The air in the studio was buzzing with anticipation as thirteen students walked into my Introduction to Yoga class at the local rec center. The last rays of sunlight faded beyond the horizon as the evening arrived. Behind their eyes, I saw more questions than they would dare ask aloud. This post is for you, the curious, aspiring yogi who quietly wonders about starting a personal practice.
Class after class, students became more familiar with the poses and built confidence on the mat. I took detailed notes about what they were asking – literally with their words and nonverbally through their movements and body language. This page includes those questions most frequently asked by beginner yoga students.
If you’ve found yourself on this page, then perhaps you’re a beginner yourself (which is the perfect place to start!) The following questions are not all the questions you may be wondering as you continue your yoga journey, but these are some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) that came up in my classes.
May you find the answers you seek to continue on your path.
Top 10 Questions Frequently Asked By Beginner Yoga Students
1. What is yoga?
Yoga is many things to many people. The teachings predate written history, and there isn’t a “textbook” one-size-fits-all definition. Don’t believe me? Study ancient texts like the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. One translation of yoga is “to yoke” or “to unite”. To me, it means to unite the mind and body, the movement with the breath, the individual with the community, and the ego self with the Divine.
The origins of yoga predate written history. Most people think of the yoga lineages that originated from India, and there was a school of yoga originating from Africa called Kemetic yoga. Dianne Bondy write this article for Yoga International titled, “The Black History of Yoga: A Short Exploration of Kemetic Yoga.”
In the lineage I learned, there are said to be eight limbs of yoga. Asana, or physical postures, are one of the eight limbs. Pranayama, or focus on the breath, is another. When you start a yoga practice, you might be focused on the asanas (aka the poses) that are practiced on a mat. There are fitness benefits like strength, balance, and flexibility. As you continue on, you may find additional benefits like stress relief or the ability to regulate difficult emotions. Hey, maybe you’ll even make friends through your yoga community.
2. What if I’m not flexible enough?
Where? In your body, or in your mind? 😉
Your yoga practice will teach you new things, as much as it asks you to unlearn what you think you already know. There will always be a new way to experience or express a posture, and your body changes day-to-day. Today, you may not be able to reach your fingertips to your toes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t practice yoga.
“It isn’t about touching your toes, it’s what you learn on the way down.”
-Jigar Gor
I have an exercise for you. Pay attention to all the situations in your life where you sit out because you don’t believe you can do it. Notice where you tell yourself “no” before someone else gets the chance to tell you “no”. Instead of accepting your perceived limitation as absolute truth, seek communities and instructors that allow you to play your edge. That is, to find the space between effort and ease, where beginner yoga students are welcome to meet themselves where they are, without striving for more and risking injury by doing so.
Create flexibility in your thoughts and beliefs about what you can do, and allow your body and breath to show you just how flexible your muscles are. When you meet yourself at your edge, suspend judgment as best as you can and let it be. No need to label it “not flexible enough”, or even “more flexible than I thought”. The ego loves to achieve a yoga pose, but there is no prize for pushing yourself beyond your limit (except maybe injury. And nobody wants that.)
3. Am I breathing correctly?
If you’re paying attention to your breath, then you’re doing it correctly. At its simplest, that is pranayama (control of the breath). You may encounter a teacher who asks you to inhale or exhale for a certain count, hold the top of the inhale, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, etc. None of the technical details matter as much as your ability to sustain your focus on the process of breathing. Your breath is your breath and it’s all up to you to find the most nourishing version of it for you in your practice.
A student once told me she felt like she wasn’t breathing correctly because she felt like she was unable to take in a full breath. “It sounds strange but I feel like I could breathe deeper but my body can’t breathe any deeper.” Picture a glass of water. Or coffee. Any beverage will do. Picture the container it sits in. A “full” glass of water isn’t brimming to the very top, there’s some space between the surface of the water and the rim. Now picture a full breath. “Full” doesn’t necessarily mean that you fill your lungs to the maximum capacity and maintain absolute control of the inhale and exhale.
Breathing with the postures, now that’s a little different. Pranayama (mindful breathing) alone can be done in stillness or while you’re doing some other activity. When it comes to unifying your movements with your breath, there are guidelines about how to move the life force energy (prana) with your breath (pranayama). You aren’t going to do any damage by not following the guidelines precisely. An example is that most teachers instruct cat/ cow pose with an inhale to cow and an exhale to cat pose. You could easily invert that so you’re inhaling into cat pose and exhaling into cow pose.
Generally, in my classes at least, we inhale when space inside the trunk of the body expands and exhale when it’s getting smaller.
4. Do I take my shoes off?
This question is usually asked in a hushed whisper by a student who has never been to a yoga class before. If you’re wondering, you aren’t alone. We’ve all asked at some point.
When you’re in an asana-based yoga class with a teacher and other students, most commonly you’ll probably see bare feet or feet in socks. (Even the sock thing is up for debate but I say there’s no problem wearing socks if they make you more comfortable.) However, depending on how you define “yoga”, it doesn’t matter what clothing you wear. Tadasana in line at the grocery store? Fully dressed. Breathing exercises at your desk between meetings? Business casual. Moving meditation in the shower? Birthday suit. You get the idea.
You can technically wear shoes, but most classes in studios and fitness centers are typically done barefoot. The skin-to-mat contact helps keep your feet from slipping around and helps you to feel your feet more strongly. I confess that sometimes I teach with socks on so that my feet don’t get cold, but that makes my grip on the mat a little more slippery. (Nothing wrong with a little extra core work to keep steady!)
