When I think of Orlando I think of hot, sweaty, delicious yoga. I’ve been taking classes as often as possible since moving back and my body is very happy for it. Yoga has been in my life for almost three years but it didn’t always come so naturally.
Almost three years ago I was a closet yogi wannabe- trying to imitate moves I saw on cheesy yoga DVDs. It wasn’t until my friend Ryan and I decided to tackle a real studio together that yoga began to mean something to me.
Dressed in the fanciest cotton, ill-fitting yoga clothes we had, we arrived to the small lobby of College Park Yoga 15 minutes before class began. We filled out our waivers, checking the box that we were new to yoga.
I’m not sure how to best describe the next 90 minutes we spent on our slippery rented yoga mats. Hard? Confusing? Stretchy? Wonderful? Sweaty, definitely. I’ll never forget the face Ryan and I gave each other in the middle of what felt like our 90th awkward down dog. We had never sweat so much in our lives.
With each visit to the mat since then moving my body through practice has become more akin to breathing. It’s natural, it feels right and I know when I’m not doing it enough.
I think anyone can benefit from yoga: runners, injured persons, pregnant mommas, kids, CrossFitters, students, truck drivers. From yin yoga to ashtanga, all yoga benefits the body and the mind.
“You cannot do yoga. Yoga is your natural state. What you can do are yoga exercises, which may reveal to you where you are resisting your natural state.” — Sharon Gannon
Here are 10 things you should know before your first yoga class:
1. You probably won’t know what’s going on for most of the class. And that’s okay. Remember even the most advanced yogis started somewhere. Watch the teacher or others in the class to get an idea of the movements; the teacher will make sure your form is correct. Before you know it you’ll catch on and be flowing with your eyes closed.
2. It doesn’t matter if you can’t touch your toes. Every pose can be modified. Every body is different so every body does things differently. Yoga can do amazing things for you even if you never once touch your toes.
3. Come to the mat hydrated. Take in extra water in the 24 hours before class and try to avoid heavy foods for at least two hours before class.
4. Bring a friend. Friends who sweat together stay together. Check out partner yoga if you’re really feeling close.
5. It’s okay, you (most likely) didn’t walk into a cult. Yoga is a philosophy, not a religion. It often reflects Hinduism and Buddhism, but practicing yoga doesn’t equal practicing Hinduism or Buddhism. It’s okay to om.
6. Come with clean feet and an open mind. All that bending, stretching and twisting opens up space in your mind and heart. Don’t be surprised if you feel compelled to cry or hug the stranger next to you during practice.
7. Do it cheap. Check out the schedules of your local studios. Many places will offer free or reduced price classes to the community one day during the week or on the weekends.
8. It’s okay if it’s about more than the om. Yoga is a beautiful practice for the mind and heart, but sometimes it’s about getting a great workout or finally mastering a complex pose, too. Ha- sometimes it can even be a place to meet dates for after class.
9. It’s not about fancy yoga clothes. But it kind of helps. Wear clothes that are form-fitting so your teacher can see your form clearly but also flexible enough to allow for a full range of movement. Test your pants in a mirror before heading out- see-through fabric or peeking behinds may not be desirable, even in a no-judgement zone.
10. It’s going to be a good time. The best classes are when you fall on your face in an arm balance, fart on your neighbor or fall asleep in savasana. At the end of the day it’s just a bunch of people standing on sticky mats hoping for a better life and a better world.
“The last time I opened my chakra so I could feel my peace, I got thrown right out of the pub.” – Terri Guillemets
Do your practice yoga? What would you add to this list?
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m absolutely loving my Ashtanga practice right now. Just getting on the mat six days a week has been a real eye opener (and a hip opener, and a spine-twister, I could go on). It helps everything stay in a peaceful perspective. I’m still in the beginning moves but I can already see a big difference.
Great post!
Carolina John recently posted..A Week?
I would add on to this “Nobody is going to judge you for not being able to fly up into headstand/side crow/tripod/hurdler/scissors if you’re not there yet.” It’s ridiculously intimidating to be in a hot yoga class on your first go-round and see everyone around you contorting into positions you didn’t k now the human body could achieve, but yoga teaches you how to A) open up your body in order to possibly achieve that kind of stretch and B) how to listen to your body so if there is a day when a pose usually available to you isn’t coming, don’t do it. I practice vinyasa/baptiste/ashtanga/kundalini but I know there are some poses (due to bad hips) I will never get into, but hell, I can rock a side plank with the best of them! Rock what you got!
Not all Yoga classes were created equal. Go each class more than once and try different instructors/flavors of yoga before you give up. I take classes at my regular gym because they’re free and I have a good time, but I know others have not had good experiences until they tried a full-time yoga studio. My favorite class of all time was at my university gym where they are not known for having great fitness instructors but they really lucked into that one! Sometimes it’s trial and error.
