How do I start doing yoga?
Author: Jayne Sieverding
People hear about yoga and believe it may be good for them, but don’t know how to start. Their doctor may suggest it or their friends or family members nag on them to “just try it”. Maybe they peered into a class at their local gym or know the cool neighbor with the amazing body down the street who does it. Maybe they even tried it once and thought it wasn’t for them, but still hear others talking and wonder what they missed.
Today the primary source to learn about almost anything is to use online search engines. From there you will find a plethora of web sites, videos, social media, pictures and reference sites. So maybe you click on a few and listen, watch, read and learn. You see people doing yoga who look like human pretzels or pictures of Indian mystical sages. It can be hard to find something that feels right. All you want to know is how to start!
Videos can be a wonderful media to first learn about yoga, but not as a substitute for live teaching. I’ve had students whose only yoga experience has been from online or DVD sources. What a privilege for me to be their first live teacher! Feedback after class is usually around how much more they learned, how the sequencing was easier to follow, and that the class was a true experience. Videos only take students so far on their journey. So use them for building your home practice after you’ve had some live teacher instruction. There are some great videos out there by teachers who are excellent in their practice. Also this may be your only alternative if you don’t live in a place with other options.
Classes or private instruction are pretty much essential to learning yoga. Yoga is not a physical exercise routine like cross-fit; it’s a practice. It’s a personal journey that goes on throughout life. Instruction provides you with a set of trained eyes. A good teacher can adjust alignments and take you from going through the motions to internalizing beneficial effects. The breath combined with the body is hard to learn from a voice in a video. Yes, you must come to class.
What kind of yoga class is the right one? The answer is that you may need to try a few different classes and teachers to discover it. There is also an alphabet soup of yoga types which confuse many new students. Should I try Kundalini or Ashtanga? Vinyasa or Hatha? What? Try to find a simple introductory or yoga basics class. Don’t show up for advanced Vinyasa as your first class ever and think you will catch up. What will typically happen is you will get discouraged and frustrated and think that yoga is not for you. But it could be. You just took the wrong class for what you needed at that time.
The first place to look for an inexpensive intro yoga class may be under your nose. Check for classes offered at your gym, community center or even your library. Many large gym chains offer yoga classes and typically there will be someone brand new to yoga in every class so you won’t be the only one. The teacher quality can be good, but the gym environment and level of personal attention will be lacking relative to a studio dedicated to yoga. Meditating towards self-awareness is tough when you are between a racquet ball court and a weight room. Corporate work place fitness centers may be an option if you work for a progressive employer. Community center yoga can be fun for a first experience. Most students will be just like you, wanting to try it out and learn.
Yoga dedicated studios vary from the chain brand Y-marts offering numerous daily classes of widely differing styles down to a local neighborhood store front that offers a few classes a day. The larger places help people manage complex schedules and you can easily hide in the back because class sizes can be large. Smaller places will give you more personal attention and the class may even be taught by the owner or teachers trained directly by them, so quality will typically be high. It’s also a more informal low pressure atmosphere. Prices will vary accordingly. Many Yoga studios have a “drop in” option for $15 - $20/class that allow you to take a few classes to experiment without committing to anything more. Some places have great discounts for new students including free classes.
Can everyone do yoga? The answer is yes and no. Most everyone is able to practice meditation or do yoga poses in a chair. However, if you can’t get up and down from the floor at some level, then you should not attempt the types of yoga typically found in a gym or yoga studio unless specified in the class. Even Yin and Restorative yoga may require you to lay down and get back up, albeit slowly. But don’t use that requirement as an excuse either. I have a student who struggled to slowly get up and down off the mat, but she continued to practice with her doctor's approval. With patience, awareness, courage and props she is now able to do many standing and balance poses. I’m so proud of her.
One more comment to those who want to have their mother, father, cousin, etc. do yoga. Don’t drag them into a class if they don’t want to be there. They may come, but sometimes they leave in the middle of class feeling embarrassed, sometimes they stay to make you happy, but most times they never come back. So, instead print off this article and give it to them to start a positive conversation and let them make the decision. My hope is that it may help you and them work together to find the best first steps. Namaste.