Kiara Armstrong, ERYT-500, CMT, YACEP, has taught and provided hands-on assists in countless yoga settings, from auditorium-sized classes to one-on-one client sessions. In addition to teaching yoga since 2011, she's a massage therapist and educator. She has been creating and leading 200- and 300-hour yoga teacher trainings since 2016 and offers online trainings on the Rubber Band Method (R). She has also been the interim anatomy instructor at the massage institute in which she was trained. Armstrong was trained in trauma-informed yoga and taught it for several years. Having overcome complex posttraumatic stress disorder herself, she has utilized yoga for the reduction of stress for people suffering on the stress-to-trauma continuum. She is the creator of the Rubber Band Method (R), the safest approach to hands-on assisting.
Description
In Hands-On Yoga Assists: A Teacher's Guide to the Rubber Band Method (R), Kiara Armstrong-an ERYT-500 yoga teacher and certified massage therapist-presents her Rubber Band Method (R) and shares her expertise as on how to safely incorporate touch into the yoga classroom. You will learn how the body responds to assisted stretching and how to read tissues so you can offer your students a more beneficial yoga asana experience through hands-on assists. Hands-On Yoga Assists covers the benefits of assists, safety, anatomy, stances to use, how to read tissues, and how to implement touch in a way that respects the needs of those who may have suffered trauma. You will learn how to perform assists in a way that keeps your own body safe and keeps your students emotionally and physically safe. Included are assists for 15 poses to use in group classes or one-on-one instruction. For each assist, you will find a color-coded anatomical diagram as well as easy-to-follow instructions that cover purpose, student alignment, stance, hand placement, general precautions, and common misalignments. You'll also find valuable information on the following: The science-backed benefits of touch for enhancing health and the asana practice Techniques for listening with your hands and reading body tissues The 10 tenets of the Rubber Band Method (R) The importance of being respectful of boundaries when incorporating touch in any classroom How to integrate assists into a trauma-informed yoga class How the wisdom of the yoga sutras can be applied to incorporating touch in the classroom When offering yoga assists, it's important to understand that students with trauma are likely to be found in any classroom, and touch can have a significant impact on them. Armstrong shares some of her own experiences with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the benefit of consensual, purposeful touch in supporting students healing from trauma. Ideal for 200- or 300-hour yoga teacher trainings or as a resource for teachers of any level, Hands-On Yoga Assists: A Teacher's Guide to the Rubber Band Method (R) is a one-of-a-kind handbook with methods that have been tested and perfected with thousands of students over more than a decade. Complete with anatomical diagrams, photos, easy-to-follow instructions, and Try This activities, each chapter helps you become the hands-on yoga teacher you aspire to be.
Part I. Methodology Chapter 1. The Science of Safe Touch The Benefits of Safe Touch Touch and the Nervous System Chapter 2. Changing the Language: Adjustment Versus Assist Touch and Proprioception Yoga Adjustments Yoga Assists Chapter 3. Learn to Read the Tissues Rubber Band Theory Muscle Tissue and Fascia Chapter 4. The Rubber Band Method (R) Tenets of Assisting 1. Always Ask Permission 2. Never Assist a Misaligned Pose 3. Your Body Comes First 4. Have a Clear Purpose 5. Enter and Exit Slowly 6. Use Firm, Directional Pressure 7. Follow the Lines of the Pose 8. Do Not Assist on Skin 9. Always Assist Both Sides 10. Be Mindful When Assisting Joints Chapter 5. Respectful Assists Helpful Versus Hurtful Touch How to Be in a Student's Space Rubber Band Method (R) and Trauma Chapter 6. Rubber Band Method (R) in Action Step by Step: Bringing the Rubber Band Method (R) Into Class Suggestions for Learning Part II. Techniques Chapter 7. Rubber Band Method (R) Stances High-Squat Stance Warrior I Stance Low-Lunge Stance Low-Squat Stance Kneeling Stance Easy-Seat Stance Chapter 8. Feet Corpse Pose: Arch Palpation Corpse Pose: Leg Lift Locust Pose: Foot Anchor Chapter 9. Thigh and Hip Child's Pose: Hip Press Child's Pose: Sacral Press Child's Pose: Thigh Rotation Wide-Leg Forward Fold: Thigh Rotation Chapter 10. Spine Child's Pose: Spinal Lengthening Downward Dog: Front Press Easy-Seat Side Stretch: Hip Anchor Supine Twist: Spinal Lengthening Deer Pose: Spinal Lengthening Chapter 11. Neck and Shoulders Bound Angle or Corpse Pose: Chest Press Corpse Pose: Neck Traction Deer Pose: Reverse Shoulder Press