My weekend was nothing too exciting but perfect for me. I’ll give you one guess what the theme of it was…
Yep, yoga. I am assisting with 200-hour teacher training this winter/spring and we had a teacher training weekend scheduled. (They complete the 200 hours over the course of eight weekends and assisting/observation work done in the classroom.) This weekend of training was an assisting intensive. We spent all of Friday night, Saturday and Sunday working on hands-on assisting. It was a very physical weekend. Everyone loved it but we were absolutely exhausted when it was over. I ended up taking a rest day yesterday instead of working out and I wasn’t even doing all the assisting and poses like the students were!
Really good assists are one of the things that can take a yoga teacher from good to great. It creates so much connection with your students and helps them to feel good in the poses they are performing. Assisting is one of my favorite things about teaching and I’m totally hands on while I’m teaching. I try to touch everyone in the room at least once. There is so much science behind the power of touch. It’s pretty cool.
Yoga readers…what are your favorite poses to get assists in?
While we’re talking about yoga…I teach Saturday and Sunday mornings. Saturdays at Om Yoga in Fort Mill and Sundays at Y2. I love both of these classes because they’re more of my “messaging, playful, work on a skill, mix it up a little” classes of the week because they are longer than an hour so we don’t have to be on such a schedule to get through everything. My yogis at Om requested that we work on partner planks and they had a great time playing around with it.
I stayed in Friday and Saturday night because I was so wiped out from teacher training. I did cook a nice dinner Saturday night since I didn’t go out. Filet with goat cheese and balsamic reduction, roasted baby potatoes with herbs and roasted baby zucchini.
I made myself brunch after teaching my Sunday morning hot class. Omelet with spinach, artichokes, roasted red peppers, avocado, smoked salmon, mushrooms and feta with fresh fruit.
I went to a friend’s house for an early casual dinner Sunday night. Chicken salad and a delicious kale salad and an arugula salad. I went back for seconds of everything. So nice and light and fresh! I was home by 7:30 and in bed reading by 9:30 p.m. It was glorious!
Staying in on Friday and Saturday night wasn’t so bad since I had the new season of House of Cards to entertain me. HOLY CRAP! Has anyone started this season? It’s CRAZY! Love this show so much.
Now, for some winners.
Brady Bands Giveaway
Congrats Jill! I’ll email you!
Daring Greatly Giveaway
Congrats Julianna. I’m going to gift the book to you on Audible!
Have a wonderful week! 🙂
I LOVE when there is someone assisting in a yoga class! It always feels so good when the teacher is able to help you get deeper into the pose. It is amazing what a difference it can make both in the challenging poses as well as the restorative ones. XOXO
We haven’t started House of Cards yet because we’re getting up to current on Homeland (which is also so so good…do you watch?) but I CAN’T WAIT to watch it!!!! Glad to hear it’s good!!
Also, I absolutely love when my yoga teachers assist! Wish I could attend one of yours…love it when teachers are hands-on.
I was sick all weekend, perfectly fine Friday then woke up saturday with a killer sore throat and decided to do my half marathon anyway, which took me from 1-2 on sick scale, to a bazillion. I think one of my patients got me sick on Friday. I felt like I got hit by a bus, but it gave me an excuse to binge-rewatch the first season of HOC and then get mind-effed by the second season out of the gate. I managed to stop at episode 6 of season 2 I think, I’m trying to pace myself so I don’t have to wait a year for new episodes when I watch them all in one day marathon!
I have to say the best thing a yoga teacher can do in terms of assisting is to do both sides. If helping to twist deep to one side, I love it when my teachers remember to come back for the other side. It keeps the balance for me.
I love when yoga teachers assists or correct me. I worry I’m doing things wrong so often and like to know I’m doing the poses correctly so I don’t hurt myself and get the most out of them. I feel like most teachers don’t correct much and I always feel like a creepo asking for them to touch me more, haha!
I love it when yoga teachers assist because I may think I am doing it right, but usually I am not and it helps me perfect it and do it better! I always love to learn.
i love being assisted in almost any yoga pose. The only things i dont like are if anyone pulls me back during updog or anything else that sort of tweaks the low back but that’s just me. i couldnt agree more in the healing power of touch !
I love good assists in a yoga class, I really dislike it when a teacher just demonstrates and never really assists the students. On the flip side, some instructors assist so much that I can never fully get into my practice. The teachers I find myself really excited to return to always have really good, intuitive assists and manage to be hands-on enough, while not hovering over students too much.
Just got through a couple episodes of the new House of Cards season and WOW.
Jen, would you mind sharing what kind of pans you use? I know you use a cast iron skillet-I’ve heard they are nonstick when hot, is that true even for things like eggs? Do you use any other kinds of “green” nonstick pans? Everything you cook always looks amazing!!
Oh that omelet looks goooood!!! Eggs are my go-to
It seems like everyone was checking out House Of Cards Season 2 this weekend!
And I love when I’m assisted in class (especially because I tend to sit in to things) so I try to assist every person in my class (I teach barre) at least once per class. Sometimes it’s just having them get an inch deeper into the position, but they love it. I’m all about hands out 🙂
And both salads look awesome! I go weak for both kale and arugula! I’d have seconds too 😉
I love getting assists and adjustments in yoga! Sadly at my studio I only get one about every 5th or 6th class I go to. I would love to get one every time!
I just can’t get into House of Cards. I only watched the first episode of the first season though. I might have to try again.
I am in need of finding a good yoga class! Ever since I moved to a new city I haven’t had the opportunity to look for or find a good yoga studio. I’m hoping to get back into it soon. We are just finishing up Breaking Bad.. I hated it at first but now I can’t get enough. I think House of Cards is next on our list 🙂
I like assists best when they’re for alignment issues, or to remind me to pull my shoulder blades back. I do find them really helpful most of the time and wish teachers did it more! However, I’m quite inflexible and I’ve had a handful of occasions where I was already at my limit of flexibility in a pose and a teacher tried to help me go deeper, which makes me feel sort of crappy like they thought I was cheating and not giving my all when in reality, I’m doing all I can! Just my two cents 🙂
I love when teachers do assists. My favorite favorite yoga teacher had definitely perfected the art of them. They can almost make or break a class.
all those eats look amazing!!
and so excited to listen to Daring Greatly! Thank you so much!!
OBSESSED with House of Cards. Maybe because I lived in DC for 2 years. The city really DOES have that crazy evil energy too. You can totally feel it. The show fascinates me. I would love to get better at assists. It’s the one thing we didn’t cover in teacher training. If you know of an assisting workshop in Charlotte that you recommend, would you mind posting it? Thank you!! I know Baron Baptiste has an Art of Assisting workshop that is great but none in my area.
Love this! I can’t wait to practice my assists I learned this weekend- I literally had dreams the other night that I was assisting all night long- lol. Food Looks amazing! And I am also loving House of Cards!
How often do you change up your yoga classes and playlists? I’m finishing up my yoga teacher training and started teaching a few weeks ago, and I’m surprised at how much time it’s taking to make new classes and playlists each week (not that I mind!). Just curious as to what other teachers do.
I always love your song choices for your classes and have been using a lot of them for mine… please post more! 🙂
at least one new playlist a week and i try not to use the same one if i’m teaching a lot of the same students back to back days. you’ll get in a better rhythm with it once you have a good library of playlists. it will be a lot easier to quickly put them together.
i’ll post some new songs i’m loving soon. i’ve had some great playlists lately!
I love child’s pose and pigeon assists.