Beginner Yoga Class Checklist

If you're new to yoga, you might not know what to expect when you walk in the doors of a beginner's yoga class for the first time. You might not even know how to start in selecting a beginner's yoga class to attend. Here's a "how to" checklist.

1. Nail down your goals and find the right style for you.

Everyone comes to yoga for distinct reasons. Sometimes these differences are slight, other times they're vast.

For instance, are you interested in an intense corporal workout to throbbing music, or are you on more of a spiritual path towards (quiet) enlightenment? Are you attracted to yoga because of its health benefits, and if so, is it corporal or emotional health you are most interested in?

Are you interested in the religious doctrine and rich traditions of yoga, or are you on the other extreme and wouldn't be caught dead reciting a mantra?

Whatever your personal needs and proclivities, there's a yoga for you. If some flavors of yoga are offered in your area, do your research online or in the library to find which style would be the best fit for you.

Once you know what it is you're seeing for, you can set some goals. Call the educator of the beginner yoga class you're inspecting and ask if your expectations are reasonable.

2. Choose a drop-in or series beginner yoga class

A drop-in yoga class allows you to pay-as-you go. There will likely be some turnover week to week as to which students show up for class. The educator is likely to keep this class on the mild side, because students will be at such differing quality levels.

This may be just what you're seeing for if you just want a taste of yoga but don't want to buy an costly package of classes. This may also be a good selection for you if your program won't allow you to attend a class every week. Keep in mind there are valuable drawbacks.

One, because the class is ongoing, you will never get to start at "the beginning." You may be a petite lost at first while you learn the culture of the class. Also, drop-in beginner yoga classes tend to be repetitive.

A series yoga class is distinct in that you buy a set amount of classes and each class builds on what you learned in the previous week. A good series class is repetitive only in that there is some delineate each time, but then the educator introduces new material.

You can learn much more much faster in a series class, but again there are drawbacks. First, if you miss a class it may be difficult to make up the material that you missed. Also, you will be asked to pay for the whole series up front.

Take a look at your level of commitment, your program and your budget and resolve whether a drop-in or a series class is better for your needs.

3. Make sure the educator has adequate training.

Yoga is now a valuable contributor to sports injuries. This can be attributed to two things: students pushing themselves too hard for perfection and inadequate training of instructors.

Don't be shy in asking your inherent educator about their background. There are certifications for teaching "gym yoga" that an educator can get in a long weekend. A three day training is just adequate to make man dangerous. That's not to say that some of the population who start with such certifications don't turn out to be exquisite instructors by dedicating themselves to convention and expanding their knowledge over the course of months and years.

There are of course population who teach yoga with no formal certification whatsoever, and though it might be difficult for these teachers to get liability insurance, there's nothing illegal about it. Keep in mind that yoga is a spiritual tradition thousands of years old, and the idea of giving man a certificate for learning a few poses and breathing techniques would have been an odd idea beyond doubt even seventy years ago. It is one thing to wake up one morning and resolve to teach yoga with petite to no experience. It is quite other to teach after living for years under the tutelage of a specialist yogi who just doesn't believe in certificates.

As a general rule, seek out yoga teachers with at the very least 200 hours of training. In the United States there's an organization called the Yoga Alliance that offers a registry of teachers who attended training programs that meet inevitable standards. man can have the Registered Yoga educator (Ryt) designation from the Yoga Alliance and still be a crummy teacher, but ordinarily Ryts are a safe bet.

4. Look into added costs of the yoga class.

Sometimes there are added costs complicated in taking a beginner's yoga class also the registration fee. You may need to buy your own yoga mat, strap, or other props, for instance. In some classes you may need to buy inevitable books for study or even extra clothing of a inevitable color.

It is leading to know what the linked costs are up front so that you and your bank inventory won't encounter any surprises later on.

I hope this checklist will help you find a beginner's yoga class that's right for you.