Kate recently posted..Wednesday Check-In
i would add- someone in your class might release gas…and it will be gross…but try not to laugh like a 10 year old OR verbalize your disgust! haha
Molly recently posted..Year of the Dragon
you = amazing.
Heather recently posted..Passions, False Promises, & Living with a Boy
can i follow up with this?
a post like this needed to be written for a v. long time. thank you.
Heather recently posted..Passions, False Promises, & Living with a Boy
I’m so glad you posted this. I’ve been alittle down and out lately because I have an injury and can’t run. I was in a routine that included yoga. However when I realized I needed to stop running while I heal I got so frustruated I gave up all excercie. I’m glad you posted this it reminds me how much I love yoga and how it can help me through these injuries. Thanks for the inspiration! Maybe I’ll see you at CPY or OPY sometime.
It is OK to back off if you need. Some days attempting crow feels amazing to me. Other days I sit in a squat and stretch. You have to go with what YOUR body needs that day.
Laura recently posted..What I’m Reading
My BFF introduced me to yoga 3 years ago and I HATED IT!. It took me until last year to find my groove. I now love and crave my weekly hot class. I started out with the P90X workout as part of the program and suffered my way through the whole 90 minutes. Every year when I visit my BFF in NYC we go to a yoga class. This was the first year I totally got it. I came in with an open mind, closed my eyes and got into MY practice. I did what I could and marveled at the guy in the front of the class who could rock the headstand and some other poses I didn’t know existed. A few months ago I bought a Groupon for a local studio and it is now my home. I go every Saturday morning for the hot Hatha class and this Sunday I’m trying the detox class.
After Christmas Eve even my husband is convinced I NEED yoga in my life. You see I did the usual Saturday morning yoga class and was calm and relaxed throughout the day even with my family over. I’m still trying to convince him he should try yoga for his bad back.
I’ve been really wanting to try a yoga or pilates class recently.. doing it badly in your living room is very different to doing it even worse in front of people! I guess I just need to man up and get in there though! This actually makes me feel better about it
Hannah recently posted..Just A Quickie…
haha, love this list. I was so scared my first class but totally fell in love.
I love the part about the right pants. too many times have i seen girls wearing leggings. Girls, I can see your butt/butt crack/everything in those leggings. Plus, it shows your sweat easily! My rule: No leggings in yoga
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) recently posted..Sparkling Lemonade
I loved this post! Im starting yoga classes on Monday and am rally excited – thankyou!
really* (!)
it seems like you only realize how incredibly beneficial yoga can be to your life when you stop doing it for an extended period of time.
and to anyone who hasn’t tried it themselves or who has and didn’t like it – try, try again. I am not a bikram girl myself (although I know many who swear by it) so after I had gone to 3 separate classes in that style, if you’d asked me, I probably would have said yoga wasn’t my thing. it wasn’t until I went to a different studio that specialized in moksha.. ohmy.. my world was irrevocably changed from that day-on.
Heather recently posted..Change of Pace
Love this list!
I would add the idea of aiming to keep your attention on the mat, and being gentle with yourself when your mind goes elsewhere.
Great post.
Lori Lavender Luz recently posted..Because I just got taller
I enjoy doing reformer pilates and have been getting more into yoga to compliment cycling. I can get so darn tight, so great to stretch and breathe it out. I’ve been going to a studio with a friend and boy those classes are tough! Some of those poses leave me puzzled how anyone can make their body do that lol Any mat suggestions? My hands get so darn slippery.
I have an old Manduka that I’ve been using for years and absolutely love. It’s well-padded, grippy and extra big
I used a Manduka towel for hot classes. Have fun!!
This post sprang to mind during my yoga yesterday. I was doing a dave farmer podcast as I still haven’t found a studio w/o being on a train for a few hours, that does an english or sanskrit practice. Anyhow, in the practice he said “Focus on the whole of your practice.” Don’t get caught up in the inability to do one pose or the need to go to childs or rag doll when everyone around you is in standing splits. He also notes that Seane Corn wants people to leave her classes feeling not just better about their bodies but better about their lives. This post encompasses embracing the whole of yoga!
I for one will never be an advanced yogi. 9 years of practice and I can only sometimes tuck my toe behind my calf in eagle and only sometimes bind extended side angle, I’ve never seen birds of paradise and might never. But I love to go into a traditional headstand to awaken, and for the first time in years my mind is letting go in savasana.
I love this post! I’ve been going to class 3-4 times a week for 6 months now and the person I am today is actually quite a bit different than when I started! I use it to calm my fears/triggers for my epileptic seizures, and the journey on the mat it so amazing! I am just starting to run again and I love running, but yoga is something so different to me, the self exploration you can totally just get lost in.
Don’t be afraid to go to new places either! It’s so fun to get a new feel in a new room/building! LOOOVE IT! Just wish I had a Lululemon closer than 2.5 hours away! Great Post Ashley!
{ 1 trackback }