Workshop Description
The Art of Adjustment
A Yoga Teacher Training Workshop Based on the Teachings of Śrī T. Kr̥ṣṇamācārya
In the classical tradition of Śrī T. Kr̥ṣṇamācārya, yoga is not a rigid system applied uniformly to all, but a living, adaptable path tailored to the unique body, mind, and spirit of each practitioner. At the heart of this individualized approach lies the art of adjustment — the skillful and sensitive act of guiding students into greater balance, stability, and self-awareness through intentional, respectful touch and cueing.
For yoga teachers, learning to adjust properly and safely is not optional — it is essential. Improper adjustments can lead to discomfort, injury, or emotional distress. In contrast, a well-informed adjustment can awaken alignment, deepen breath awareness, release stored tension, and enhance the student’s internal experience of āsana.
This workshop addresses a critical gap in modern yoga teaching: the need for rooted, ethical, and intelligent hands-on skills. Many teachers leave training programs feeling unsure about how, when, or even if they should touch their students. This course offers clarity, confidence, and competence.
If you are a yoga instructor or a student who would like to deepen your understanding…
What you'll learn
- The philosophical foundation of adjustment
- How Kr̥ṣṇamācārya’s principle of yoga for the individual
- Touch-based support
- When to adjust
- When to observe
- When to step back
- Developing sensitivity, discernment, and non-intrusiveness
- The mechanics of safe, breath-synchronized
- Adjustments in key postures
- Adaptations for various bodies,
- Injuries, therapeutic settings, and trauma-informed approaches
- The ethics of touch consent
- Cultural sensitivity, and boundaries in teacher-student dynamics
- Integration of marma-point awareness
- Breath rhythm (prāṇa cikitsā)
- Energetic directionality in hands-on guidance
Day 1: Foundations of Yogic Adjustment
Theme: Seeing the Student — The Yogic Lens of Observation
- Orientation & opening mantra from Kr̥ṣṇamācārya’s tradition
- What is yogic adjustment? Philosophy and purpose (Yoga as niḥśreyasa-sādhanam)
- Principles of Vinyāsa Krama and Cikitsā Krama
- How to see the student — breath, structure, intention
- Ethics of touch: consent, boundaries, presence
- Basic hands-on & verbal adjustments in standing āsanas
- Guided āsana lab: Tādāsana, Vīrabhadrāsana, Trikoṇāsana variations
- Prāṇāyāma for teacher awareness & energetic sensitivity
Day 2: Refinement, Adaptation & Therapeutic Touch
Theme: The Breath, the Bhāva, and the Body
- Breath as the foundation of safe adjustment
- Adjusting based on bhāva (inner state) and deha (physical body)
- Touch that empowers: support vs correction
- Adjustments in forward bends, twists, and backbends
- Marma points awareness in adjustment (feet, hips, spine)
- Working with injuries or vulnerable students
- Practicum in partner work: one-on-one adjustments
- Closing chanting and journaling on the teacher’s role
Day 3: Integration & Therapeutic Application
Theme: The Healing Hand — Yoga as Care
- Adjustment in restorative and seated postures
- Verbal vs manual adjustment: when and why
- Sequences for common issues (lower back, shoulders, anxiety)
- Group class vs private: adapting your touch
- Integration with subtle anatomy: nāḍīs, cakras, and prāṇa flow
- Teacher practicum: peer-to-peer teaching with feedback
- Final Q&A, certification, and closing ritual
- Gain confidence and precision in offering hands-on or verbal adjustments
- Deepen your understanding of postural mechanics within the context of breath-led Vinyāsa Krama
- Learn to see the student — beyond form, into function and inner movement (antar-yoga)
- Develop a refined teaching presence that honors safety, trust, and transformation
- Enhance your ability to offer truly individualized guidance — the hallmark of the Kr̥ṣṇamācārya tradition
This is more than a workshop on alignment. It is an invitation to become a more sensitive, empowered, and wise teacher, rooted in the timeless principles of authentic yoga.
