To Do Yoga Assists Or Not? #Yoga #MeToo #YogaAssists

My teacher,  Manju Jois, doing assist.

By Allen Barkus


To Assist or Not? To me one of the best things in a yoga class is getting a great assist helping me to go deeper into my asana/pose. Unfortunately whether to give assists or not has become a big issue to studios and teachers in classes largely due to the pervasive culture of abuse that we live in. Even in the yoga community there are accusations of abuse, something I find very disturbing.

How Studios and Teachers deal with the Assist Issue- Some studios and gyms have no touching policies and some distribute cards or have other ways for students to give permission to get assists. My approach has become much more personal asking individually if there are any things I need to know about their specific issues that day that could include stomach issues, back issues, strains and menstrual; whatever they wish to share for me to adjust their practice to their individual needs.

Self Empowerment-  One of the things I have also found disturbing is people do not always speak up, giving others power over them. I've heard people say "it was ok because" who the person was. In one case a woman told me a well known yoga guru did a very invasive assist but it was ok since he knew what he was doing.

It is Okay to Say No- I honestly expect in most cases people don't know when they are being too intrusive and they may assume it is okay if someone does not speak up. Some are even naturally affectionate like Joe Biden.
I think it is best to address the issue as quickly as possible with the person in private, ideally say no when happening.

By Allen Barkus. Allen has been practicing Ashtanga yoga since 1998 and teaching since 2004. His initial teacher training was with David Swenson and has been the student of Manju Jois since 2004. Manju, along with his father, introduced Ashtanga/Vinyasa yoga to America in 1975. His studies focus on Healing Therapy. He is available in Philadelphia for private lessons and clinics and travels around the world teaching clinics. www.AshtangabyAllen.com