Yoga Hero: All of Yoga Podcast – Episode 14

How to prepare for your first yoga class

If you were to happen to stumble across yoga in a yoga magazine or on Instagram or TikTok, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s just for skinny, very flexible people who can tie themselves up in knots and walk on their hands. But the truth is, yoga is for everyone. Not every style is for everyone. Not every teacher is for everyone. But, yoga, by its very nature of what it truly is, is for everyone.

With that in mind, we thought it would be useful to put together some tips for how to prepare for your first yoga class, to try to take some of the unknowns and anxiety out of attending a class, so that you can just crack on with setting up a yoga practice that suits you, and that’s beneficial to you.

As always, we would love to know what you think of the Yoga Hero: All of Yoga Podcast, do leave an honest review if you can, or drop us a message @beayogahero

Listen to ‘How to prepare for your first yoga class‘ where you get your podcasts:

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How to prepare for your first yoga class – Transcript

It’s no secret that we at Yoga Hero are passionate about the power of yoga. And that it’s more than just the physical practice. However, most of us really need the physical practice and that will be where the bulk of our yoga practice goes. If you happen to stumble across yoga in a yoga magazine or on instagram or TikTok, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s just for skinny, very flexible people who can tie themselves up in knots and walk on their hands. But the truth is, yoga is for everyone. Not every style is for everyone. Not every teacher is for everyone. But, yoga, by its very nature of what it truly is, is for everyone.

So, let’s get cracking!

First of all –

Choose the right style of yoga for you

There’s approximately 8 billion different styles of yoga, some with English names, some with Sanskrit names. Even as a yoga teacher of nearly 10 years, there’s styles that I haven’t heard of and styles where I have no idea what they are.

In short though, you’ll find that yoga styles fall in to two categories; very restful, where the body is supported, and the focus is on rest, and active; where you’ll move your body weight around, challenge your muscles and increase your heart rate. I’m sure as you’re listening to this, you’ll intuitively know which category is calling you; restful or active.

Restful yoga includes Yin yoga, where poses are held for minutes as opposed to breaths, and as such they’re pretty much all floor based, i.e. you’re not holding a standing pose for minutes! Your body is partly or fully supported by props, and the aim is to soften in to the pose to affect the fasical network. Fascia is connective tissue which holds our shape and supports the body, and can deeply affect posture, postural misalignments, aches and pains and so on. Yin poses can be challenging and full of sensation, but they’re not geared towards strength building. Restorative yoga, however, is similar in that the poses are held for minutes and they’re floor based, but in Restorative yoga, we fully support the entire body so the muscles can fully and deeply relax and for most people, the experience is a bit like going on a holiday away from any tension and stress.

The last main style of yoga that’s restful is yoga Nidra, for more on that, listen to episode 1 – there’s a link in the show notes

In terms of active yoga, you have flow classes; vinyasa flow, power flow, core flow… so many. in short, your teacher has created their own sequence around a theme, or a body part or an intention and will guide you through that sequence. we also have ashtanga, which is a set sequence that you follow each time you go to an ashtanga class – we have a whole podcast episode about ashtanga, which is linked to in the show notes.

So in summary, you’ll probably know if want restful or active. later on in this episode we’ll talk about practicing in a studio and practicing at home, and how to choose a studio. Once you’ve decided on that, look that class styles available and the write ups, and simply pick a class at a time that suits you or pick a class that feels right. There’s not much more to say, if it feels right – go for it!

As promised, let’s have a look at where to practice:

Choose in studio, at home, or somewhere else

The benefits of practicing in a studio are that environment and ambiance is set by the teacher and by the studio. At home, you might be squeezed between the couch and the coffee table, or down the side of your bed and it might not feel too relaxing. And, you might get in to a pose and see that you really do need to hoover under the sofa, or ‘what IS that smell’ – At a studio, you’re likely to get big smiles, and lots of open space some lovely smells and less distractions which all contribute to the overall experience and impact to you.

In a studio – equipment is there, so if you don’t have any it’s no problem. Just a note that you might have to pay to use equipment, so check with where you’re going if this is the case.

In a studio, you’ll hopefully get feedback on your alignment from your teacher, which you won’t get if you’re practicing at home. Even a live online class is less likely to give you feedback as it’s unlikely the teacher will be able to see your whole body and your whole mat. From experience, I’d say you’re more likely to give your all in a face-to-face class. If you’re at home practicing to a video, you might miss out the core work as no one will ever know, but being in the room with the teacher, you’re more likely to do it! Now, we don’t want to bust a gut – yoga isn’t ‘no pain, no gain’ but building strength is important to overall health.

However, with a studio class, you do have to travel there and it’s likely to be more expensive than an online class you can do at home. So, have a think, factor all these things in and do what feels right for you.

