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Home , Doga (yoga), Standing asanas

LEVEL 2 TEACHER TRAINING – ALIGNMENT & ADJUSTMENT

PARTNER YOGA

Partner Yoga is a fun way to practice yoga whether taught as a full class, incorporated into a general class for one or two postures, or as a fun training session at home with a friend. Partner Yoga is a beautiful way to unite with another soul whilst practicing yoga. The art of two people performing in tandem brings a deepening of one’s personal practice. Here are some of the highlights of having a ‘yoga buddy’:

• Your partner adjusts your poses, bringing an increase in flexibility that cannot be achieved as easily on your own • Strength can be developed as your partner supports you in many yang postures that require deep strength and endurance • Two breaths working in synchronicity will raise the vibration within the practice leading to deeper healing and awakenings • You become a healer • You receive healing in a more dynamic way – from your own yoga practice, from the joined and from your partner • You develop the power of touch and become adept in massage and energy healing • Having a yoga partner motivates your own desire to practice (particularly if you make practicing partner yoga a weekly ritual) • You can encourage friends, family or romantic partner to try yoga for the first time with a fun and supportive practice like partner yoga • Laughter is a great by-product of partner yoga and facilitates healing through fun and frivolity • For yoga teachers, practicing partner yoga will empower you to reach out to adjust your students with confidence and ease • Partner yoga is ideal for couples therapy and will bring deeper heart connection as well as benefiting physical relations

Partner Yoga Sequencing

Sequencing for specialty classes such as partner or couples yoga follows the same principles as sequencing for a general yoga class.

Breath Connection – this can be done in , sitting back to back or facing each other with palms connected to your partner.

Warm-up – moving from the ground up in readiness for Surya Namaskar, partner squats into partner can be incorporated here. Surya Namaskar can be performed facing each other which creates a beautiful flow or can be done with one person doing the sequence and the other adjusting.

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Balance Poses – partner balance poses are invaluable, as we have someone to assist us to remain steady, allowing us to then work on the finer points within a balance pose that are often lost such as alignment and bandhas.

Standing Poses – so many variations can be done with the classical standing such a , Virabhadransa 1 & 11 and Parsvakonasana. Deeper standing poses such as Pavritta Trikonasana and Pavritta Parsvakonasana may require more adjustment type support than a partner pose (where the 2 people execute the pose at the same time which can be the same pose or counter-poses).

MY HEALTH YOGA LEVEL 2 YOGA TEACHER TRAINING | ALIGNMENT & ADJUSTMENT | PAGE 3 OF 20 Seated Poses – seated poses offer a wide range of partner asanas and also time to massage each other for longer periods of time as when positioned on the floor, there is naturally more support and often we can hold poses for longer.

Final rest – back to back seated can be effective here in a partner yoga class or take it in turns to provide a Savasana healing/massage.

CREATE YOUR OWN PARNTER YOGA POSE – describe how the pose looks and give your pose a name!

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Types of Partner Classes

Many partner yoga classes are open to bring your own friend or turn up solo and be paired with someone on the day. Other class variations include:

MY HEALTH YOGA LEVEL 2 YOGA TEACHER TRAINING | ALIGNMENT & ADJUSTMENT | PAGE 4 OF 20 • Couples Yoga • Acro Yoga (this style is trademarked and cannot be advertised by all teachers) • Mums/Dads & Bubs • Parent & Child • !

Couples

Many couples have become disconnected within their relationship and find it difficult to communicate their deepest feelings and desires. Ultimately trust is diminished and physical touch is lessened. It is said that at the point where couples cease to look into each other’s eyes (as is done in the primary phases of a romance), the disconnection has already begun.

Therefore, soul gazing can be a very effective technique to commence a couples yoga class. Sitting in Sukhasana, face to face, palms connected, breath full, deep and even and gazing deeply into each other’s eyes. The eyes are the windows to the soul and will assist a reconnection to the deepest aspect of each other.

Couples Yoga varies from partner yoga in that intimacy is the main focus of the class and many poses can be performed front to front (as opposed to back to back in many partner poses). Rest poses can be done hugging and leaning the head on the other’s shoulder.

Guiding the couple to explore each other’s physical body through touch and to tune into the energy, emotions and breath rhythm of their partner is a profound way to create trust again in the relationship. Couples will naturally feel more comfortable ‘off the mat’ to talk about their feelings, ask for their needs to be met and this will transfer into a more loving physical connection with more hugs, kisses and lovemaking.

After each couples yoga session, ask the couples to give each other feedback over how they felt, what poses they enjoyed, where they sensed they were holding on etc.

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Yoga Massage

The Yoga Massage we have developed and teach at My Health uses a fusion of Thai and Hawaiian bodywork with western massage techniques. The combination of these techniques creates a very profound and healing experience for both giver and receiver.

