Have you been thinking about trying out yoga? Not sure where to start? Welcome to the world of every yogi when they first start out!
When I went to my first yoga class, all the stereotypical thoughts ran through my head. What do I wear? How will I know what to do? What if everyone is better than me? Will the £5 mat I bought from Tesco be good enough? What if I'm not flexible enough? What if I get stuck in a pose? Isn't yoga just a thing that all hipsters and vegans do?
But all these questions and worries disappeared once I had entered the class, unrolled my mat and sat down. I had my place in the class, it was in line with everyone else and I noticed there were others with the same wild, lost look in their eyes.
The teacher was a fantastic and knowledgeable woman with a very calm voice. She highlighted how the simple act of taking a deep breath can calm the mind and ground you, keeping you present in the moment. After a few rounds of Sun Salutation A, I had felt much more at ease and had gotten into the rhythm of how the class worked.
It wasn't all a walk in the park though: who knew trying to do tree pose could be so hard; it's just balancing on one foot! I also constantly compared myself to everyone around me (which is probably why I was so unstable in my poses). But this was enough to discover the benefits of yoga and want to do it all again.
At the end of the class, I was overcome with a sense of calm that I had not experienced anywhere else. My mind was quiet and my body felt weirdly aligned: I was sitting up straighter and felt taller. The next day muscles I never knew I had were aching; which seemed like madness for such a passive activity! But more importantly, the calm grounded feeling I had experienced the night before, was still there the next morning.
I continued to go to yoga classes where I could, trying all different styles and with different teachers - even going to a yoga festival! All the time trying to find the perfect yoga teaching for me. These classes and experiences lead to my 200 hour yoga teacher training. I personally still have a long way to go, and I do get stuck in poses, but each yoga session is an improvement. This may not be the same timeline for everyone, but if you're thinking about trying yoga, just give it a go and see what happens!
