Teaching with our hands, not with words.

Art of Assisting Training

Art of
Assisting
Training

Teaching with our hands,
not with words.

Down Under believes that the art of assisting is a craft in its own right. Yoga is a somatic experience, so while many great teachers use words to impart meaning, others use the power of physical adjustments.

Methodologies like Ashtanga rely more on assists than verbal instructions to impart understanding. Align/Iyengar teachers might offer 'corrective' adjustments to a student’s pose or to help those needing therapeutic attention. In Vinyasa classes, an assistants might share 'deepening' assists, translating a teacher’s verbal cues into physical form. Restorative faculty love ‘supportive' energetic assists. Consent is paramount so students actively choose to receive assists using a matsnap on their mat.

In the Art of Assisting Immersion Weekend, you will have the opportunity to learn corrective, supportive, deepening, and directional assists for a wide range of poses. You will learn the foundational skills of "reading" bodies and assisting students with confidence.

Down Under trains its teachers and assistants in the language of touch: how to approach a body with presence, how to assess what’s needed, and how to safely guide without overriding the student's own process. Trainees are expected to demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the human form and the unseen energy of the room, bringing an energetic approach that exudes safety and grounded maturity as well as ensuring every assist offered is intentional, trauma-informed, and deeply respectful.

If you have any questions, call us at 617-566-YOGA or send an email to educationdirector@downunderyoga.com.

Art of Assisting
Training Details

Our Assisting Training is currently offered the following weekends:

October 11-12, 2025 • Brookline
1:15-8:15pm both days

March 14-15, 2026 • Brookline
1:15-8:15pm both days

June 13-14, 2026 • Brookline
1:15-8:15pm both days

October 10-11, 2026 • Brookline
1:15-8:15pm both days

Tuition—$275

Program Overview

The Assisting Program at Down Under unfolds in a structured, four-phase pathway that includes foundational training, immersive workshops, supervised in-class experience, and formal integration into the teaching floor. Each phase is designed to uphold the integrity of our teaching standards while supporting the growth of the assistant in service of our students and faculty.

PHASE ONE
The Art of Assisting Training

Build the philosophical and practical foundation for hands-on assisting. Open to all members of the public with no prerequisites (though 6 months of yoga asana experience & or a 200 Hour YTT is useful.)

- Completion of the Art of Assisting Weekend.
- Study and discussion of consent-based touch, boundaries, and student safety.
- Observation of body mechanics, energy, and the function of breath in assists.
There is no exam or practicum so all participants emerge well-equipped with the basics on the craft of assisting.

PHASE TWO
Assisting Workshops

Open to anyone who has completed Down Under's Art of Assisting Training. The focus of this training is to provide the opportunity to practice the content learned in Phase 1 and receive feedback.

- Attend at least 3 of 4 specialized assisting workshops led by the Director of the Assisting Program, Masaaki Okamura.
- Practice assists in postural families (standing, backbends, forward folds, inversions).
- Learn how to work with injuries, special conditions, and the subtleties of different lineages (Iyengar, Vinyasa, Ashtanga).
There is no exam or practicum so all participants emerge having put into practice the skills they acquired in the Art of Assisting Training. This ends Down Under's public offerings in training teachers to assist. There is no expectation or assurance of being hired at Down Under as a teacher or apprenticed as an assistant, rather this is an offering to all practitioners and teachers interested in developing their own craft.

PHASE THREE
Apprenticeship (invitation only in-class shadowing)

Down Under's need for assistants on the floor varies. If there is a need, the Directors have the ability to invite individuals to refine their assisting skills in real-time under guidance.

- Down Under has a limited number of capacity classes where trainees who demonstrate superlative understanding of the human form and bring an energetic approach that exudes safety and grounded maturity may be invited by Assisting Directors to engage in further mentorship.
- If invited, apprentices assist experienced assistants in a limited capacity in a public class at Down Under. Given the impact on students, this needs to be limited to a small, select group of individuals who Down Under feels confident they may wish to graduate to the floor potentially as assistants.
- Receive direct feedback from senior faculty in real time and the Assisting Director.
Invitation to Phase 3 is entirely at the Director's discretion and completing Phase 3 is not a guarantee of being an assistant on Down Under's floor. Only the most talented apprentices who demonstrate an exceptional understanding and energetic approach that exudes safety and grounded maturity may be invited to demonstrate readiness by assisting Masaaki Okamura in a live class.

PHASE FOUR
Mentorship: 4-Week Trial Floor Immersion

Transition into assisting on Down Under's floor through extended mentorship and supervised consistency.

- Upon approval from Masaaki, assist alongside an experienced teacher in a designated weekly class for a minimum of 4 consecutive weeks.
- Refine hands-on presence, classroom rhythm, and communication with the lead teacher.
- Be observed for reliability, student rapport, and sensitivity to the room.
Invitation to Phase 4 is entirely at the Director's discretion and completing Phase 4 is not a guarantee of being an assistant on Down Under's floor. After completing this 4-week immersion, assistants are eligible to complete the Assistant Class Application Placement Form and apply for formal placement (application will be made available to candidates upon completion of Phase 4.)