Yoga is many things – restorative, peaceful, ancient… and intimidating. There are so many benefits to a yoga practice, but it can be overwhelming for a beginner. What do I wear? Where should I set up my mat? What if I can’t bend the way they want me to bend? What happens if my cell phone rings? 

Believe it or not, all those people you see strolling around with their yoga mats casually tossed over their shoulders on their way to or from a yoga class went through this exact same learning curve. Nobody told them how yoga studios work – they just mustered up their courage to try it, and figured it out as they went along.

But many of us aren’t that courageous when it comes to trying a brand new, totally foreign activity. Here are some quick tips that will have you waltzing into your first yoga class looking like a pro.

Class levels and types
The types and levels of yoga vary from studio to studio and instructor to instructor, so your best bet is to venture in to your local yoga studio and pick up a schedule, or see if they’ve got one posted online. Almost all yoga studios’ schedules will describe what each of their classes is like.

Restorative yoga – sometimes called Hatha yoga - is a great place to start if you’re brand new to yoga and feeling nervous about any physical limitations you may feel you have. These classes typically move you into poses more slowly, and you’ll spend more time enjoying each pose, working on improving your flexibility and reducing your stress.

Power yoga classes – often found under the category of Ashtanga yoga - can be an incredibly demanding muscular workout. If your studio has an Intro to Ashtanga class, give that a whirl. If not, an Ashtanga Level 1 class is pretty doable for most people – you just have to embrace the fact that much of the terminology will be new and foreign to you.

Hot yoga is a much newer branch of power yoga done in a studio where the temperature is turned up high. The resulting hot workout gets your heart pumping and your sweat flowing like almost nothing else. This sweat-fest is said to help eliminate toxins from the body, and the heat of the room may help enhance flexibility – warm muscles tend to be more bendy than cold ones. 

Studio Etiquette
In yoga studios, there is one big rule: please be quiet. Other classes may be in session when you arrive, and loud noises can disrupt the experience. Turn off your cell phone before you walk in the front doors of the studio, and try to remember to speak in a soft voice while you’re there.

Try to be on time for the start of class, and stay right until the end. Coming into and out of the studio is often disruptive to the meditative experience of a yoga class. 

Necessary Gear
Yoga is a pretty gear-light activity. A yoga mat is really all you need for the average class. These mats are just cushiony enough to keep you comfortable on the floor and just sticky enough so that your hands and feet stay firmly planted during poses.

Some classes may have you use additional equipment like blocks, bolsters and straps to help ease you into more complex poses. Many yoga studios have these items available to borrow.

As far as wardrobe is concerned, wear a comfy top and long shorts or pants, and bare feet! Don’t worry too much about the state of your pedicure – honestly, nobody is looking.
 
Yoga Vocabulary
Your instructor may intersperse some Sanskrit language into his or her class. Don’t let this trip you up – you are not expected to memorize these words. Other instructors may use English words to describe the poses. Either way, try not to let the terminology intimidate you; eventually you’ll start to learn what some of the words mean.

In addition to the poses, there are a lot of breathing (“pranayama”) and posturing (“bhanda”) terms that your instructor may toss out during practice. He or she should explain what they mean during class, but if not, just hang in there and do your thing. Eventually you will begin to catch on.

The good news is, yoga hasn’t changed much in the last few thousand years, so once you start getting the hang of it, you’re golden.

Honour the Body
There is a strong focus in yoga on “honouring the body.” This means checking in with how your body feels during your practice, and taking positions and challenges that work for you and you only. Let go of judgments and ego and just accept that your body will tell you when it wants to push hard and when it wants to rest. If your instructor ever takes the class into a pose that you really feel you’re not ready or able to try, you can absolutely choose to skip that pose.

Allow for a Big Learning Curve
There is a lot of poses in yoga, and you are never expected to know them all. Allow yourself the opportunity to learn, and give yourself a break if your instructor asks you to take a pose that you’ve never heard of before. Every single person in the room has gone through the very same learning curve you are experiencing. After four or five classes, some things should start to make a little more sense to you. Hang in there!

After the Class
The very end of a typical yoga class involves a few minutes of relaxation and meditation. Meditation is yet another daunting aspect of yoga practice, as many of us feel that we are too busy and important to shut off our minds and just sit quietly for a moment.  In fact, truly letting go of your physical, mental and emotional struggles will leave you feeling refreshed, renewed and at peace.

Some yoga studios do not allow participants to leave during the meditation, so if you are pressed for time or aren’t feeling in the mood for relaxation, be sure to pack up your mat and quickly and quietly leave at the very beginning of the mediation. You’ll know when it’s meditation time, because everyone will be lying on their backs, resting. Your yoga instructor may refer to it as “savasana” (shav-AH-sah-na), which is a Sanskrit word meaning “corpse pose.”

The instructor might guide you through the meditation, or leave you to rest quietly on your own. Some people fall fast asleep during meditation and, yes, some people even snore! It’s all good – anything goes in savasana.

After a few moments, the instructor will start to “bring you back,” waking you up from your relaxed state of mind and body.

Namaste
At the end of class, typically the instructor rand all the participants share a Namaste – or ‘thank you’ in Sanskrit. It, like everything else in yoga, is not mandatory; it’s simply a sharing of all that good energy you’ve created within yourself.

Yoga will challenge and invigorate you like almost no other workout can. The intimidation element of the yoga studio should never deter you from doing something so restorative and so positive for your body and mind.