Hands-on adjustments can divide yoga teachers quickly. Some love them. Some avoid them altogether. And many were trained to use touch without ever being taught how to think critically about anatomy, biomechanics, consent, or what actually makes an assist useful.

 

In this episode of The Abundant Yoga Teacher Podcast, Kiara Armstrong and host Amy McDonald dig into those questions, including the difference between a genuinely useful assist and simply moving someone into a shape because you think they should be there.

 

They also explore an often-overlooked business question: can becoming genuinely skilled at hands-on teaching give yoga teachers a professional advantage? Amy and Kiara discuss how thoughtful touch can make classes feel more personal, deepen a student’s understanding of an asana, develop an area of expertise students actively seek out, and become part of a teacher’s unique teaching identity.

 

At the center of the conversation is a crucial distinction: confidence with touch is not the same as skill, and good intentions are not the same as consent.