So I’ve written some advice for yoga teachers that’s garnered some mixed reactions over time. One valid criticism people have mentioned is that it focuses pretty much exclusively on what teachers can and/or should do without detailing the role students play. Which, it’s true: there are a lot of steps yoga students can take that will help make the experience more enjoyable, both for their teachers and for themselves.
Possibly the first step involves selecting a class and a studio, should you be fortunate enough to have options. Because sometimes, there’s only one studio in town, or the only option that’s affordable is the class through the campus or community rec center. But if you can exercise some choice, it’s good to do your research first.
Even before looking, I’d recommend taking some personal inventory of your yoga needs and goals:
- Physically, what do you need and want from a practice? Something that is solidly approachable and manageable? Nurturing and relaxing? Invigorating and challenging? Also, how do how those adjectives apply to you match up against more normative ideas about physical fitness? Not because one is better or worse, but because the exact same class may fit any of those descriptors for different people.
- Instructionally, what do you need and want from a practice? Something tailored to beginners, where there’s a lot of explicit instruction in each posture? A slower pace — with or without explicit instruction — so you have time to figure out each pose? A “just try it” mentality, where you’re happy to get into the rhythm of a flow?
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Physically:
- If you’re recovering from an injury, dealing with a chronic condition that impacts your ability to be active, and/or generally have issues with physical strength and stamina — it’s worth looking into classes that are advertized as “beginner,” “basic,” “gentle,” or “restorative.” You may also want to look at yin classes. However, while yin is slow and tailored to individual anatomy, the long holds can be physically quite intense. I would not personally advise yin for someone 100% new to yoga, though I promise, I love it enough to slip some at the end of every single vinyasa practice.
- If you don’t have any particular physical restrictions, you’re probably good to try any class the studio suggests for beginners. These will probably include descriptors like “basic,” “beginning,” or “level 1.” It’s also possible there will be some classes labeled “level 1-2″ or “mixed levels” — which are awesome for folks with even a little yoga experience but are maybe not what I’d recommend for 100% newbies.
Instructionally:
- If you’re sure you want something with a lot of explicit instruction in the asanas, you’re looking for something titled a “basic” or “beginning” class.
- If you want a slower pace but are okay without so very much explicit instruction, you might look into classes labeled “gentle,” “restorative,” “hatha,” “level 1,” “slow flow,” or “yin” — in addition to basic or beginning classes. These are probably best suited to folks who have had some introduction to yoga, even if it’s not been formal, sustained, or recent.
- If you’re like, “just put me in class; I’ll figure it out,” I might recommend something advertized as “mixed level,” “slow flow,” “flow, level 1,” or “vinyasa, level 1.” These are probably best suited to people who have had recent experience with yoga — possibly from a home or DVD practice.
Of course, there are certainly combinations of circumstances that don’t meet the general guidelines, but these are probably pretty fair general guidelines. Selecting a suitable class is a big step toward making sure the class aim meets up with your particular wants and needs.
Beyond that, I’d also recommend perusing various studios’ total offerings. While there is a lot of variance, broadly speaking — studios that offer a lot of beginner-focused (i.e., explicitly friendly to those new to yoga) or beginner-friendly (i.e., implicitly friendly to those new to yoga, even if not explicitly advertised as such) are in general more ready to handle different types of beginner issues. This includes general physical fitness, physical injury, age, body image concerns, “am I doing this right” concerns, and probably other issues I’ve failed to mention.
Additionally, you’ll be more likely to find a wider variety of beginner friendly classes, probably at more times and with different instructors. Variety is good: It can add interest to your practice, and it can make it easier to work classes into the rest of your schedule.
Aside from class descriptions, it’s worth checking out the rest of any given studio’s website. You can find information about their focus and philosophy and compare that against what you want from a yoga class. You can also read teacher bios to get a sense of which teacher/class combination might be the best starting point for a good relationship. (For example, any time a studio or teacher bio mentions “every” body or “all” bodies — or when they mention yoga for healing from injury or trauma — I am a bit more likely to want to attend that class.) Some will focus on physical aspects — in terms of both vigor and relaxation — some on meditative or spiritual aspects of yoga, some on explicitly creating a welcoming space and community. And, of course, many studios will integrate these in different ratios.
Sometimes, you will read a studio’s website and think, “That sounds awesome!” And, sometimes you will read the site and have a different reaction:
- “That sounds… odd.”
- “That sounds scary.”
- “Whatever. For four dollars a class, I can make it work.”
I’m not saying to never try a studio because their website scares you — but maybe try out the studio whose site you peg as “awesome” first, as it probably ups your chances of finding a solid, supportive yoga space.
