What is a yoga class like?

Going to your first yoga class can be intimidating so going in forearmed with what to expect before you go in can help alleviate this a little so what is a class like? This is pretty specific to me each class & school is different! I’ll greet you & either sign you in, if you’ve not been before, or let you get settled, you can borrow any props from me you need, a mat, blocks or strap, I will let you know if I’m planning something specific that you’d need props for. Once everyone has arrived I’ll go to the front of the class & we’ll get started! I theme my classes, using a pose, group of postures or a more generalised theme (Grounding, Ease, Energising etc.) & I’ll begin with that intention. From there I’ll lead the class through various postures & breath work, this will include some warm up poses, the main body of the class, cool down & then our final relaxation/meditation. I do play music, usually some sort of electronica/chillout/type thing, more upbeat if we’re doing something super energetic that class.

 

All poses are scalable to make them more complex or simpler as needed, I’ll usually show variations, but will make special considerations if I know people in the class have a particular injury or restriction. Always feel free to ask questions if you don’t understand anything or want to know more, I love talking about yoga & anatomy, just maybe remind me to get back to the class plan if I deviate too much……… In a Hatha class we won’t be linking more than 2 or 3 poses before taking a break or resetting, in Vinyasa we’re flowing for a much longer time, so easily a dozen poses, with some slower more restorative ones thrown in. As such Vinyasa Flow has more of a cardio impact than Hatha. Which may or may not be a good thing depending on your point of view.

 

As part of the warm up I’ll show you Child’s pose which can be returned to at any point during the practice to rest or if you’re just not feeling yoga that day it’s fine! I’ve taken classes where I spent a good portion of it swearing/resting in child’s pose.  We’ll work through 5 to 10 mins of warm up, about 50 mins of class, & 10 to 15 mins of relaxation (I’ll wake you up if you drift off). Then you go home feeling all relaxed & lovely!