Over-Assisting

After my yoga class this evening, I am starting to have some opinions about assisting. I've noticed there are different types of assists. Some teachers really focus on getting the alignment perfect in the posture, so they come along and try to push your body into that alignment. I am not a fan of this type of assist. It takes me out of the moment. It pushes my body into positions that feel unnatural and therefore not fun. It makes me tense and fatigued. It makes me have flashbacks to ballet class where I was constantly criticized and corrected. Maybe I'm too sensitive, but I just feel yoga class is not the place for that. Seriously.

The type of assisting I love, is the supportive kind. If you have a partner supporting some of your weight so you can really relax and let go... how totally awesome is that? A really significant moment comes to mind that occurred when I was doing my teacher training. My teacher, (who incidentally advised me to avoid assisting too much, if at all), was supporting me in camel pose, (Utkatasana). I was hesitant to release my head back, so to make me feel safe, he stood behind me and placed his hands under my shoulders to support my upper back. With my weight supported like that, whooooosh, my chest and neck let go, and it was a revelation. The pose became totally new and exciting. And there was such a connection happening too. So nice.