About this video

<p>A note from me, Adriene: </p><p>As we continue to wake up each day and go to bed each night, contemplating the current climate and attempting to process and give ourselves grace, there is no doubt that our understanding of spatial relationship is morphing. With everything at a safe distance, many are longing for touch or taking time to consider its role in our daily life. While I am a cheerleader for the home practice, nothing can compare to feeling another moving body showing up for exploration on the mat next to you. There is also nothing like exploring the power of touch on the mat, both with yourself and with a partner. I cannot stress how important it is to be considerate here and acknowledge, not everyone wants to be touched. In fact, as a teacher, I would advise all teachers to ask gently and quietly, "may I touch you?" before offering any hands on care. However, for some, this could be motivation to explore, more, and go deeper. </p><p><br></p><p>While at first I thought this video would never go up this year, as planned, I have re-considered. Many of you have asked for inspiration to go deeper and while some only practice with their dogs, like me, many are now practicing alongside a partner or roommate in quarantine. I hope this video will allow you to safely explore something new, and apply it to your regular practice. </p><p><br></p><p>While we cannot shoot like we used to (for now) and while we cannot gather in the studio for workshops and assists right now, I hope you will enjoy this session with Rey. </p><p><br></p><p>PS: We are working to create new content for you that is current, creative, and supportive of this current climate we are living in, thank you for your comments and requests via the comment tab of the July Vlog! </p><p><br></p><p>---------------</p><p>In this video, geared toward teachers and students, you’ll learn how to give and receive assists in yoga.&nbsp;‘Assists’&nbsp;or ‘adjustments’&nbsp;can be done to bring awareness to a specific part of the body, to get someone deeper into a pose,&nbsp;or to serve a therapeutic purpose.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Touch is a&nbsp;delicate and&nbsp;powerful thing and thus physical assists should be approached with respect. Principles like&nbsp;‘easy on, easy off’ and creating a context where students can communicate whether or not they want to be touched are a couple of things Adriene and Rey cover in the vid.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>I believe assists work best when the person receiving the assist creates a degree of oppositional force. For example, if you're receiving the downward facing dog assist where the teacher presses your hips up and back, it’s helpful to root your hands and pull the ground towards you which creates a certain degree of strength in your hips where the deepening stretch is occurring. This idea will be covered in depth in the video, specifically pertaining to the shoulder joint.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>We&nbsp;will&nbsp;do assists for down dog, general belly-down back bends, and an assist for all poses where your arms are in the overhead plane.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Feel free to post any questions, and let us know if you want more teacher-oriented, instructional content&nbsp;via&nbsp;the comment tab!</p><p><br></p><p>Namaste.</p><p>Rey</p>