FUNCTIONAL ADJUSTMENTS

IT’S TIME TO INNOVATE!

Hands-on adjustments have long been part of yoga teaching. For many students, they’ve been supportive and meaningful. For others, they’ve been uncomfortable, harmful, or even led to injury.

Because of this, many teachers today are asking an important question: What role should touch play in modern yoga teaching? Touch in yoga should always be consent-based, respectful of boundaries, and supportive of the student’s autonomy.

At the same time, another important question is emerging: What is the purpose of hands-on adjustments in the first place? For decades, adjustments were commonly used to push students deeper into postures, increasing flexibility and range of motion. But modern movement science is showing us something different. More range is not always the goal. Better function is.

This training invites teachers to take a new look at hands-on adjustments, not as a way to push bodies deeper into shapes, but as a way to help students organize their bodies more effectively within them. Hands-on adjustments should support the student’s agency, not override it. And when used with anatomical understanding and clear intention, touch can become a powerful tool for supporting strength, coordination, stability, and functional movement.

3 PHASE FORMAT

Online Pre-Training for Bio-Mechanics (Foundational Anatomy Knowledge)

The online pre-training will consist of select videos extracted from the 20 Hour Anatomy Course. Those that have this course are encouraged to review prior to attending. Those that do not have the course will be granted limited time access to select important videos prior to the training. If you are attending Chromatic Level 1 prior, these videos will already be in your pre-training and you will not have additional work.

In Person: 3 Phase System

Phase 1 — Mechanics of Touch

Before learning specific adjustments, we start with the mechanics that make hands-on work effective and sustainable for the teacher. You’ll learn principles drawn from bodywork and Thai massage to understand how to use your own body efficiently while working with others. We explore center of gravity, weight shifting, leverage, and positioning so adjustments feel supportive rather than forceful. The goal is to develop touch that is clear, stable, and energetically efficient.

Phase 2 — Anatomy-Informed Adjustments

Once the mechanics are established, we begin exploring hands-on adjustments through the lens of functional anatomy. Rather than using touch to simply move students deeper into a pose, the focus shifts to why an adjustment is being applied and what outcome it is meant to support. You’ll learn when and how to apply hands-on support to facilitate meaningful functional changes, such as improving body awareness, enhancing proprioception, organizing joints more effectively, developing strength and stability, and refining subtle movement patterns within postures. The result is touch that supports how the body functions within a pose, rather than forcing the body further into its shape.

Phase 3 — Designing Your Own Adjustments

The final phase moves beyond memorizing techniques.

We explore two complementary perspectives. First, analyzing a posture and identifying the physical demands it places on the body. Second, flipping the lens to ask a different question: what element of functionality are you trying to help the student improve?

1. Are you supporting greater joint organization?
2. More stability?
3. Better strength development?
4. Improved proprioception or body awareness?

Starting from the functional goal helps inform both your sequencing choices and the hands on support you provide within the pose. This approach gives you a flexible framework that can be applied across many postures and many different bodies, allowing your adjustments to evolve alongside your understanding as a teacher.

REGISTRATION: Registration for July 2026  is first come, first served. Waitlist members will be notified before anyone else. Trainings sell out within 24-36 hours on average, be sure to get on the waitlist now – Sign up below and keep an eye out for the notifications from Matt@theyogimatt.com.

200/300/500 Hour Trainings: Make your online training into a hybrid training. If you are taking one of the teacher trainings on theyogimatt.com you will be able to utilize these hours as your necessary “synchronous hours.” More details coming soon. 

POSE CATEGORIES AND TECHNIQUES

• Thai Massage Elements
• Self Adjustments for Visual Demonstration
• Pillar Vs. Triangulation of Force
• Key Points to Touch
• What Area of Your Body To Use
• Finding Your Footing
• Reference Touch (No Force)
• Directionality Touch
• Midline Adjustments
• No Touch Adjustments Using Props
• Teaching Students to Adjust Each Other 

SCHEDULE

SCHEDULE NOTES

FUNCTIONAL ADJUSTMENTS

3 DAY TRAINING, 30 HOURS CE with Chromatic Yoga, Yoga Alliance, and American Yoga Council

TUITION AFTER May 15th : $1195

Meals and Lodging are Not Included for This Training.

NOTE: We have a discounted rate at The Heritage Hotel In Southbury Connecticut, please Request the link by emailing or instagram DM Matt

Lunch: Bring your own, Go to town (8min by car) or order via popular Apps such as Uber Eats, DoorDash, etc.

Discounts for Chromatic Certified Guides, Teachers and Above, and for anyone attending Chromatic 50hr July 8-12th

EARLY BIRD PRICING:

Non-Chromatic Yoga Teachers: $995

Chromatic Teachers Discount: $895

GET AN ADDITIONAL $100 OFF IF YOU SING UP WITHIN THE FIRST 48 HOUR OF REGISTRATION OPENING, STARTS NOW!