General Guidelines for Your Yoga Adventure

General Guidelines for Your Yoga Adventure

So you’ve decided to take a yoga class.  Congratulations!  You are about to embark on a potentially life changing journey.  Just as with any new adventure, it helps if you gather some information before you begin.  Here are some tips that might prove helpful. 

Do your homework

All yoga classes are not like all other yoga classes.  This may seem obvious but with the growing popularity of yoga in the media and everywhere else, people assume they know what they are walking into when they sign up for a yoga class.  Not so!  Yoga classes are as unique as the people participating in them and the yoga teacher facilitating them.  Classes can be very meditative and still and on the other end of the spectrum they can be very aerobic and active. 

Doing your homework is an essential part of the success of your yoga experience.  A person who hasn’t moved in years due to inactivity, illness or life in general would not be well served in a hot yoga class or an aerobically active class, for example.  They may even risk injury by starting there.  Likewise if a seasoned athlete walks into a room where folks mostly sit or lie on the floor in a meditative state, they may run as fast as they can in the opposite direction whenever anyone suggests another yoga class.  And, if they do, they would miss out on all the amazing benefits that yoga can bring to a person with more active lifestyle.  And it’s not just the level of physical fitness to be considered either.  Some yoga classes emphasize the philosophical aspects of the yogic traditions, some classes focus more on diet and health, and some classes focus on healing trauma or psychological challenges, etc. 

In short, just because you walk into a yoga class it doesn’t mean you have any clue what you’re in for, even if you are a seasoned yoga practitioner.  Research the classes you find interesting and convenient to your location and schedule.  Learn about the style of yoga presented, the focus or emphasis of the classes, what you can expect in each session, what you need to bring and if possible, talk to the instructor before the class begins.  Ask lots of questions to be sure the classes are a good fit for you – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. 

Silence your technology

When you do enter a class, turn ALL your electronic connectivity devises to silent.  This point is so obvious you’d think it doesn’t even need to be said.  But often there is someone in a class who neglects to silence their electronic companion.  Nothing pulls an entire roomful of people out of a focused, meditative state quicker than a cell phone ringing or that electronic “beep” letting everyone in the room know that someone just got a text message or email or they are late for meeting.  We are programmed by our electronics to respond to these sounds.  So when an electronic device sounds in the midst of a yoga class everyone in the room is jolted out of their focus whether they like it or not. 

Leave your fragrance at home

That lovely perfume you received as a gift or that delightfully scented hand lotion or lip balm might be just the thing to send your whole being into a blissful state any and every time you smell it.  It may also be choking the person on a yoga mat near you.  In a setting like a yoga class, where the emphasis is on increasing sensitivity and awareness most often through techniques designed for enhancing a deeper breathing pattern – scents can be distracting at best and dangerous at worst (for example, triggering an asthmatic episode or setting a migraine headache in motion).  Leave your smell pretties for another time.

Don’t chat through class

What you discover when you take the time on your yoga mat to become intentionally aware of your body, mind, heart and soul is absolutely AMAZING because you, my dear, are just that – AMAZING!  However, please refrain from sharing your newfound discoveries with your neighbor until after class is over.  Talking through class only distracts everyone else from their own AMAZING discoveries.

This is not to say that there are never times in a yoga class when talking and interacting is openly encouraged.  You will know when that is the case and if you feel so inclined – by all means, join in the fun!  Until such time when interaction is invited, please keep to yourself so everyone else can do the same.

Practice compassion, generosity and politeness

Yoga, for the most part, encourages movement and relaxation and when both are applied to the human body it sometimes produces sounds that are typically not shared in polite company.  Snores, farts and burps – while not explicitly encouraged for the most part – can happen in a yoga class.  There is no need to make anyone feel any worse than they already do about it.

Also, make room for others.  Sometimes classes get crowded.  Be thoughtful and generous with whatever space is available.

Be timely

Walking into a yoga class late disrupts the “vibe” carefully cultivated by everyone in the class.  Once in a while, if it is a group or instructor with whom you are familiar, it can be excused.  If it is a habit, however, break it or find another class that better fits your schedule.  The same, by the way, goes for leaving a class early.  Once in a while, it’s okay.  If in every class, however, you are slipping out early, look for a class that better suits your scheduling needs or your particular interests.  (Maybe the reason you’re slipping out early has nothing at all to do with your tight schedule.  Maybe you just don’t like the chanting that comes at the end of a particular style of yoga class; in which case, find a class that better suits your preferences.)

And by all means, if it is your first class with a particular group or instructor and you are running late – don’t go!  Wait until you can give yourself and the instructor a few minutes before class to introduce yourself and to learn the ropes.

Your first class

If it is your first class with a particular group or instructor (even if you have practiced yoga before), make your acquaintance well in advance of the first breathing exercise, asana or OM. Particularly if your medical history is complicated or you are in a class for a specific reason, you need to give your instructor time to learn about it and plan accordingly.  This goes back to “do your homework” to ensure the class will meet your specific needs.  Find out if your instructor prefers to meet with you briefly before class or how they prefer to learn about you - and then get to the point.  (It’s a yoga teacher teaching an entire room full of people, remember, not a private session with a psychotherapist.)  Let the instructor know why you’re in the class, what you hope to find there, your experience with yoga, what your limitations or challenges are and briefly explain your medical history.  Let your instructor know if you are under a physician’s care, for what and if you have been given medical clearance to attend the class.  While a brief medical history is important, keep in mind too that unless your yoga teacher is an MD, they are not an MD!  Don’t expect that they know as much about your medical condition, medications or therapies as you do.  They do, however, need to know enough about you to be sure you are safe and comfortable in the class.

And it may not just be disease and pathology you have to share that could impact the class.  For example, if you are pregnant, your instructor should know.  If you’re training for a marathon, your instructor might have some helpful tips for you.  If you are dealing with a recent loss and your instructor knows about it, maybe they can offer specific postures and breathing techniques that can help you navigate your journey of grief.  The more specific you can be with your instructor about your intentions and goals, the more specific they can be in helping you meet them.

Don’t give up

If you have wandered into a yoga class that doesn’t quite fit your needs or expectations, try another class!  I promise you – with the ever-evolving variations of the ancient discipline of yoga, there is something out there that fits you perfectly! With a delightful curiosity, allow yourself to simply enjoy your yoga adventure.