So you’ve been meaning to try Yoga but maybe you haven’t been able to muster up the confidence to go to your first class just yet; here are a few of your questions answered to help you take the plunge.
Firstly you might be thinking…what should I wear? Don’t worry about having anything in particular to wear, just so long as it makes you feel comfortable and it’s easy to move in. You might have seen plenty of crop tops and tight leggings on Instagram but that’s not for everyone. You might like to do a quick test run in your clothes by hanging your upper body over your legs, as the baggiest Tee might come straight over your head (been there) haha!
What style of Yoga should I try? There are many different styles of Yoga to try so you might like to try a few before you settle on something that you’d like to do regularly. Ask yourself what is it that I want to get out of practicing Yoga? And then do a little bit of research on which style fits your needs.
For example;
Hatha Yoga will help you to build strength and stamina as you may be holding postures for longer
Vinyasa Yoga will move faster between different postures, linking them together in a fluid fashion building up heat in the body.
Ashtanga Yoga will have a set sequence of postures with a vinyasa (linking postures together rapidly) between each sequence, it can be physically demanding practice, great for building stamina.
Iyengar Yoga is great for alignment and improving your posture
Kundalini Yoga will focus a lot breath work as well as holding and repeating movements to move energy around the body
Hot Yoga/Bikram Yoga will usually follow a set sequence in a heated room, great for seeing progress quickly.
Ultimately all Yoga will give you an element of these features and benefits but some will be more emphasised than others depending on which style you choose. Remember Yoga is not just a work out, its more of a moving meditation to work the body and calm the mind.
What about all the breathing? Most Yoga classes will have an element of breathing, either whilst moving through postures and/or as separate exercises known as pranayama. (Breath control)
Whilst moving the teacher will generally instruct an inhale or an exhale. Usually an inhale comes with a movement of opening up the body and an exhale is a movement of closing the body, or compressing in some way. Don’t worry if your movement doesn’t match the breath suggested in class, sometimes this can take a while to sync up. All that really matters is that you continue breathing and try not to hold the breath whilst moving.
What do I need? Since we aren’t visiting studios for the moment you cant really borrow a mat, so you are going to need your own. Mats can range from £10 - £150 so my advise would be start at the bottom end of the range and as you get more serious you might like to upgrade, only if needed of course.
Make sure you buy a sticky mat, so that you don’t slip whilst moving, foam gym mats or work out mats aren’t always the same and might make it harder for your hands and feet to grip (always go bare foot)
Try YogaMatters.com or even TK Maxx have a good selection.
Start with a mat for now and then perhaps think about other props as and when you need, a stack of books can serve you well as Yoga blocks and a dressing gown belt makes a great strap 😉 but you could check with your teacher if anything in particular is needed, depending on the style of practice.
Will it meet my expectations? Again this depends on what you are looking for from the practice. Try not to go to your first class with too many expectations, as with learning anything new it takes time to get the hang of things and takes time to see progress. The more your practice the more flexible and strong you will feel and perhaps even have a calmer mind, but it doesn’t happen over night. So don’t expect to feel like a new person after one Yoga class, go in with an open mind and just aim to have fun trying something new.
How do I know if I’m doing it right? The most important thing about any Yoga class, including your first one, is to learn to listen to your body, you should avoid anything that feels painful and instead look for a stretching sensation that you can comfortable still breath in. If you start to hold your breath you might have gone too far.
If a posture or movement doesn’t feel right for you it’s important to stop, back off from the pose until you feel more comfortable, or ask your teacher for a different option. Over time you will learn to balance effort with finding ease in the practice.
Need an extra confidence boost before hand? Search Yoga with Adriene or Ekhart Yoga who have plenty or beginner friendly videos.
Remember you cant beat a real life/in real time class as your teacher can watch and help you and give tailored instructions as needed to keep you safe.
Have fun, enjoy and don’t be too tough on yourself, let me know if you have any questions via Instagram or Facebook @thewellbeingscollective
To join us in person our next beginner Yoga course starts in South Shields on the 6th of March 2023
