The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast
159: Mindful Touch and Yoga with Tiffany Ryan & Katherine Parker
Description:
Do you incorporate touch into your yoga classes? Or do you enjoy touch in your classes but aren’t sure how to go about introducing it in your classes? Yomassage may be the answer you are looking for. This unique offering fills a niche in the health and wellness space, and seeks to combine the principles of yoga and yogic philosophy with the benefits of massage.
Tiffany Ryan and Katherine Parker are co-founders of Yomassage, and they offer an innovative approach to wellness that combines yoga and massage therapy. Tiffany and Katherine come from very different backgrounds, but their paths crossed by chance and Yomassage was born. The classes they offered at the studio became so popular that they decided to offer trainings to other wellness professionals. Today, they offer a variety of Yomassage classes and trainings across the US to create affordable options for self-care through bodywork.
Tiffany and Katherine Parker join me to share more about how they came to discover this as their niche, how they serve their clients, and the benefits of Yomassage. They also highlight how yoga teachers can incorporate this area into their current yoga offerings to students and how mindful touch is different than a yoga teacher providing adjustments and assists.
If you’ve ever thought about incorporating more touch into your classes, or are interested in finding out more about how mindful touch can benefit your students, this episode is for you.
Key Takeaways:
[5:13] Shannon introduces her guests for this episode - Tiffany Ryan and Katherine Parker.
[7:32] What is Yomassage and how did Tiffany and Katherine create it? Tiffany shares a bit about her journey that led to Yomassage.
[11:27] Where did Katherine's yoga journey begin, and how did her work tie in with touch and massage?
[14:34] Katherine shares more about the trainings on Yomassage that they offer massage therapists and yoga teachers.
[15:12] There has been a lot of discussion in the yoga world about why it might be better not to incorporate touch into classes. What are Tiffany's thoughts on this?
[20:06] How does Katherine, as the studio owner, safeguard the interests of students coming in with regards to who wants touch and who doesn't?
[23:27] What is the process when students sign up for a Yomassage class?
[26:15] The training for mindful touch provides teachers with a framework for what is acceptable and what isn't.
[28:31] A word from our sponsor - Yomassage.
[29:43] What are some of the the recommendations, do's and don'ts for Yomassage?
[31:28] For a yoga teacher who would like to incorporate touch into their classes, what would be the best way to go about it?
[35:15] People need 10-15 minutes of touch daily, and Yomassage classes aims to provide this. How are the classes organized to do this?
[39:15] Katherine shares some of the details about the Yomassage and mindful touch classes.
[42:36] How much touch do people receive in a Yomassage session vs a mindful touch class?
[44:44] What are the training sessions like for Yomassage and mindful touch, for practitioners who want to include these as a part of their offering?
[48:17] Connect with Katherine and Tiffany via their social media pages to learn more about Yomassage.
[49:07] Shannon, Katherine and Tiffany discuss the importance of touch.
[51:28] Shannon shares her biggest takeaway from this interview.
Links:
Gratitude to our Sponsor Schedulicity and Yomassage
Quotes from this episode:
"The combination of the touch and the restorative yoga would be almost like receiving that savasana / feel-good touch throughout the whole class." - Katherine
"Touch is known and proven to help the body enter into the parasympathetic nervous system." - Tiffany
"Touch is so impactful, and it really can help people heal." - Tiffany
"It's really important to have this additional training that teaches you about touch, how to touch and to do it with consent." - Tiffany