Your First Yoga Class: Beginner Tips for a Great 1st Practice

Transcript

hello my name is michelle pulani houston of her healthy habits and as a yoga instructor here is my advice to anyone just getting started first of all if you are a beginner attending a new class make sure that you get there with enough time in order to talk to the instructor let them know that this is your first class let them know if you have any previous injuries that you're dealing with and just so they are aware that you are actually in the class present and that they can help you through the process they are acting as your guide and so it's important to know your level of knowledge experience and kind of what you're coming into the class with that's my first tip secondly i would suggest that you let go of any comparison or any sense of competition heading into a class it's really important that you enter a class and step onto your yoga mat letting everything else kind of fade and fall away the important thing is that you're there you're meant to be there in your body and in that present state of awareness and mindfulness and so the important thing is not to compare yourself we're all at different levels even as an instructor i'm at a different level than even some more advanced instructors or advanced students who can perform things at different rates different skill levels and abilities so let go of the competition let go of the comparison that you might be feeling and know that everybody had to start somewhere okay the last thing that i want to share with you is that you should stay within your limitations or your boundaries of your body especially if you're managing any sort of injury or physical limitation that you have when you step onto your yoga mat when you begin that class it's important that you stay within your range of motion stay within your skill level and ability and it's okay again to be new it's okay to be the beginner it's okay to feel like you don't know what you're doing it's okay to look around other people but not try to look or be like anyone else in the class so get to know your instructor ahead of time tell them that this is your first class let go of any comparison that you might be feeling any competition in which you have to perform to a certain level as you move through that class and then stay within your body's limitations keep your body safe and remember that the practice of yoga is for the longevity and the health of the body and the mind and so not pushing yourself too far past your bounds is critically important to your safety as we would like to see you move through that class all right thank you so much and i really hope you enjoy that first class hi everyone my name is emma and i'm a yoga and meditation teacher based in hoi an vietnam so i'd like to share with you a few tips if you're preparing for your very first yoga class just to help you know what to expect what to bring and maybe a few things to avoid as well um so the first tip i'd like to share is really find out what style of yoga the class is going to be so things like ashtanga might be a little bit advanced so it might be good to look for a gentle hatha even slow flow class and yin is also a nice one it's a very different style of yoga though so just make sure you know what kind of style you're getting in for because you don't want to turn up to something really high-powered and then get you know a little bit scared and not wanting to come up to yoga again so do your research find out what the teachers like um maybe go with friends and that can make it kind of an enjoyable experience for you as well um so that's the first thing i suppose just learn what sort of class you're about to go to so ways you can prepare is don't eat right before you go to a class um a cereal bar something is fine but it really really will detract from the experience if you've got a big heavy heavy meal beforehand and you're feeling really sluggish and you don't want to move so maybe leave an hour before you eat before you go to your class also wear comfortable clothes so you know anything you can move in anything um with a bit of stretch in it so probably not jeans um and also depending where you are in the world you might want to bring socks or a scarf or shavasana so chivasana is the point at which we lie down at the end and just relax so your body temperature will drop so just bring something that you can feel comfortable in um a good yoga studio will bring props and mats and all that sort of stuff so all you need to maybe bring is your water bottle um a can do attitude let's say a bit of openness and a bit of compassion for yourself um so what i'd like you to focus on in your first practice is really just a breath so don't worry about what other people are doing they might be bending and stretching all over the place and maybe you feel a bit intimidated that's okay just focus on your on your breath for the first practice that's the most important part um as a second tip for drawing the practice itself i'd say just well i've touched on it in the breath focus tip but as a second tip just focus on your own practice so that might be your breath that might be the pose you're in but don't worry about your neighbors so your neighbor might have been practicing yoga a long time they might just be built differently with super flexible hips but maybe they're you know tighter hamstrings or something we all have our strengths and weaknesses so don't worry about what they're doing just focus on yourself um after the third tip i would say during the practice is just really allow yourself to relax whenever you need to so the teacher will show you restful poses at one of them's child's pose another issue so you can come to those at any point if you need to take a break during the practice remember don't push yourself especially on your first practice and just won't worry about it or don't worry should i say but try to just focus on your breath on your own movements and taking those breath periods when you need to um so if there's anything else i suppose would be yes if you have injuries if