What happens in your first yoga class

The most common thing people tell us before their first class is that they are worried about being the least flexible person in the room. Here is what actually happens.

Before you arrive

Wear something you can move in — that is the entire dress code. Bring a mat if you own one; if not, tell us beforehand. Come on a reasonably empty stomach, ideally two hours after a meal, and arrive five minutes early.

The first ten minutes

Every batch opens with warm-up: joint rotations, gentle stretches, settling the breath. None of it requires any flexibility. This is also when the teacher asks whether anyone is working around an injury or a health condition, so say so — it changes what you will be asked to do. Practising under a teacher who knows what you are working with is thestandard safety advice for starting yoga, and it is the reason we ask.

The middle of the class

Then asanas — the postures. In a mixed batch you will see the same pose at three different depths, and that is the point: you do the version your body will do today. Nobody is pushed into something they are not ready for, and nobody is watching you.

How it ends

Last comes pranayama and relaxation: breathing practice, then a few minutes lying still. Plenty of students say this is the part they came back for. You will leave looser than you arrived, and probably more awake.

What it costs to find out

We run a 3-day trial so you can sit in on a batch before committing to anything. Message us on WhatsApp and we will tell you which of the four batches has room.

All of Yogi’s Upadesha