Guidance for beginners

Arguably one of the most important elements when practicing yoga is to listen to and respect your body. No matter how skilled our instructors, the most important guide will always be you; your body will tell you when to slow down, speed up, back off, or go deeper. Please respect that guidance even if it may go against what the instructor or fellow students are saying or doing.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND
Be kind to yourself: Trying anything new can be potentially uncomfortable.

Yoga is not a competition: You’ve already won by simply getting onto your yoga mat. Yoga about you. Respect your limits and most likely anything you do will have you feeling better then when you arrived.

Don’t push beyond your limit: Listening to and heeding your body’s limitations is a sign of strength, not weakness. We promise you’ll enjoy class much more and keep yourself safe for future classes.

WHERE AND HOW TO START
Many people can feel intimidated taking their first yoga class. Fears can come up that they won’t be “good” or that they’re not flexible enough. The good news is that yoga isn’t about being “good” or “bad” or “flexible enough.” One of the best things about yoga is that it is designed to accept you as you are and where you are. To help you decide where and how to place that first step, read on…

BEST CLASSES FOR BEGINNERS
If you’ve never taken a yoga class before, we recommend starting with one of the below class styles, as they are friendly to yoga newbies and will help you form a foundation to your practice.

The below classes are listed in order of higher to lower activity level: Slow Flow being most active, Restorative being least. Our class descriptions page includes details on all the different style of yoga we offer. Gentle Yoga is most often recommended for beginners to take as a first class – from there you can assess your comfort level and adjust as necessary.

• Slow Flow
• Yin / Flow
• Gentle Yoga (most often recommended for beginners to take as a first class)
• Mindful Movements
• Yin Yoga
• Restorative Yoga

YOU’RE READY TO BOOK A CLASS
Once you’ve make a choice on the best class for your first visit, go to our class schedule and click “BOOK NOW” next to the class and time you’re interested in. We highly recommend taking advantage of our 2wk Intro Offer – where does this link to? – $59 (max 14 classes & unlimited on-demand videos). This way you can try out a variety of classes and teachers and see how you feel with our community. This Intro Offer initiates on your first visit.

BASIC STUDIO ETIQUETTE

• Please preregistration for all classes.
• Studio opens approx. 15mins. prior to class.
• Check in with the teacher.
• Let the teacher know if you’re a new student and/or if you have any injuries.
• It is best to practice on an empty stomach.
• Dress comfortably (anything unbinding but not too loose).
• Remove socks so feet can grip the mat (leave them on for Restorative and/or Yin if your feet tend to get cold)
• Silence cell phones.
• Leave shoes and jackets in the foyer.
• Bring valuables into studio with you.
• We recommend bringing your own mat.
• If necessary communal mats are in the BACK of the studio free of charge.
• Mats in the foyer are privately owned. Please do not use.

CLASS SIZE
Classes vary greatly in size from a handful to a max of 25 students depending on the class style, time of day etc.

HOW OFTEN TO TAKE CLASSES
This is a personal choice. Many dedicated yoga students will attend 4 or more classes a week. Others find that a weekly or bi-weekly or bi-monthly practice suits them best. It goes without saying that steady and regular practice will allow you to see and experience the greatest benefits, growth and progress. What often happens is that the more yoga you do, the more you want to do… It feels that good. You’ll find out what suits you best as you go. Listen to your body – it will tell you what it wants.

OM AT THE START OR END OF CLASS
Some teachers will lead a verbal “OM” at the start and/or completion of class. This is the simplest of Sanskrit mantras and represents the sound of the entirety of the universe. Chanting it together is a unifying gesture to remind us of our interconnection. Students are invited to participate or just listen. As always, do what you feel comfortable doing and leave the rest to the side.

IF YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE IN CLASS
If the class feels too strenuous or you need a break for any reason, we suggest to you take child’s pose (see below image) for as long as you need to feel ready to rejoin class. If necessary, call the teacher over and share whatever might be going on for you so that he/she can help if possible. And remember that if worse comes to worse, you can always leave class early. We’ll be happy to credit your account in this case.