you're pregnant or if you've anything you feel the teacher should know if you're a bit concerned about speak to the teacher first so maybe just arrive a few minutes early and you can raise those issues with the teacher usually teachers will ask students for injuries and start a class so don't be afraid to speak up but if it is something you'd rather talk to about them privately then of course just turn up a few minutes earlier and you can do that then so i hope those tips have proved a little bit helpful um the main thing is just to enjoy it to work within your limits so really don't challenge yourself of course it's great to have a practice that keeps us you know strong and fit and motivated but we're so busy with our lives and our jobs outside the yoga practice anyway this shouldn't be about stress it should be about something for you about a bit of self-care so just go easy on yourself um enjoy your first class take it slow and as you build up your confidence as you build up your strength and flexibility and you can challenge yourself a little bit more but for your very first class remember focus on your breath focus on your own practice rest when you need to and just enjoy my name is natalia i am a registered yoga teacher through the yoga alliance and i run the blog natalia fit which is a fitness yoga and wellness lifestyle blog today we're talking about a few things that beginners or someone who's new to yoga should consider before they go to class the first thing i like to stress to people is release expectation of what you think yoga is a lot of people don't know that yoga is kind of like a guide to a yogic lifestyle and it's all-encompassing so there are eight limbs of yoga and they cover everything from maybe what you would consider virtues to physical practice to meditation and the whole point the highest or the apex that you can get is enlightenment and people rarely reach enlightenment or it's not something that is constantly present within an individual so yoga is a daily practice to get closer towards that the other thing that i can urge to new people who are interested in yoga is that you don't have to be flexible or strong to start a practice yoga i think kind of frightens people a little bit at first because there really isn't like a how-to or an introduction to yoga where things are broken down effectively you might find intro classes at some studios but even then yoga is basically a practice that builds on itself so a new student really just has to jump in and learn as they go so it's okay to be a new student and not know all of the sanskrit terms to not know the poses maybe even to not be able to keep up with the class that is totally okay the main thing is just to show up for your practice and pick up things a little bit here and there as you get better and better or as you get deeper and deeper into your practice another thing is to remember that your yoga practice is very personal meaning that it doesn't have anything to do with anyone around you even when you take a class with other people um the only exception to this is probably um acro yoga where you're actually doing poses with another person but if you're just practicing yoga on your own you don't have to put any pressure on yourself to keep up with the teacher or the class or to make it a competition with someone else that you've decided the whole point is for you to take it as far as you want and to progress in yoga as quickly or as slowly as you need so in class it's totally okay if the teacher calls a pose and you either skip it you modify it or you stop the class you can raise your hand and ask the teacher how to break it down chances are if you don't know how to do a pose there are other people in the class that also could use the help and maybe they're just a little too afraid to speak up in class and have the teacher break those things down a few things that you can bring with you to your yoga class would be maybe your own yoga mat if you have a favorite mat of your own um if not a lot of studios provide decent quality mats to be used either for a small fee or just complimentary and a lot of people find a towel useful no matter what yoga you do you can get sweaty and depending on the mat that you have you want to be able to not slide around so having a little towel to dry off your hands helps and of course having a bottle of water to hydrate throughout your practice can be really great it's also really great to remember that there's a flavor of yoga for everyone there is a type of yoga out there to suit literally every different need so yoga is really just about exploring different aspects of yoga exploring different teachers and exploring different practices or different types of yoga and learning about yourself during that discovery process and figuring out what it is that you need i've had students or other people tell me that they really want a practice or a teacher that focuses on alignment i've had students say that they love a teacher that focuses more on meditation and the spiritual aspect of things i've even had people reach out and ask me about christian yoga teachers so anything that you need it's out there it's a matter of trying it it's a matter of you know trial and error and finding a teacher or a studio or a class that you like the last thing i'll mention is that for beginners if you're intimidated by going to a yoga studio or taking a class at the gym at first you can find so many great free classes on websites like youtube so you know this could be a really great entry point for someone because there's no pressure there's no one around you you're not going to subconsciously be comparing yourself to another student and you can very easily hop on your computer you can pause the class if you need to you can go back if you need to review a pose you can skip forward if there's a pose that you want to skip and kind of customize the class to you while you're learning the sanskrit terms for things while you're becoming more comfortable and familiar with poses and how to get into them and just kind of getting a better feel of flow