Pro-Tips for Your First-Ever Yoga Class
Starting out a yoga practice is an exciting and perhaps even somewhat daunting experience. We are frequently asked for advice about how to approach a first-ever yoga experience at our studios, so beyond, “Go to Basics,” here are a few pro-tips to get you started on your yoga journey…
1. Let the teacher know that you’re new. He or she might be able to give you some advice about what to expect in that day’s practice.
2. Set up your mat in the middle of the room. Our teachers don’t practice along with you since they’re moving around the room and doing hands-on adjusting to assist students more deeply into poses, so if you need a visual, use your fellow yogis as a reference! Many poses require turning out to face a wall and sometimes the teacher will turn you right around on your mat, so being in a corner or even trying to hide out in the back might not be as advantageous as you first imagined… Setting up in the middle is usually the way to go since no matter which way you’re facing, there will be another student nearby who is maybe more experienced and can help you see what the pose looks like.
3. We teach classes progressively, so feel free to stick with the first/usually simplest form of the pose — and take child’s pose (knees and shins to the mat, hips drawn back with your arms resting in front of you or at your side) if you need a minute to catch your breath.
4. “Vinyasa” literally means “move with the breath.” So each pose is approached as “inhale — do x, exhale — do y.” That might be a helpful tool for you in your next class. We often tell students new to the practice, “If you’re moving and breathing at the same time, you’re doing yoga!” Technique and all that other stuff will come over time.
5. Always bring your sense of humor and maybe a splash of adventure along with you — it might seem silly to suggest, but taking everything a little less seriously will help you ease into learning the practice.
And that’s it! Keep an eye out for our “The Basics of Basics: An Intro to O2 Yoga” workshops for more in-depth explorations of the most foundational aspects of the practice — like the frequently-occurring vinyasas, the type of breath work we use to support and pace the practice, the locks/bandhas, and more! But no matter what, always remember that our teachers are here to answer your questions, so don’t be afraid to ask for pointers before or after class.
Click here for more information helpful to anyone new to our studios, regardless of your previous yoga experience. Email info@o2yoga.com with any additional inquiries. Hope to see you for class very soon!