In terms of practicing somewhere else – i.e. not a studio or at home:

You might have noticed that there’s a weekly class on ay your local community hall, or there’s classes on in your gym, included with your membership, or your workplace hosts a yoga class. I’m such a great believer in removing all barriers; if the community hall class is accessible to you – do it! If you’re likely to go to yoga as part of your membership – do it! You can always research studios and / or practice at home if you feel like you want more yoga in your life!

If your first yoga class is in a studio, here are some things you might want to consider:

Do a recce first – work out where the studio is, so you’re not trying to follow Google maps with your phone upside down, stressed because the class starts in two minutes and you can’t find the front door!

Find out if equipment is provided, and if there’s any associated cost. Yoga mats can be pretty accessibly priced in sports shops and supermarkets. They might not be the best quality but if your budget is tight, it might be more affordable than renting a mat each time.

Find out where to leave your stuff – sometimes this is a bit telepathic and it’s different in every studio. I once went to a class where the teacher insisted on everyone leaving absolutely everything outside the practice space and so, the whole time, the class I was convinced someone was stealing my handbag, finding my boyfriends car key and then taking his car, and it wouldn’t be insured, and how would I explain it to him… anyway, needless to say I just didn’t go back to the studio! By the way, the car wasn’t stolen, everything was where I left it, but i get very paranoid when i’m responsible for other people’s stuff! And I don’t think I’m the only one! If you’re not allowed to take your belongings in to the practice safe, is there somewhere safe to leave them? This might not be a concern to you, but if it is, find out beforehand.

And finally in terms of things to consider for an in-studio class – is to introduce yourself to the teacher, let them know its your first time, and if you’re nervous, say so – it won’t be the first time they’ve heard it, and they were a beginner too, once upon a time!

What to bring

Simply –

water bottle

your mat / equipment if it’s not provided

your clothes

And that’s it!

When to arrive

Usually the advice is to arrive 5 – 10 minutes early, but it is worth checking with your studio if they recommend earlier or later. You might need to fill out a form on arrival, or wait for a free changing room, and you don’t want to be stressed about missing the start of the class!

If you’re practicing at home

Simply – lay out your mat

Make sure you have room – try your arms in a T position while you’re facing the front short edge of your mat. Wave your arms and legs around a bit and make sure you’re not kicking walls or knocking anything over!

And importantly – tell everyone to leave you alone!

Book your first yoga class in advance

Top tip, so if your mind is wandering, come back. Book and pay for your class. If you’ll be practicing in a studio, you’ll probably have to book and pay in advance anyway, but if you’re practicing at home, maybe find a live online class that you have to book. For whatever reason, you haven’t done yoga until now and so the risk is that you think ‘I’ll start next week’ then next week becomes the week after, which becomes the month after… no. Find a class, book it, pay fro it, put it in your diary and do it! Then that’s the first class done and it’s so much easier to do it again than it was to do the first.

What to wear

You want clothes that are not going to restrict you and not going to annoy you. Leggings or shorts or jogging bottoms are usually absolutely fine for the bottom half. Maybe try out a lunge or two before your first class, make sure that there is actually movement potential! For the top half, a t-shirt or a sports top is usually fine. Again, as long as you’re comfy and you can move about in it, you’re golden.

Don’t have a full tummy

The advice is usually to not eat a full meal within two hours of the start of the class, but you’ll probably know your digestive system, your hunger and fullness. There’s a balance between not practicing on a full tummy – honestly twists and forward folds with a full stomach feel absolutely grim, but you also don’t want to be so hungry that you get light headed during your practice. Maybe a banana or yoghurt a little before your class works for you.

Go with a yoga buddy?

Are you more likely to go through with it if you have a yoga accountability buddy? If so, get them to book in for the same class that you’ve booked for, and promise to go together!

Turn your phone off

Honestly. Off. Switch it off. Phones now seem to have settings where they look like they’re on silent but actually calls still come through if someone calls twice or if they’re on your favourites list… and I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve been teaching a morning class and someone’s morning alarm goes off. Just turn it off!

Be open minded, and keep in mind, yoga is more than just asana

You most likely won’t be able to do all the poses, and you might ache in places you didn’t know existed. You might wobble, you might fart, you might sweat or shake or grunt out loud. All of this is yoga. All of it is the ongoing balance between self-acceptance and self-improvement. The practice will quite possibly change your life, so, be open minded and be patient, and enjoy your yoga class!

If you’d like to take your first yoga class with Yoga Hero – we have our open weekend coming up on 20th and 21st August which is a great opportunity to join other yoga newbies and try your first class, or just keep your eyes peeled for our regular Introduction to Yoga courses too. If you’re not based in Leeds, you can practice online with us – our All of Yoga membership is just £9.99 per month for unlimited classes – and included in that is our ‘Yoga beyond Asana’ classes which introduce concepts from yoga philosophy to help us live a more peaceful life.

So that’s it lovely heroes! Go and have a fabulous day, remember, you’re your own hero.

See you next time!