Your First Yoga Class

It can be very unsettling trying something new. The discomfort of it may be so great that it actually may prevent you from actually going through with the experience. I totally feel you! Deciding to show up for your first yoga class can be an uncomfortable situation. You’ve heard of the many ways yoga can be beneficial for you. Things like reduced anxiety, stress relief, less tension, mental clarity, calmer nervous system, gain in strength and flexibility….and you want all those things am I right?! But that first class can be so daunting. You may even feel a sense of fear, or embarrassment of doing it wrong, or being put on the spot or worse being put on display and even a bit of social anxiety. You are definitely not alone!

I have taught over 10,000 hours of yoga classes over the past 18+ years and more than half of that I was specializing in teaching to ONLY beginners. At one point, like everyone else, I was also a newbie not knowing a thing about what to truly expect.

In this blog I’d like to share with you some of the practical things you can expect when showing up to Hixson Community Yoga Center and also some things that, I hope, put your mind and body at some ease that you may not know yet that might make walking into our studio the first time a little easier.

SOME PRACTICAL THINGS

-A place for shoes: as you walk in the door, you will see a spot to put your shoes. Yoga is practiced (typically) on the floor with a yoga mat, so we like to keep the floors as clean as possible. Absolutely you may keep your socks on if you’d like.

-A place for your belongings: we recommend bringing into the studio as little as possible, but whatever you need to bring in we ask that you put them on the shelving that’s provided in the lobby section of the studio. This helps us keep the practice area clear and safe.

-What to wear: we are

-What to bring:

-Signing up for a class:

HOW TO PICK A CLASS

So, you went to our website and saw a list of classes you could attend, but now you feel clueless in picking the one to go to first. Here’s what I recommend. Go to a “Gentle Yoga” class. That was easy!

This class is a perfect gateway into the experience of yoga that is gentle on the body but will give you a nice foundation of what the practice is about without overwhelming you of difficult postures.

I just love seeing that Epiphany look on students faces at the end of their first yoga practice. Now they know what yoga is about. Or at least a small taste of it. That look tells me that I will more than likely be seeing that student again and again in class. They've caught the bug. But let's rewind. First, you have to actually show up to your very first yoga practice. Now this in itself can be daunting. You don't know what to expect. You probably feel like you're the odd man out not having a clue what you're doing when everybody else has been practicing for years. But let's face it, anytime you try something new we can feel nervous and apprehensive. Also, a yoga class can also feel like a social event. You're going to be the new person walking into a group of people who already know each other. While I can't speak for every studio out there, I have taught at around a dozen studios in 4 states and I have taken classes at more than double that and I can definitely say that a majority of the places you go to for a yoga class, you're going to find people there that are kind and open-hearted, welcoming and genuinely excited for you as you step onto your own yoga mat for the very first time. Because you see, they know the benefits that you're about to receive. They know how yoga has served them and they're excited for you and how amazing you will soon feel as you experience yoga for yourself. So while that may not completely solve your nerves completely, I hope that gives you a little perspective on how you might be seen as a new student coming in. They're going to welcome you! 

So you're at the front door of let's say yoga studio and you're walking in. Feel into your nerves. Feel into anything that you're feeling and just be okay with it in the moment. As they say, this too shall pass. You will hopefully be greeted by either the yoga teacher themself or at least someone working the counter at the reception desk. There is almost always a desk for check-in. Something to know here is that you'll be asked to take off your shoes. So take a look around and see. Are people taking their shoes off right at the front door? There's probably a shoe shelf or a shoe mat and you'll see other people's shoes there. Or did they walk in with their shoes and there's a place to take them off inside the lobby? So following what others are doing as far as when to take off your shoes and just know that that's going to be expected of you. Absolutely you can keep socks on if that's more comfortable to you. 

There will also be a place for you to put down your personal belongings. I suggest you bring as little inside the studio as you can. You'll probably want your car keys. Maybe a jacket and something to pay for your classes. If you don't have to bring your phone in, I highly suggest that you don't. 99% of the time you will not want to bring the phone into the actual studio while you practice, so it's probably safer just to leave it in your car all together.

