Ajustes Cranio y Yoga

8 Craniosacral Adjustments You Can Give in Savasana 12/6/19, 3)44 PM
YOGA | FOR TEACHERS
8 Craniosacral Adjustments
You Can Give in Savasana
Amber Burke 5 min.
On students who are

reclining in any long-
held restorative pose,
like savasana , and
who have given
consent to hands-on
assists, you might
consider using these
eight light touches
inspired by
craniosacral therapy, a
gentle form of
bodywork, in order to
deepen their
relaxation and
perhaps even to
enhance their overall
wellness by inviting a
subtle inner
recalibration to take
https://yogainternational.com/article/view/8-craniosacral-adjustments-you-can-give-in-savasana Page 1 of 18
place.
“Think of it as
facilitating savasana,”
Jonina Turzi explained
to me in a recent
interview. Turzi is a
doctor of physical
therapy, yoga teacher,
and owner of West
End Yoga Studio in
Lancaster,
Pennsylvania, who
employs craniosacral
therapy techniques
with her patients and,
increasingly, with her
yoga students. “With a
light, symmetrical
touch, you can
encourage the release
of asymmetrical
tension that may be
preventing your
students f rom
relaxing fully.”
ABOUT
CRANIOSACRAL
THERAPY
Craniosacral therapy
(CST), developed in
1970 by John E.
Upledger, aims to
release the
restrictions that may
inhibit the functioning
of the craniosacral
system—the fluid and
membranes that
surround the brain,
spinal column, and
nerves. “There is a
sheath of connective
tissue around the
nervous system and
the brain, and in
between those
sheaths and the
neurons themselves
there is cerebrospinal
fluid that absorbs
shock, nourishes, and
supports the nervous
system,” Turzi
explained. “You could
say our consciousness
is bathed in this fluid.”
That fluid pulses in a
rhythm distinct f rom

respiration and
circulation. Of the
mysterious origins of
this movement, Turzi
said, “Although there
are many theories, I
believe it moves
because it’s fluid in a
semi-closed system in
a semi-elastic
container on a
revolving planet, and
like all the water on
the planet, it is
affected by the
gravitational forces of
the sun and the
moon.” The
craniosacral rhythm
can and should affect
all the tissues and
bones of the body.
Turzi compared its
movement, which is
ideally bilaterally
symmetrical, to “the
slow beating of
butterfly wings.”
Often, however, there
are distortions in the

craniosacral path and
rhythm.
According
to Turzi,
“The
digestive,
endocrine,
immunological,
excretory,
and
circulatory
systems all
benefit
from
craniosacral
assists.”
Craniosacral
therapists believe that
a light two-handed
touch, applied to the
body’s paired bones
(for example, the two
heels, the two sides of
the pelvis, the two
shoulders), enhances
the nervous system’s
own ability to observe
itself—to notice, for
example, differences
between the right and
left—and make the
self-corrections that
will channel fluid and
movement more
evenly through both
sides of the body. They
claim that such
releases are felt not
only by the nervous
system, but by the
many systems of the
body with which the
nervous system
interacts. According to
Turzi, “The digestive,
endocrine,
immunological,
excretory, and
circulatory systems all
benefit f rom
craniosacral assists.”
When these systems
work well, the body's
innate abilities to heal
itself are enhanced.
The Upledger Institute
Clinic promotes CST’s
value as part of the
treatment for a variety

of health problems
ranging f rom
migraines, neck and
back pain, ear
infections, and
temporomandibular
joint disorders (TMJ),
to Alzheimer’s,
amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis (ALS), autism,
Crohn’s disease, post-
traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD), and
depression.
Repeatedly
conf ronted with the
the dearth of scientific
evidence supporting
the therapeutic value
of CST, Upledger, who
was a tireless
advocate of his
technique in Massage
Today , wrote that he
did not believe that
the efficacy of CST,
which is not only
highly individualized
but also subject to
variables introduced
by each therapist,
could be accurately
tested by traditional
scientific studies. He
invited those
interested in CST “to
continue to explore
this therapy's
potential for
improving health,
well-being, and
quality of life. Let your
proof be in your
results.”
HOW TO GIVE A
CRANIOSACRAL
ASSIST
Yoga teachers, already

attuned to subtle
inner sensations and
in the business of
facilitating well-being,
are uniquely well-
situated to offer a
light and potentially
healing touch to
receptive students.
To “assist” the
craniosacral system,
place two hands on
mirroring places on a
relaxing student,
using a touch “no
heavier than five
grams, the weight of a
nickel,” Turzi says.
Unlike yoga
adjustments, which
are often directive or
corrective,
craniosacral
adjustments impose
nothing: the intention
of the practitioner is
to inquire and allow.
“It’s a touch that says,

