1. You Are Flexible, Strong, and Capable Enough
If you are among the throngs of the yoga-curious right on the verge of taking your first class, don’t talk yourself out of it because you aren’t flexible, strong, or capable enough. It just isn’t true. You are enough. You have enough. And just as you don’t have to wrap yourself in spandex to walk into a yoga studio, you also don’t have to fear or expect that the teacher will stand you on your head before you’re ready for it. The beauty of yoga as a physical endeavor is its choose-your-own-adventure format. You can opt to work hard, or to rest when you need to. The positions are designed to be accessible and the yoga teacher will know hoe to help you fit the yoga poses to your body and not the other way around. And of course, the only way to build strength or flexibility is to simply be open to trying, step-by-step, class-by-class.
2. Pick The Right Class
Yoga classes are meant to hold a variety of ages, body types, and experience levels. If yoga is entirely new to you, it helps to pick a Beginner, Basics, or Level 1 class. You will want to feel comfortable asking questions, going slowly, and hearing instructional modifications from the teacher. You don’t want to spend your first class just keeping up with the person beside you and stoking the flames of insecurity. Begin at the beginning.
3. All Levels Doesn’t Really Mean All Levels
Nearly all yoga studios boast a range of All Levels classes and logic might dictate that these classes are meant for all of us – newbies included. While it is true that brand new students may in fact do perfectly well in a All Levels class, the true meaning of the phrase (in yoga studio speak) is that the teacher of an All Levels class will likely expect the students to possess a basic knowledge of the practice. What this means for you is that the teacher might not offer as much instructional guidance as would help you.
4. Go Without A Full Belly
There is a great deal of attention paid to breathing deeply and fully in yoga class. It helps to come to this space without feeling distracted by a full or bloated belly. Similarly, yoga class involves a lot of twists, which manipulate the internal organs and invite deeper range of motion into the spine. Twists feel great when the belly is empty and the breath is full. They aren’t pleasant if you’re carrying the weight of a recent meal.
5. Have Fun!
Yoga is serious. It is an ancient philosophy and practice that brings meaning and understanding to our very presence on this planet. That is heavy stuff. But daily practice – moving our bodies into and out of many different shapes in the safe surroundings of a yoga studio – is fun. Or at least it is meant to be! We come to yoga to set aside our worries and anxieties, not create new ones. We breathe our way into a deeper sense of self to re-connect with inner purpose, universality of experience, and ease in our own skin. The more we remember this, and the less we allow performance anxiety to creep into our practice, the happier we will be both on and off the mat.
Kate Tripp is a yoga teacher, writer, mother, and co-founder of Luma Yoga, an award-winning yoga studio for adults and children in Santa Cruz, CA. She shares her wisdom and experience on the Three Minute Egg blog with weekly, inspirational, yoga-related blog posts. Read Kate's full bio here.
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