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Health & Fitness

Namaste-what? Heading to your first yoga class.

Personally, I got a little FREAKED OUT when it came time to go to my first yoga class. So much so that I bought my friend’s tween a Blissworks class card just so I wouldn’t have to go alone. (Plus somehow this tween had two yoga mats and I had none.) The 12-year-old somehow seemed a bit more together than myself, but maybe she was just holding it in to look tough. (Or maybe I’m a weenie.)

The List:
Things I wish someone had told me before heading to my first yoga class.

  1. Start with a beginner class. Even if you’ve been yogaing-out at home to some DVD, starting with a beginner class helps you test the yoga waters and you can determine if you like the instructor and the studio.
  2. Wear fitted clothing but not super tight clothing. You’re going to be twisting about so it’s best not to wear anything you’ll get tangled up in. Make sure your pants stay up when you move around and, if you’re the shy type, do a full forward bend to make sure your shirt won’t go shifting up and show off your unmentionables.
  3. Don’t worry about not having the fanciest mat and all your own supplies. That’s what communal mats and accessories (blocks, straps, blankets) are there for. The yoga studio didn’t purchase them just to sit there. (Granted. I’ve only been to Blissworks so you may need to call ahead to make sure your studio has communal yoga items.)
  4. You may want to arrive early to claim your mat space. Arrive earlier than the 10 minutes that’s requested so that you can make sure to grab a space you're comfortable with. Some classes get pretty full and it can turn into yoga mat Tetris, which doesn’t help first-time anxiety.
  5. Gotta lose the shoes and socks. Shoes and socks stay outside the yoga class. Just FYI if you’re prone to sweaty feet when anxious.
  6. Introduce yourself to the yoga instructor. Not that you’ll have much of a choice. They can spot a newbie a mile away and will quickly introduce themselves to you first and try to ease your nerves. Be sure to tell them if you have any movement limitations or injuries. They’ll tell you how to adjust certain positions to better accommodate your abilities.
  7. Breathe! This one is hard to do. You get so focused on doing the poses right that you forget to breathe. It’s hard, but please try.
  8. You’re watching the other people in the class more than they’re watching you. Trust me.
  9. It’s pronounced Na-Mas-Teh. Click here to hear it on YouTube. Yoga instructors usually begin and end a yoga session with this salutation/valediction. It roughly means "I bow to you/honor you."
  10. If you don’t know what to do, ask. The people who go to yoga, love yoga, and they want you to love it as well. They’re more than happy to help with questions.
-- Namaste.

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