‘I see what you are
going through, I’m
listening,’” she
explains. Turzi advises
teachers, “Instead of
pushing, ask yourself
internally, ‘What’s
going on here? How
can I help?’ Invite the
body to show you.
Then feel for an inner
pulse, like the filling

and emptying of a
balloon, and go along
with it. Let the body
move the way it wants
to move. Listen, and
follow.”
(If you can’t feel the

craniosacral rhythm,
don’t worry: just hold
steady, keeping an
attentive and
receptive intention.
Upledger felt
confident deploying
laypeople, even those
who could not
perceive the
craniosacral rhythm or
its shifts, to give
adjustments;
in CranioSacral
Therapy: Touchstone
for Natural
Healing (North
Atlantic Books, 2001),
he recounts the story
of a female patient
with high blood
pressure; he
encouraged her
husband to cradle her
head for fifteen
minutes every
morning. Despite her
husband’s lack of
medical training and
inability to feel the
craniosacral pulse,
according to
Upledger, the
patient’s blood
pressure dropped.)
When giving an assist,

keep your hands at
one latitude of your
student’s body for a
few minutes, or until
you sense that a shift
has taken place. “You
know it’s working if
you perceive twitches,
a change in rhythm, a
deeper breath, a yawn,
a change in pulse, or
pulse where you don’t
expect it. Or you
might just notice an
inner stilling or
softening,” Turzi says.
Below, Turzi
demonstrates eight
craniosacral assists
that you could give to
yoga students in
savasana or similar
poses, though an
assist can be given
anywhere the body
seems resistant to
movement. To get
comfortable with
these touches and to
understand their
subtle effects before
taking them into the
studio, you might
want to practice them
on a f riend, and let
that f riend practice
them on you.
Because of the
intimacy of touching a
student for a length of
time, only perform
these assists on
students who are
familiar to you, or after
having explained to
your students that you
are going to be gently

laying your hands on a
few specific locations
on their bodies, and
staying there long
enough to encourage
the craniosacral
system to recalibrate
itself. They need do
nothing but relax.
While giving your

attention to a student,
be sure to always take
care of yourself,
keeping your spine
long and your
shoulders back.
CRANIOSACRAL
ASSISTS
1. Hands on Heels. To
facilitate the
symmetrical
relaxation of the heels
and feet, sitting below
a student’s feet, cup
her heels.
2. Hands on Tops of
Feet. To facilitate the
symmetrical
relaxation of the tops
of the feet and arches,
sitting below a
student’s feet, lay your
palms across the tops
of her feet, fingers
softly resting on the
outsides of her feet,
thumbs touching the
inner arches.
3. Hands on Thighs. To
facilitate the
symmetrical
relaxation of the
thighs, sitting or
genuflecting at one
side of the student,
touch the center of
her thighs, fingers

turned in whichever
direction is
comfortable for you.
4. Hands on Hips. To
facilitate the
symmetrical
relaxation of the
pelvis, sitting to one
side of the student,
touch her f rontal hip
bones, fingers aimed
in any direction
5. Hands on Front
Ribs. To facilitate the
symmetrical
relaxation of the lower
ribs, sitting to one side
of the student, touch
the lower f ront ribs,

fingers pointing in the
direction most
6. Hands on
Shoulders. To facilitate
the symmetrical
relaxation of the
shoulders, sitting by
the student’s head,
place your hands on
her shoulders,
pointing your fingers
downward toward her
feet.
7. Hands at Sides of
Head. To facilitate the
symmetrical
relaxation of the head,
sit behind your
student’s head, make

“Spock hands,” and
cup the sides of her
head, dividing your
middle and ring
fingers on either side
of her ears, your
fingertips pointing
toward her jaw.
8. Hands at Front and

Back of the Head. To
facilitate the
symmetrical
relaxation of the head,
sit behind a student’s
head and bring one
palm to the forehead,
placing your other
palm directly behind
it at the back of the
skull, fingers pointing

in opposite directions.
Related
adjustments
Topics
ABOUT THE TEACHER
Amber Burke
Amber Burke lives in New Mexico and

works at UNM-Taos, where she
coordinates the Holistic Health
and... Read more

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8 Craniosacral Adjustments You Can Give in Savasana 12/6/19, 3)44 PM

YOGA | FOR TEACHERS

Amber Burke 5 min.

On students who are

That fluid pulses in a

rhythm distinct f rom

are distortions in the

treatment for a variety

Yoga teachers, already

“It’s a touch that says,

pulse, like the filling

(If you can’t feel the

When giving an assist,

are going to be gently

While giving your

her thighs, fingers

the lower f ront ribs,

student’s head, make

8. Hands at Front and

skull, fingers pointing

ABOUT THE TEACHER

Amber Burke lives in New Mexico and

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