My first yoga experience was a "Yoga for Dummies" DVD the summer after my freshman year of college (I know, I KNOW but it helped me lose my freshman 15...and also the other 15). You can definitely pregame with the Exercise OnDemand videos your cable offers; there's bound to be a beginner yoga video in there somewhere. You'll get to know what the poses are called, but no one is there to check your form, so really the best way is to go to a class. Classes can be intimidating! There might be chanting that you may or may not know how to feel about! But there are four things you can keep in mind to help you feel more at ease your first time.
BEWARE LABELS
Every class has a description on the studio or gym's website, but they don't always give you the greatest idea what the class will be like. One of the classes I regularly go to is labeled All Levels, and that's pretty much a joke--I would label it Unequivocally Advanced. Some other people who regularly take it also can't believe there isn't more warning that it gets pretty involved. Until you've got the gist of which pose is which, stick to classes that are specifically labeled Beginner. If the class description mentions that it's good for people who have never been on a mat before, so much the better--plus you'll have the added bonus that everyone is awkward and new!
The opposite goes for the different types of yoga, and there are lots: Bikram. Hatha. Ashtanga. Yin. Kundalini. Baptiste. And those are only the types I've heard of, and some of those are subsets of some of the others. If it's truly a beginner class, it will necessarily be slower and pose-focused. So basically, beginner is beginner is beginner no matter what style of place you're at, so don't worry about whether the beginner teacher is an ashtanga or a kundalini.
[Once you're pretty sure you know what's up, you'll begin to realize the styles that you like and the ones you probably won't. For example, I've always loved yoga but my only complaint was that I didn't feel like it was enough of a workout. So Baptiste Power Vinyasa is for me and the ashtanga depends on the teacher, and the more stretchy, meditation based yin classes are decidedly not my bag. Fun fact, I loathe yin, but that's because I need my workouts to placate my death wish.]
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Yoga studios are full of props. Mats, blocks, pillows, blankets, straps. What in the what, right? Honestly, your first time? Forget about all of it. The only thing you NEED is a mat. So grab one of theirs if you don't have your own. There are spray bottles somewhere full of tea-tree oil: spray a borrowed mat so you don't get foot fungus! I know, ew, but you're grateful to know that! You teacher will tell you to grab specific things if you're definitely going to need them, and she or he will probably be able to scoot you over a block or a strap if it turns out it'll help you in a pose.
CHILL OUT
I wouldn't do the hot stuff your first time out. I've never been to one of the hot beginner classes, so I don't know what the conditions are like, but I've been doing yoga for ten years on and off, and it still took me awhile to get used to the heat. It's hard to tell if you like the actual yoga when the heat is making you think you're going to throw up or pass out or die. But definitely try out a hot class once you've got your feet under you, if you think that might be your style (the throw up and pass out and die stuff goes away--it's like sea legs). Try out any type you think sounds interesting--every studio has a drop-in rate, you rarely need to sign up beforehand, and some even have a two weeks unlimited for twenty bucks deal. If you're at a gym and not a studio, try out a lot of different classes. I've found gyms tend to let the teachers have more leeway to practice the style they're most proficient in, so you might get a good mix.
DON'T SWEAT IT
I had a really interesting conversation with a woman who's another regular at the really hard class I mentioned above. She was saying that sometimes she feels like a loser because all of us look so graceful and balanced in our complicated poses. And she's jealous that I can do wheel. Which is hilarious, because I'm jealous that she can do headstand! She should read this blog, because like I told her, whenever you see me looking all peaceful and balanced, I'm probably about to fall over or burst into tears. The point is, don't compare yourself to anyone else in the room. Your pose isn't going to look like anyone else's, because your body doesn't look like anyone else's. The thing about yoga that's different from every other form of exercise ever invented is that there's no better, and there's no wrong. There isn't even "easier" or "harder" when you get down to it: there are variations of every pose, and you use the one that's right for your body, and you get the exact same benefit as the person who's twisted half around. Honest.
During our conversation, the other regular and I realized we both had the same feelings about a poor, poor beginner who came to our supposedly all-levels class (again, WHY that label; it's like circus acrobat school every Monday night). She tried so hard and eventually bailed in the middle of class, and all of us felt like yelling out "no, stay! You're not failing you just have to figure out how to do it your way!" We all felt so bad that she might miss out on some wonderful experiences because she didn't know that tiny little thing.
So if nothing else, remember that! Don't get discouraged. You can't fail at yoga, and you can't not belong. Because although other people are in the room with you, the only person on your mat is you. And like I said before, everyone is feeling like a spazz at at least one point during class (and if I'm there, for at least half of the class), so they're really, truly not judging you AT ALL. We don't care if you fall over, we're probably about to fall over, too.
And, you can duck into child's pose whenever you damn well please. Sometimes teachers forget to say that at the beginning of class, but it's saved my sanity so many times in power vinyasa. You could technically spend the whole class in child's pose and just listen to the teacher and peek out at everyone else.
Also? Take off your shoes pretty much the minute you walk into the studio. You'll look like a pro.
Everybody go have fun and get strong and bendy! And if you have a question about anything I didn't mention, absolutely leave it in the comments, I'd love to try to answer it!
Namaste.
Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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