Thai Massage The origin of Thai Yoga Massage was developed some 2500 years ago. The founder Jivaka Komarubhacca born in India was a renowned ayurvedic doctor, physician to Buddha and a devoted . Deeply rooted in Ayurvedic medicine and healing traditions, it was then brought to Southeast Asia where it evolved with influences from Chinese, Indian and Southeast Asian cultural and healing practices of Ayurveda, and Chinese Meridian system into Thai Yoga Massage. There are different variations of this bodywork depending on which region it is from.

Polynesian Floorwork This ancient form of bodywork is based on Polynesian healing systems. Similar to Thai Massage it combines deep and gentle stretches, bone/joint massage and mobilisation. This beautiful form or bodywork allows the body to release stress and tension, and to let go of emotional trauma, old wounds and patterns. This facilitates the client to re-set and re-direct the flow of energy, leading to restoration and balance. The powerful healing system of Yoga Massage is very holistic and therapeutic. It uses a combination of acupressure, asana, stretching, joint mobilisation, massage, breathwork and affirmation.

MY HEALTH YOGA LEVEL 2 YOGA TEACHER TRAINING | ALIGNMENT & ADJUSTMENT | PAGE 6 OF 20 Massage Therapy and Bodywork

Massage is a healing technique which is a natural, instinctive and intuitive part of all human beings. People spontaneously rub their shoulders or temples to relieve tension or massage their joints to get the energy moving. Massage can create health and well-being in both the giver and receiver and has been known to cure many ails. The Massage gives evidence of: • Improved flexibility • Relief of physical and emotional stress • Stimulates and balances the meridian system • Relief of chronic pain • Improves circulation • Boosts the immune system • Drains the lymphatic system • Opens and balances the system (endocrine system of the physical body) • Conditioning and relieving the muscular system • Aligning the skeletal system • Cleanses the digestive system • Improves body/mind connection and awareness • Promotes inner peace

Science is also finding evidence of what healers know intuitively – massage heals due to the power of TOUCH. It is reported that children who grew up in a household where there was little affection are more likely to be depressed and insecure as adults. Touch is a physical ritual to give love – something we all deserve.

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Please note these photos do not show the full Yoga Massage Technique as taught at My Health Yoga. These are Yoga Massage techniques that are useful for yoga teachers within the class environment or private classes. For full training and description of techniques, please join our Yoga Massage Practitioner Training course.

As Yoga Teachers and Healers, we can trust ourselves to adjust and massage through Universal guidance and intuition. Whilst it is great to have a massage technique or structure to work within, like any other healing modality, doing what you are guided to do in each moment is more powerful. Emotions that are held in the body can released through massage and bodywork.

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Energy Healing

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Energy naturally pours out from our hands and with focus, we can direct this energy flow at a greater level. Consider a mother or father who instinctively place their hands on their children’s injury to promote soothing and healing. Or when you have a headache, you automatically place your hands to your head – we all have this innate ability to heal ourselves and others through our hands! Whilst initiation into Reiki can increase this healing vibration, we can all use the palm of the hands to conduct pure Universal healing energy.

Practice rubbing your hands together to create friction and heat, then focus your mind combined with your full yoga breath, into your palms. Shift your palms apart and see if you can maintain the energy connection. Practice this same technique with another person and hold your hands together then shift apart to see how long you can feel the energy connection. Yoga teachers can do a full circle energy healing technique in class with students joining palms together and conducting energy healing around the circle. When doing this ritual, ask your students to ‘receive’ (palm up) with the right hand and ‘give’ (palm down) with the left hand.

Energy healing is used extensively within a yoga class by the teacher. If you sense the energy is high, place your hand/s in the etheric body – the electrically charged sheath around the physical body and both teacher and student will feel the energy connection. If energy is weak, place your hand/s on the actual physical body, always being mindful of where on the student’s body is appropriate to touch. Channel energy through your hands via your mind focus and breath or offer a prayer to the Universe to ask for

MY HEALTH YOGA LEVEL 2 YOGA TEACHER TRAINING | ALIGNMENT & ADJUSTMENT | PAGE 19 OF 20 healing energy to flow through you to your student. Being a conduit for healing energy is a sublime experience! Learn to trust your intuition of where to place your hands and heal instinctively. Too much thought about where healing is needed for your student will block the energy flow.

Practical Exercise

TYPES OF ADJUSTMENT – COMBINE YOUR LEVEL 1 TEACHER TRAINING ALIGNMENT & ADJUSTMENT KNOWLEDGE WITH THIS LEVEL 2 MODULE: CHOOSE AND EXPLAIN AN EXAMPLE OF:

Energy Healing

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Yoga Massage

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Light Adjustment

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Firm adjustment

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Deep adjustment – using your full body weight

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