peers, receiving feedback along the way, as well as feel the the assists in your own body. We learn a LOT about the appropriate pressure and length of time for various assists by feeling it in our own bodies.
Opportunities to Put Your Learnings to Work
Practice makes perfect! So after each weekend, you’ll be asked to put what you’ve experienced and practiced into action. Working with another teacher, you’ll both give and receive a 1 hour private session in order to further fine tune your practical knowledge of the various assists. You’ll receive a guide for each session with reminders and prompts as support, allowing you to focus on finding your groove and bringing your unique energy to the work.
Access to a Private Participant Facebook Group
A prime spot to seek guidance from the teacher or each other, and share revelations or challenges. The group is also an easy way to connect with one another when wanting to practice your assists outside the training, and beyond!
A Certificate of Completion
Upon completion, you’ll receive a certificate of completion for 26 hours of coursework. This will allow you to receive credit from Yoga Alliance, as well as bask in all that you’ve done in one short month to enrich your teaching!
ABOUT YOUR GUIDE CASSANDRA
As a long time student, skilled touch provided by trusted teachers had a profound effect on my practice, and sparked my passion and love of hands-on assists. An integral part of my own training was assisting a mentor for over a year, giving hands-on adjustments to students in her class. I saw firsthand the power of touch to add depth to the yoga experience. But I also recognized the challenges. Biomechanics, the nervous system, consent, power dynamics between teacher and student, the energy behind touch - a nuanced understanding of all of these is vital to providing a safe container for our students. This is why I felt called to create this program.
As a 500-hr Yoga Alliance certified Senior teacher, I have been a lead teacher in 200 and 300-hr Teacher Trainings since 2013. In 2018, The Art of Assisting was born, to give teachers the opportunity and time to work with all these aspects of touch, and I’ve been leading it ever since. Working deeply with other teachers to expand their skillset is my happy place!
Training: Ishta Yoga NYC, 500HR
Specialty training: Anatomy, Injury Management, Restorative Yoga, Meditation, Prenatal, Trauma-Informed Teaching, and Hands-on Adjustments