FAQs on Yoga: What can I expect in my first yoga class? Are there any do’s and don’t’s for yoga classes?
Most yoga classes have the following general format:
- You may start with some pranayama (breathing techniques),
- then warm-ups to loosen all your joints and warm the muscles,
- this is followed by a series of yoga poses called Sun Salutation (the sequence varies from school to school),
- various yoga poses or asanas in standing, sitting, prone (laying face down) and supine (laying on your back) positions, with each pose followed by a counter-pose (e.g. forward bend complemented by backward bend, left twist by right twist, etc.)
- deep relaxation in savasana (corpse pose) where your teacher will verbally guide you through a thorough relaxation of the whole body part by part,
- most teachers will end the class with a series of pranayama techniques, some may do chanting or meditation.
Other Do's and Don'ts:
- DO arrive early. Arriving 10-15 minutes early for class means that you will have time to settle down and have the right frame of mind for yoga. DO sit or lie down quietly rather than start chatting with your classmates. This way, you can start tuning in to your breathing and drawing your attention away from distracting thoughts.
- DON'T enter class late or leave early. This disturbs your classmates’ practice. Arriving late means that it is likely you have missed out on the breathing exercises or warm-ups and your mind and body are not well-prepared for you to launch right into the asanas (yoga poses). If you leave early, skipping the final deep relaxation at the end of the class, you body is unable to fully enjoy the benefits of the entire yoga class.
- DO switch off your mobile phones before class. DON’T answer calls during class.
- DO be quiet. Respect that there are others in the class practising and that the quiet is essential to their practice and to enable the teacher to conduct the class well. DO ask the teacher, not your classmate, your questions on instructions and poses.
- DO arrive clean. DON’T wear overpowering perfumes and make sure your feet are clean and odour-free. Use a towel to mop up your sweat from the yoga mat or floor.
- DON'T force yourself to adopt a painful position. DON’T compare nor compete. Practise the poses to the best of your abilities without straining yourself. DO observe your own body’s limits and accept that any change for the better takes time. DO inform your teacher if you experience any pain when doing the poses. DO rest if you must anytime during the class. Just lie down on your back or assume the child's pose.
- DON’T practice yoga asanas if you are very tired or if you are sick.
- DO help to roll up and put away yoga mats and props you have used in the yoga studio after the class.
- DO try and recall what you have learnt after each class. Perhaps you would like to write down any instruction your teacher gave that helped you in the session. DON’T worry about memorising the entire sequence of asanas in the class. You will develop your home practice naturally after you have some experience with yoga classes.
- DO practice yoga for a while with the same teacher so that he or she can understand your needs and you can have the chance to experience the full effects of the practice.