That first step

About three years ago I found myself in a yoga class in Northern Virginia stressing and straining, trying to "make it work". Coming from a background of martial arts I was used to applying my mind over my body forcing it to do what I wanted. Yoga is almost the opposite your mind works with your body. Pushing your limits but not straining, finding the edge and not going past, and most importantly of all breathing.

The key to yoga is the breath after becoming proficient with poses it becomes the focus of your practice. You still are paying attention to your body and all those details but that becomes a second nature, you link your body with your breath allowing yourself to flow with the breath.

All that being said if you have never done yoga all that stuff above makes no difference at the moment. Here are a few tips for entering into your first yoga class:

• If you are going to a yoga studio that has a website check it out. 
• They might have classes listed for beginners, if not try to avoid "flow" or "vinyasa" classes as these are usually faster paced. 
• If you can find a studio that is running an introduction class or series, that is a great way you can learn the basics at a slow pace. Getting your alignment right instead of having to learn on the fly.
• Don't eat at least three hours before hand; try not to drink 30 minutes before either. Nothing is worse than folding forward and feeling like you're going to barf, or half way through class having to run to the bathroom. 
• It's okay to take a break from poses, I know you'll look around and see these people gliding through poses or looking so peaceful while you're ready to scream holding certain poses. Taking a break means you're respecting yourself and your limits, the teacher will respect you more than if you try to limp through their class and they know if you are. Also you avoid possible injuries.
• Hydrate, after class, slowly. As you're stretching and toning your muscles you are also releasing toxins, especially during twists and inversions, the water helps your body transport out those toxins. Even if you don’t break a sweat in class. Otherwise you will find yourself having headaches.
• It takes time, if you’re like me. You will get frustrated after your first couple classes. Either from not being able to do everything in the class or from just pushing too hard and created tension in your body. Give it say five classes, by then you should find a rhythm and feel more at ease.

Here is something I found that sums up etiquette when it comes to most studios, though some studios have varying rules especially when it comes to late comers.

(1)

The key is that you are doing this for you, that competitive edge that is there especially with us guys will be evident with extreme soreness the next day. So try to keep it about you, it’s not a quick fix it’s a slow transition, though there are some instant benefits. 

As a side note: Some people get weirded out by the spiritual side of yoga, either because they aren’t at all or they feel their own religion is being impeded on. To this I say I have seen these basic spiritual ideas of yoga affixed to peoples existing religions smoothly and beautifully even if your religion is no religion. No one is trying to convert you, far from it one of the main beliefs in most yoga circles is the idea that God or the universe created many paths for many people. I hope that dispels some fears I have seen first had from some people at yoga or when yoga is brought up.

After the physical part of the practice starts to become second nature you will find you move to focusing on breathing and setting intentions. The idea being your whole yoga class is a moving meditation and you focus all that energy on one intention. As Phillip Moffitt at Yoga Journal puts it:

"Setting intention, at least according to Buddhist teachings, is quite different than goal making. It is not oriented toward a future outcome. Instead, it is a path or practice that is focused on how you are "being" in the present moment. Your attention is on the ever-present "now" in the constantly changing flow of life. You set your intentions based on understanding what matters most to you and make a commitment to align your worldly actions with your inner values." (2)

So you set the intention of peace, over time you start to become your intention. Manifesting and embodying the intention until you are peaceful. In this way yoga can transform you physically, mentally, and spiritually. As the first line in the Yoga Sutra says,"The restraint of the modifications of the mind is yoga" (3) so through yoga we still the mind and find peace. next post will be a brief intro into the exact phases so to speak of a yoga class.

Work cited:

(1) Yoga studio etiquette. http://www.yogasamatva.com/newstudentsetiquette.html. Web. 4 Sept, 2013.
(2) Moffitt, Phillip. "The heart's Intention". Yoga Journal. Web. 4 Sept, 2013.
(3) Satchidananda. "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali". Yogaville: Integral Yoga Publication, Print.