Ten tips to nail your first yoga practice

Photo taken during teacher Racquel's class at Level X Fitness Gym

Attending your first yoga class can be intimidating and everyone has been through that situation in one way or another.

When I attended my first Ashtanga class, it was not how I expected. It was heavily raining then and we thought the class was Vinyasa but it was later changed when only two attended the class. Our teacher was very hands-on and guided us in achieving the poses. I became more curious about yoga since then.

Not all classes will be like that. Some will be easier while some will be harder; some will encourage you to deepen your practice while some will discourage you. Everything is just in the mindset.

1. Expect nothing

Enter the yoga class with the intention of emptying your mind and expect nothing in return. You will be amazed at how gratifying a yoga class can be. It is neither a boring class where you will fall asleep (except in savasana) nor a breaking class where you are expected to be as flexible as a gymnast.

2. Focus on your breathing

As a beginner, it’s hard to synchronize breathing with the poses, and it’s even harder since you are unfamiliar of the terms in yoga. How can someone expect you to breathe out slowly in your downward facing dog when you don’t even know how it’s supposed to look like?

This is where the third one comes in…

3. Look at your neighbors

You don’t need to imitate the exact pose of your classmate since you wont know if your classmate is doing it right or wrong. You can look at your teacher but what would you do if your teacher walks around to fix the alignment of poses? You have to look at your classmate.

4. Resist intimidation

Humans are naturally competitive and one could either be intimidated or be the one intimidating in yoga. This is a no-no in a yoga practice. While I advise to look at your neighbor for reference, one should neither feel frustrated nor conceited.

When you can’t fight the urge of competition just ignore your classmates and follow the next step.

5. Listen to your teacher

In my experience, this requires great amount of practice before perfecting the listening part. Again, if your teacher tells you to lift your arms up to your extended mountain pose, would you have the idea how it looks like?

A quick advice is to tell your teacher that it’s your first yoga practice. It is in the intention of teachers to best introduce yoga to beginners whether that requires them to use layman’s terms or even translate if language is a barrier.

6. Trust your teacher

Be transparent with your teacher. Tell him/her if you have an injury or if there’s any sensitive body part. Trust your teacher when he/she adjusts your poses. Let them know if there’s a sharp pain in the adjustments. The most gratifying thing for teachers is to see their students grow and deepen their practice. Trust that your teacher wants the best for you and does not have any favoritism. If the teacher does not adjust you, it only means that you are doing it right. If your teacher challenges you, it means that he/she sees your potential.

7. Listen to your body

Now when you think that you are nailing the poses, make sure that you are listening to the body. Yoga’s purpose is to connect the mind and the body and if you are compensating your body for the sake of perfecting the poses then you are doing everything for the wrong reasons.

Respect your body. Yoga is a journey which does not demand you to nail everything in the first attempt. I love practicing yoga so much that I often get injured whenever I'm frustrated to do advanced poses. Let go and let the body do which is comfortable.

Teachers always say that you should challenge your body but know where to stop. Some asanas will bring discomfort but you should not feel a sharp pain.

8. Accept your flaws

Yoga is a personal journey. It’s okay to slip on your mat when you sweat like you’re in a sauna. It’s okay to fall when you lose balance in a specific pose. It’s okay to turn left while the other turn right, just change and follow the flow. It’s okay to fart or even queef in some poses!

Do not be embarrassed in these moments. There’s room for personal improvement.

9. Breathe deeply

In my first practice, I was not aware of Ujjayi breathing and would laugh inside whenever I hear someone breathe like he/she is snoring. This type of pranayama/breathing is called Ujjayi breathing which sounds like the ocean. This helps in deepening yoga practice.

10. End the practice with a smile

No matter how many times I hear the same closing words of a teacher, I end the practice with a smile. Be thankful at every end of the practice. Most teachers would ask you to set an intention for your practice and would remind you to recall the intention that you have set at the end of the practice.

Make yoga a habit. Set an intention for your next practice and go over with the tips again to know how you progress as a student.

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