Q. Shiva Anna Asks; What is Supportive/Therapeutic yoga ? What kind you practice?
A. Masso Answers; Supportive yoga, advances the benefits of the yoga session effectively
for the beginner right from start to the level of an advanced yogi.
It may even add to intensity of practice for experienced yogies as well.
No matter how good you get with your poses, you still can benefit from assisted improvements.
More experienced yogi stands close to the beginner and together they form the pose, while the
experienced yogi extends and supports the pose further along to help to maintain balance.
Instructions are given while holding the position.
This way, the beginner benefits just as much as the experienced yogi does.
It is almost like a duet ballet, but with much more manipulations, extensions and beneficial
bendings beyond possibilities of the practitioner in solo practices.
Therapeutic yoga is achieved because the supported yoga poses, if done correctly and to
their maximum extent, are therapeutic in nature.
For example, twisted prayer pose, or happy cow asana, among other benefits, will press your mid
internal glands to empty their content to your internal system, thus benefiting the body while
sending a message to brain that the gland is empty.
This signal, through complex per-coursing process will then cause the gland to produce more hormones.
Eventually and through repetition, the dormant gland in most cases will get back to its natural
cycle path.
But acheiving the full twisted prayer pose while just learning is very advanced unless someone supports
your weight and helps the balance.
It is a form of Ashtanga yoga that use another human body as a smart prop instead of physical dumb props.
Props and dumb aids like wooden blocks and chairs are common in Iyengar and Ashtanga yoga as well.
It is no wonder that most supported yoga practitioners of any age, almost immediately, feel improved energy,
better sleep, good digestion, skin, hair quality and mental ability.
Assisted therapeutic yoga, re-establishes a correct spinal position and effective hormonal cycle,
quicker than just normal yoga, because the manipulated extensions are near perfect and are very advanced.
Additionally, supported yoga and yogic body manipulations, like stretch and massage, not only will decompress
and bring back body to its natural state from its daily compressed and abused state but will eventually correct
years of abuse.
Studies show that most people in the evening, on their way back home from work, adjust their rear
view mirror to lower, to compensate for up to 1 1/2 inch compression of their spine during the work day.
Needless to say, daily modern life is abusive to body and we need to return body into its natural position
regularly.
I hope this is a good description of this practice but if you have more questions please let me know.
As far as I know, I am the only practitioner/innovator, who practices this kind of yoga in Seattle area
since 1999, have continously improved it to its present level through daily practice with number of
different partners for many years and I am constantly improving its components and tecniques.
I hope to hear more from others with similar experiences. masso
Q. Shiva Anna asks;
Is this practice intense? Is it painful to stretch that much? How are the tolerance levels set ?
What are the safe levels.
A. Masso Answers; Shiva, this is an intense and rapid form of interactive mind/body shaping practice.
Poses are somewhat difficult and a little painful, but emotional/physical support is there to adjust and help.
Almost all levels of practitoners benefit from this method.
Additionally, a deeper understanding after extended practices, will familiaraize practitioners to
tolerances and safer levels of the mutual attempts to acheive perfect poses.
Safe words, prior knowledge of physical conditions, preset conditions all will help to understand limits and how far to go.
I have four supported yoga partners per week and yet had an extended injury, just a little soreness
due to deep corrections.
Keep in mind, any correction is also an injury but a positive form of it.
I submit a detailed pertinent to this practice questionaire to new practitioners to clarify major issues prior
so to set practice limits and extremes before commencement of first session and periodically thereafter.
Q. Shiva Anna comments;
Well, this is just a comment not a question.
I had my first supported yoga session with masso and it was beyond description.
I had never felt this completely worked out ever in my life.
Woww.. Every bone, muscle, cell in my body was stretched, my mind has been centered.
This is uniquely magical..! Just what I ever needed.
Parts of my body were sore the next day but that was replaced with greater flexibility and
physical comfort in few hours.
I was instructed to gently stretch and warm up the next day to remedy.
My usual aches and pains disapeared.
I feel every cell in my body and my skin feels different and alive eversince.
Now I realize how an advance yogi feels after a full yoga session..!
I had my first full night sleep and my stress level has been very low for few days now.
My cravings, desires and appetite is reduced to managable levels. I feel blissful and content.
This is encouraging me to advance my yoga so I can perform my best in future.
I am looking forward for my next session. Thank you..
A. Masso Answers; Thank you Shiva Anna.
Comments like yours encourages me to advance my techniques.
Shiva , most supported yoga practitioners feel great after the practice for vareity of reasons.
Yes, it is two practitioners with varied skill levels contributing to a fuller, better pose,
naturally adding unique possibilities that is simply not poissible with just solo yoga.
More you learn through your support, the more you benefit, but as you said,
you must try your best to eventually catch up with support and excell your own abilities.
This is how we progress through supported yoga. We learn what we can do, how far we can go.
There is always room for advancement.
Q. Sophia asks; Is there anyway to benefit from supported yoga without someone helping you?
This practice has changed me radically and I like to continue.
Because, this practice is very effective and beneficial but expensive and inaccessible to some,
we need to find a way to benefit without support.
I would like to practice daily if I can find a way to do it myself.
Also I am out of USA. for now and miss the practice very much. Sending love.
A. Masso answers; I would like to know the answer to that question myself.
Iyengar Yoga relies on physical supports like chairs, blocks and bands and maybe adopted to aid or mimic
supported yoga.
I accept donations based on ability to afford or sliding scale format. Not being able to afford should never
stop anyone from benefitting from these sessions.
I am committed to help anyone who finds this practice beneficial.
Also, I am training others to perform same or a better quality practice.
Certification is usually identified by a copper bracelet that I exclusively make for certified teachers, individually.
I am also developing a new radical method that can help rapid weight reduction, toning and overall good feeling.
As far as I know I and Erina are the only practitioners who perform this type of supported yoga.
You can contact Erina by clicking contact us at bottom of this page and leaving a message.
Watch Erina's video in Video page
Q. Becca Asks; What body is suitable for this type of intensive supported yoga practice.
How to train to get ready for supported yoga with you?
I enjoy the rapid and radical changes and results I have seen on others and very much and would like
to join, but also know that prior preparation will help me benefit most
A. Masso answers; Having a strong abdomenal muscles are very helpfull to do Updog Asanas .
In my classes you are required to do at least 10 Upward dog Asana per each session and the same amount of
Downward dog . Having stronger arms is very helpful .
So pushups and leg lifts plus crunches. Strong abs and strong arms.
Eventually only core muscles will be center of the focus.
That group of muscles will carry the most difficult tasks demanded by intense supported yoga.
Of course even core muscles eventually are second to 4 main Kundalini limbs.
Q. Becca comments: My first session with this method .
I understand how deep the conditioning is. It is not just in organ level but also it triggers cell activity
and rejuvination. It starts very deep and comes to surface.
I can feel the change deep inside but I anticipate feeling it in the surface soon.
It is clear that it will happen.
A. Masso comments; You have a very good feel of supported yoga Becca.
It certainly is a deeply effective method . First I observe the internal changes occur
then it all comes up to surface.
It is clearly visible that the skin texture and structure under it comes to life by connecting deeper
to the organs.
It is very much like blooming from deep under, connecting surface tissues to life support within.
Maybe that is why yoga is known to reverse aging.
Yoga is a very rejuvinating practice but supported yoga helps that rejuvination manifest in surface as well.
One practitioner told me she felt the long gone moistness in her skin is back.
She feels her emotions and core activities moisturizes her skin from within.