If you are new or fairly new to yoga, take a moment to review these little snippets of advice!
-Just by GOING to class, you’ve done the scariest part. You thought yoga might be fun (or a friend kinda forced you to join), so you signed up….then immediately regretted it for fear that people will know you’re NEW and inexperienced!!! The horror!! But you still came, and that’s the most brave thing you can do! You stepped outside of your comfort zone!
-No one cares. Say that again really loudly - NO ONE CARES. You are honestly the only person judging you. Nobody is looking at you thinking, “wow….I can’t believe that person is here, they are so….new to yoga…” Yoga is all about turning your attention inward. We go to yoga to tune out the external goings on. Sometimes, people may glance around to make sure they are in the right pose or whatnot, but for the most part no one is really paying attention to you. Except the teacher of course (hopefully)!! And the teacher is only giving you loving attention, unless you have a scary teacher…then you may want to try another teacher next time.
-Breathe. The breath is so much more important than the actual poses. If you feel totally out of breath or start to get really tired, take a resting pose for a few moments to come back to the breath. When we are breathing and focusing on the breath, we are creating a beautiful energy flow through our body. We find balance and start to let go of all the junk we’ve been holding onto. Trust me- it took me years to do this. I used to just practice parts of the sequence completely out of breath so that I could keep up with everyone around me. One day, I decided to set an intention to follow my breath the best I could the whole class, even if it meant taking rest to come back to it…I felt so light and free after that class! It’s life-changing, no joke!
-If the teacher is providing hands-on assists, it does not mean you are “wrong” or “failing.” It means you may be able to go a little deeper into a pose. Or it may just be the teacher sending a little extra love! Everyone can use an assist in class, even the most experienced yogis! That’s why my teacher always used the term “Assist,” instead of “Correction.” Assists are done with love and compassion.
-Take Savasana!! PLEASE!!! This is one thing I am really, really passionate about. So if nothing else, then please just do it for me. Savasana is THE MOST IMPORTANT POSE! That should be great news, because you get to just lie on your back and chill…(although it is actually far more difficult than it sounds, because you need to be relaxed, yet aware- aka not napping) Surprisingly, many people skip out on this amazing pose. If you are rushed, you need Savasana more than anyone!! Life is stressful, so it is really important to take these moments to yourself. You’ve just stretched, strengthened, and breathed your little heart out so please take this time to revel in the beauty and chillax. Alternatively, some people may find Savasana uncomfortable, either physically or mentally -or both. Rest assured, there are ways we can prop ourselves to make this pose more physically comforting. Feel free to flag down the teacher to see if there are alternative poses or props that make this pose juicier! As for the mentally difficult part…that’s a little tougher. Try turning your attention inward and finding comfort in the quiet. It is REALLY hard for us to sit still. We live in a society of busy-ness, where we define success by how much we work and how many plans we make outside of work. For most of us, the only time we quiet down is when we go to sleep. If you find it really tough to just be still, just try. That’s how we start. Try. Eventually you’ll start to open up to yourself and see how beautiful it can be to make peace with your thoughts.
See you on the mat!!