What to Expect from Your First Yoga Class
Going to your first yoga class can be intimidating. Myths and misconceptions about what a yoga class is, and who is allowed to go to one are everywhere. Studios and teachers work really hard to create a calming and welcoming atmosphere, but nonetheless class spaces can be scary places where newbies are worried about doing the ‘wrong thing’ or being judged. There are too many barriers to giving yoga a try, and I want to help break these down as I know that everyone can do some yoga and feel the benefits.
Yoga itself is a very diverse practice. Colin Hall wrote in Yoga International that “there are as many yogas as there are yogis”. There are hundreds of different styles of yoga and each one will look and feel different in each individual body that practices it. This is why I say that everyone can do some yoga, it’s not because everyone can do all yoga, it’s because there is some yoga for everyone.
Despite this diversity, accessibility in yoga is very poor. People often say to me they think the the market is saturated with yoga teachers. As far as I’m concerned, as long as there are people out there who can benefit from yoga but have not tried it yet, there is space for more (and more diverse) yoga teachers in the “market”. The idea of a saturated yoga market comes from a very narrow idea of what a yogi looks like (slim, white, wealthy, cis-female, able-bodied, usually).
It is my mission as a yoga teacher to bring yoga to people who feel excluded from the yoga world. To that end I’m starting a new series on ‘How to Start Doing Yoga’. I hope it will help dispel myths and misconceptions, give you some tips for navigating the vast universe of yoga and yogi-speak, and encourage you to give yoga a try.
First up, what can you expect from going to a yoga class?
You’ll have seen them portrayed on tv and film, friends and family may talk about going to yoga, perhaps you’ve tried some online yoga? But what really happens in a yoga class? Moreover, how do you know if you’ve found the right yoga class for you?
Yoga is about so much more than the physical practice (more on this later), but let’s be honest, for most people trying yoga for the first time the physical practice will be your main focus. I wouldn’t expect you to be able to get into yamas and niyamas, breathing exercises and meditation all in your first class. So let’s start with how the physical side of the class is likely to go as this will be your primary concern at least for the first few weeks or months of practicing yoga.
Arriving and settling in
If the class is in a studio, you’ll arrive, check in, remove your shoes and stow your belongings then roll out your mat in a space on the floor (in a pre-covid world most studios would offer mats, but these days you’ll need to bring your own). I suggest arriving with at least 5-10 minutes spare before the class begins so that you can find a space you like in the room, settle down and take a few moments to yourself. You can sit on your mat or lie down, maybe close your eyes and just take time to let whatever else has happened in the day drop away.
If the class is online, your preparation will just be a case of setting up your laptop/phone in front of you (it may seem scary but I highly recommend keeping your camera on during the class so the teacher can see you and check you’re doing ok), rolling out your mat in a space in your home where you won’t be distracted, and logging into the session. Once again I recommend arriving 5-10 minutes early in order to arrive calmly and mentally prepare for the class.
The Class
Set ups aside, the class will be largely the same whether you are there in person or online. The teacher will talk you through a series of poses, occasionally demonstrating them to give an idea of what you’re aiming to do. The sequence might flow constantly so that you’re always moving, or you may move into each pose one at a time and hold them for a while - this depends on what style of yoga class you are at (read more on choosing between styles in part 2 here). Whether you are moving quickly or slowly, holding poses and tweaking them or moving constantly, the most important thing is that you are listening to your body. That is, you are paying attention to the way the movements and postures feel in your body, a bit of discomfort is ok, it can be a good thing, but nothing in a yoga class should be painful. If you feel pain in a pose, back away from what you’re doing and take an alternative (your teacher may have already given an alternative, or you can ask them for something).
With this in mind it is really important that you let your teacher know at the beginning of class if you have any injuries. Often a teacher will put out a call at the beginning of the class to let them know. It can seem a bit scary to pipe up at this moment, but it’s so important that your teacher knows about any injuries so they can help you practice safely (and perhaps also help towards rehab). You can tell the teacher via email/message before the class or when you arrive at the class if you prefer to keep it private.
Make the shapes
While you move through your yoga class, you will probably hear a lot of instructions on top of the ones that got you into the pose in the first place. Your yoga teacher will most likely be giving tips on how to tweak the poses and different ways to feel into them. As you get more comfortable with yoga these will become the most important cues of the class, but if you are new to yoga I suggest you don’t worry too much about these cues and just think about making the shapes roughly. This will be enough to think about, before you move into refining and tweaking the shapes further down the line. Don’t worry about what anyone else is doing, and remember that the other students are not watching and/or judging you! Do what you can and take rests when you need to, your teacher should give you cues and opportunities to do this.
Savasana, or relaxation
Regardless of the movement style, almost every yoga class will end with 5-10 minutes of relaxation. You will lie on your back on the floor, close your eyes and relax. Firstly note that this is not meditation. You are not required to follow your breath or use a mantra or anything that might help you practice meditation. This is your time to relax and let your mind wander. Secondly, it is really important you are comfortable for this bit, so that you can properly relax, there are other options if savasana (lying on your back) is uncomfortable, your teacher will be able to help. Finally it’s ok if this is the most difficult part of the class. We all can find it very difficult to find a deep state of relaxation, especially if its not something we do regularly. The class so far has been preparing you for this so that will help, but don’t panic if you find relaxing difficult to start with, stick with it and before long this may be your favourite part of the class.
What About that Post-Yoga ‘Glow’?
Ask any yogi who’s been practicing for a while what they like about yoga and they will almost certainly tell you ‘I just love the way I feeeeel afterwards’. The post-yoga glow is no myth. It’s a great feeling, but chances are that by the end of your first yoga class you will feel tired, sweaty and maybe a bit relaxed, don’t feel bad if ‘glowy’ is not among those feelings, it could take a little while to get to that stage. Trust me, it’s worth the wait.
How to tell if the class was right for you?
As I said at the beginning, there are as many yogas as there are yogis. There are also millions of yoga teachers who all have a different way of teaching yoga. You are not going to like them all. Just because you didn’t like a particular yoga class, that doesn’t mean there’s no yoga out there for you. I highly recommend you give a few different teachers, studios and styles a go before your write off yoga entirely. If you’re not exactly sure what it is you are looking for, here are some questions to ask yourself:
Did I feel welcomed by the teacher and comfortable in the environment?
Was the pace of movement right for me? (are you looking for sweat-inducing vinyasa or slow and steady hatha?)
Did I feel challenged?
Was the majority of the class accessible to me?
And MOST importantly, did I enjoy it? Yoga should be fun too!
I hope this helps to paint a picture of how your first yoga class might go. I’ve kept it pretty broad because every teacher has their own way of doing things, and their own little rituals. But in general this should give you an idea of what to expect and what will be expected of you. If you have any questions about your first yoga class, drop me a message and I’ll be happy to chat it through.