When you do make it to the counter, they will more than likely ask you to sign a waiver. Nowadays studios are doing it electronically and will have a tablet for you to sign with the waiver, but it could just be a piece of paper that you sign. Then of course they will ask you how you would like to pay for your class. Most yoga studios have a new student special. It's probably best to go on to their website before you get there so you can decide what you'd like to do. My advice would be to go ahead and pay for the new student special if it's something you feel you can afford. Because even if you don't necessarily like that particular class, you will then have the opportunity to try other ones at a discounted price. But absolutely if it makes you feel more comfortable, just pay for the single class. Another option here if you're just not sure, most studios will let you pay after class. That way you could decide after the class if you'd like to return or just pay for the one and move on.  Requesting to pay after class is not an abnormal request so if that makes you most comfortable, then please ask and I'm quite certain they will

So now you've probably signed your waiver and settled up for your class, you can put your belongings down if you haven't already in their designated area. If it's not obvious or you're just not sure what to do next, the person at the counter should be happy to direct you to where you enter the practice space.  It's also good to know where the bathrooms are as well. As far as the safety of your belongings, most studios will lock the front door during class so your belongings are safe. But again, this is another reason to bring in as little as possible. 

As you file into the yoga studio, you can simply watch others setting up their mat. If it's a slow class and there's no one to really observe, just simply either ask the instructor if they are there already or the person at the counter. It's nice to know where the front of the class is so you can set up where you'll have a few people in front of you.  This way you'll have some experienced people to observe if you need it during class. Now it's not typical to be watching others in your own yoga practice, but since this is your first one, it does help to have that visual guidance of other practitioners around you. This is actually a benefit of going to a class where there are experienced people around you. The yoga instructor may or may not demonstrate the postures that they are instructing so it's nice to have a visual of people in front and around you to follow if you need it. So once you know where the teacher is setting up and you've got maybe space for a few people to go in front of you, lay your mat down maybe even next to a wall. Make sure you have room to stretch your arms out to the side without hitting the wall, but that wall could be a favor to you during the practice in case there is a lot of balancing postures. You can always reach over and hold on to the wall if necessary. 

Once you've laid out your mat, you'll want some props.  probably see a closet or a wall that has very a variety of yoga props. Things like yoga, blankets, pillows or bolsters long canvas straps blocks maybe towels. So you can either just look around you and see what other people are grabbing. Or maybe the teacher already has a bunch of props set up but they're Matt and you can just copy and grab what they have near them. Regardless, I would highly suggest grabbing at least a blanket, two yoga blocks, and a yoga strap. It's very common for the yoga instructor to just mention during a class. This is a space where you can use such and such a prop and it would be nice that if you had it just in case you do need it. I want to interject here about the use of props in a yoga class. The perception can be that a prop is just a crutch for people who can't do the yoga class very well. This is not true. Yoga props are tools for alignment. There a way to get maximum benefit out of each posture and still keep an alignment even if you're not very flexible or strong. So it's better to have an aligned posture. That's a gentler version. Prop using props then trying to go deep into a posture and being completely physically out of alignment for the body. This is one of the places where people tend to injure themselves in yoga. So take advantage of the props knowing that even the most experienced yogis continually use them because they know that their assistants is something that's going to help them move forward in their practice and not just to crutch. 

So at this point you've entered the studio. You've put your belongings down. You put your shoes away. You've checked in and paid for your class. Your got your yoga mat and your prop set up in the studio. This is a good opportunity to use the restroom if you need to and maybe even introduce yourself to the yoga teacher if you feel comfortable.

Closing: in my next video. I'll give you some tips on how to actually find a yoga class to go to. We'll look at all your options and see what suits your availability, your skill level and your investment level.  If you have any specific questions about this video If there's something you feel that I miss, please leave your question or comment below and I will be happy to address it. Until next time, I wish you peace. I wish you Joy and I wish you good health