13 simple things you need to know before your first yoga class

As children we always try new things. But as adults, we can sometimes find it discouraging to walk in new environments and situations. Adding our hesitation is the fact that different social groups tend to have unique sets of unwritten rules for what is – and not – acceptable behavior. So it can help to go to a yoga for beginner class, to understand rules that can seem invisible – and sometimes completely random.

What should you wear? Do you need a mat? Will they expect you to be serious and spiritual? Do you have to learn Sanskrit?

If yoga spaces are new to you, these general rules of thumb can help you put at ease before you roll out your mat.

13 things to know before you try yoga for beginners

Although Yoga has some similarities with other group movement classes, there are also essential differences.

1. Arrival early

Most yoga studios, gyms and community centers require you to log in before the lesson, so allow at least 10 minutes before the start time to complete the required paperwork. Even better, check whether you can complete the paperwork online before you leave the house.

Even if you are all formed, you are planning to arrive early. If you are used to grouping activities in large, well -weakened places, it is worth mentioning that the teacher of your upcoming class in a yoga studio is the only staff member. That means that the front door is often locked that the moment class starts. Early arriving ensures that you will not be literally not omitted.

2. You may not need a mat

Before you spend somewhere between $ 19 to $ 169 on a yoga mat, check if they are being provided. Many studios, gyms and other rehearsal rooms offer a mat for free or as a rent, which means that you can try a few different brands on different prize points before you invest in your own.

3. Wear (almost) everything that is comfortable

It’s really that simple. You do not need coordinated or expensive active clothing. You just want clothing that is functional in a series of positions. Avoid loose shirts that swimming pool over your head when you are upside down, waist tires that dig in, and you have to pull pants up or inch every time you move.

Also be ready to tie your hair out of your eyes again. You also want to subtract watches or bracelets that can stop you from comfortably placing your hands flat on the mat, or long chains that will probably swing forward and hit you in the face if you lean forward.

Keep in mind that you will probably practice in a busy room where everyone is trying to concentrate. Respect for others in your room includes avoiding strong aromas, even those who could consider you pleasant, such as perfume or Cologne.

4. Shoes off

Most rehearsal rooms allow shoes in the lobby, but not in the studio, so be ready to look your feet. You can keep your socks at the beginning or end of the class for warmth, but they will be too slippery during another class different than recovering or yin yoga.

Because you navigate barefoot in the yoga room, another unwritten rule is that most people will not be so friendly that you walk on their yoga mat.

5. Telephones from

Yoga studios are intended to create a distraction-free environment. Phones (and sometimes even smart watches) are usually forbidden or strongly discouraged to be used in the rehearsal room to prevent distracting beeps and samper.

That said, if you work in a role that requires that you are on call for emergencies or if you are a parent, it is worth checking whether the studio or teacher will make an exception and allows you to keep your phone with you in silent mode.

6. Enjoy the silence

Just like the policy of NoPhones, most studios encourage people to move and talk quietly. Although the music teacher could play to neutralize the burglary of external sounds or generally set the atmosphere, you may notice that it is rare that students speak during class, even to ask the teacher a question.

Unless your teacher has openly said that they welcome questions, if there is something you need help (that you cannot find out to look at the students around you), try to get the teacher’s attention in a non -verbal way, such as a quizzical appearance or hand gesture, not to disturb the quiet concentration in the classroom. If that doesn’t work, you feel free to light your hand.

7. Where to place your mat (optimally)

There is an undervalued science to where you place your yoga mat (or, if they are already set in the room, which you choose). Depending on your Personality typeIt is often instinctively to go to what looks like on the back corner of the room, thinking that you are ‘out of the way’, or set up in the front row, where you expect that you can clearly see and hear your teacher.

The tricky thing is that you cannot always see from view what the “front” of a yoga space is. And even once you’ve found it, you can’t be sure that your teacher will stay there. Many teachers move through the room during class, which means that you cannot always see them.

If you are new, you will probably find it easier to follow the students around you than to rely alone on the instructions you can hear. Are you somewhere in the middle of the room and avoid setting up a side or back wall, because most yoga classes ask you to see multiple directions, which means that you notice that you will not find anyone and have to rely on verbal instructions instead of visually observing someone else.

8. Do your own thing (kind of)

As with most group lessons, you expect you to respond to the verbal instructions of the Yoga teacher and to go along with the other students. But you want to pay more attention to your individual experience than to keep track of the people around you. After all, your first or second class can be their hundredth or thousandth. Out for poses that do not feel good for you or stop to rest if you need one, are perfectly acceptable choices. You don’t need anyone permission.

9. It protruded

Unlike some gym classes, in which you can walk in or out at any time, it is generally expected that you will stay for the duration of a yoga class. It may be tempting to leave during Savasana (more about that later), but try to stick it out.

Of course, if you have to leave for a bathroom break or if you feel unwell, do this quietly to reduce the disruption of the people around you.

10. Savasana can feel strange

Most yoga classes end with students who were still laying with eyes closed for a few minutes of complete silence. This practice – known as Savasana – is intended to offer mind and body the opportunity to process everything that happened during the class.

When you are used to the rhythm of yoga classes, finishing in Savasana can feel the most normal in the world. You quickly forget how objectively weird it is to lie down and close your eyes in a room full of strangers for various long and potentially uncomfortable minutes. After all, most adults have not done that since the pre -school nap.

But it can feel pretty strange if you are in a yoga for beginners class. Even if the people around you look at your leisure, don’t be surprised if your spirit remains stubborn. If the mental activity bothers you, try to repeat internally when repeating “inhaling” with every breathing and “exhaling” with every exhalation. Or, in turn, touch every fingertip on the tip of your thumb as a quiet place to concentrate your attention.

Does lying still feel uncomfortable in a completely unbearable way? You could open your eyes, sit up straight or return to a relaxing position that you experienced in class earlier. Respect your own needs, but do this with minimal disruption and drama, so that you can also respect the needs of the students around you.

11. Take your things away

When the lesson is completed, pay attention to what other students do. Many studios expect you to put all the props or supports that you used during class, such as blocks and blankets and bolsters, but they may not think about telling that.

12. Try, try again

Almost everything feels a bit uncomfortable with the first time you are exposed to it. So even if you feel a bit out of place on your first yoga for beginners class, try again! It will feel more familiar with time. And if this is not the case, consider looking for a different style, teacher or place to practice. Everyone has their own atmosphere. Keep looking until you find an environment that feels like a suitable for you.

13. Yoga is not a version

In the end, yoga does not pass whether you can make the cool forms that your teacher demonstrates or not. It is about what you learn by navigating by the challenges and resistance that occur when you try the poses, or that means you want to overcome, connect to your breathing or understanding that it is possible to calm your thoughts. That is the true practice of life. Consider it as training for life.