Short description:

Hands-On Yoga Assists offers yoga instructors the first step-by-step, consent-based system for mastering safe, anatomy-informed assists complete with photo guidance, anatomical figures, and practical tools to build confidence and elevate teaching in any class setting

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Long description:

Are you a yoga instructor seeking the confidence and skills to offer hands-on assists—safely, ethically, and with clarity?

Are you looking to build a stronger student following by offering impactful assists that elevate the practice and set your teaching apart?

Developed through more than a decade of refinement, student feedback, and classroom application, Hands-On Yoga Assists introduces the Rubber Band Method®—a structured, accessible system that removes the guesswork and teaches yoga instructors how to offer assists with skill, safety, and consistency.

Developed by yoga educator and massage therapist Kiara Armstrong, the Rubber Band Method® offers a consent-based, anatomy-informed approach to providing hands-on assists. You will learn how to read tissues, adapt your touch to each student, and apply contact to enhance the asana practice. The method also emphasizes physical safety and longevity for teachers, helping you assist sustainably for years to come.

You’ll gain tools to

• enhance your teaching with 15 assists adaptable to group or one-on-one settings;
• assist with skill through techniques for reading tissues and adapting touch for each unique body;
• learn with confidence through anatomical diagrams that highlight key touch points and affected structures;
• move with longevity using six foundational stances that protect your body and support long-term teaching;
• enhance the practice by understanding the benefits of touch and how it can support the asana experience;
• support agency with consent-driven assists and guidance on tactfully asking permission;
• understand trauma with trauma sensitivity and specific suggestions for bringing safe, purposeful assists into trauma-informed yoga classrooms; and
• apply what you learn through step-by-step instructions, teaching tips, and easy-to-follow photo guidance.

Perfect for 200- or 300-hour yoga teacher trainings and a trusted resource for teachers at any level, Hands-On Yoga Assists is the book that makes hands-on assisting clear, safe, and deeply effective while helping elevate the standards for safe touch across the yoga profession.

“Hands-On Yoga Assists is an invaluable tool. In this book, Kiara Armstrong transforms her intelligent, soothing assists into words, diagrams, and anecdotes that will resonate with newcomers and longtime practitioners alike.”
—Dina Ruiz Eastwood, RYT 200, Writer and Media Personality

“Kiara Armstrong’s Rubber Band Method is rooted in anatomy and trauma sensitivity, and it revolutionizes hands-on yoga assists with a focus on consent, purpose, and respect. Her book, Hands-On Yoga Assists, is perfect for yoga teachers who want to enhance their students’ asana experience.”
—Nicole C. Prehn, E-RYT 200, RYT 500, YACEP, Professional Figure Skater

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Table of Contents:

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® Tenets of Assisting
1. Always Ask Permission
2. Choose an Appropriate Student
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® and Trauma

Chapter 6. Rubber Band Method® in Action
Suggestions for Learning

Part II. Techniques
Chapter 7. Rubber Band Method® 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

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