As a side note, I once had a student keep their snowy, salty shoes on during an entire class in the wintertime. Yes, that’s right, shoes on. In areas with rain and snow, be mindful that if you choose to keep your shoes on, you might leave puddles for your fellow students to walk through with their bare feet. So just pay attention.
Short answer: expect to be in a room of barefoot people when you go to a yoga class.
5. What is a block and how am I supposed to use it?
A block is a tool that allows you to experience different sensations in your yoga postures. Think of it like this; it gives you different ways to access a pose and get more out of the mind-body benefits from your practice. It can bring the ground closer to your palms in a forward fold, allowing you to surrender to the stretch more fully and ease tension from your hamstrings.
It can make a pose more restful, or more challenging. If you don’t believe props can make a pose harder, try pressing your palms onto opposite ends of a block with your arms extended overhead in a warrior 1 pose.
A block is an option. It is not a cheat. It is not remedial. It’s the cinnamon and whipped cream on your hot cocoa. Using a block is like the surprising thrill of checking your coat pocket from last season and finding a five-dollar bill. It’s a bonus that can unlock some cool new experiences, expressions, and explorations during your yoga class.
Make friends with all the tools available to you. At first, maybe they’re inconvenient and confusing. For a long time, using props felt like a distraction to me because I had to find where the block was, and figure out what to do with it, and by the time I got it, the class was already two poses ahead.
The gift is to excuse any judgment about what it “means” to use a prop, and allow yourself to access a pose in a new way – whether it’s easier or more challenging than the version without a prop.
6. Do I have to know the Sanskrit names of the poses?
Absolutely not, but it can help. As a beginner yoga student, no need to worry about the Sanskrit names or the English ones for that matter! The names can be a useful mental reference as you get more familiar with the poses. Once you know balasana (aka child’s pose, the teacher can say “balasana” and you will know exactly where to go. But at first, it may take time to get familiar with and feel more certain that you’re doing the pose properly.
Using the Sanskrit names is also a way to honor the original teachers of this practice and acknowledge yoga’s roots. If you want to learn more about yoga’s roots, I highly recommend checking out the work of Susanna Barkataki, Tejal Patel, and Kallie Schut.
7. How can I practice meditation without getting worried or anxious?
Could it be possible that meditation is not the source of anxiety, but rather a tool to recognize your emotional state? In other words, you may have been feeling anxious already, and the meditation allowed you to experience it more clearly. There is always a silent conversation happening in your mind. Pay very close attention to what it’s saying.
Dr. Ethan Kross wrote a phenomenal book called Chatter about this topic. Dr. Kross is an award-winning psychologist, and the principles mirror yogic meditation. He offers research-backed methods to pay attention to your internal monologue and cultivate habits that build healthy self-talk.
Here are a few resources I recommend if you want to try meditation;
Meditation apps:
Insight Timer (free)
Calm (paid subscription)
Headspace (paid subscription)
Types of meditations:
Mindfulness meditation – “Teaches you to slow down racing thoughts, let go of negativity, and calm both your mind and body. It involves being fully focused on “the now” so you can acknowledge and accept your thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment.” (VeryWell Mind)
Loving-kindness (metta) – “Focuses on cultivating feelings of goodwill, kindness and compassion.” (Yogapedia)
Visualization – “In a visualization meditation, on the other hand, the brain uses the same imaginative mechanics, but it instead focuses on an image of something or someone, that is conjured as the object of focus.” (Headscape)
There are many, many types of meditation but these ^ are a few of my favorites.
8. How often should I practice to become "good" at yoga?
If you were waiting for a permission slip, here it is. Scrap the idea that anybody can or should be “good” at yoga. As long as you’re paying attention to being “good” at yoga, you are stealing the gift of being present and observant without judging yourself.
Sure, a yoga student can enhance flexibility, balance, and strength. It’s possible that if you compare one student to others in the room, one might be “better” at some aspect of yoga than the others. However, yoga is an entirely personal journey and we can’t know just by observing postures and movements whether someone is getting the energetic benefits of yoga practice.
When you’re deciding what level of commitment you want to make to your yoga practice, first look at what is sustainable. The long-term practice has to be compatible with you in terms of scheduling, financial resources, and benefits. For example, you might take one 60-minute yoga class once a week and that’s plenty. Some students like to practice every day, and good for them, but that isn’t required to get the most out of your efforts. I’d recommend at least one instructor-led class per week (or find free resources online) and two other independent practices. Independent practice can be 5 minutes of stretching before bed.
At the time of writing this post, I take one class a week, work out 3 days a week, and spend about 5-10 minutes a day doing my personal yoga practice. This can be meditation, breathing, or movement (asana). You will find what works for you and can always adapt as needed.
“On this path effort never goes to waste, and there is no failure. Even a little effort toward spiritual awareness will protect you from your greatest fear.”
Bhagavad Gita verse 2.40, translated by Eknath Easwaran
9. What kind of yoga should I try?
A lot of beginners haven’t even heard of different kinds of yoga, but don’t let that scare you away! Stay curious about the different styles and find what works for you.
Given that the class I taught was “Introduction to yoga,” students would ask me what kind of class to try next. Power yoga and hot vinyasa seem like an intimidating jump from beginner yoga, but there are lots of styles in between.
First I have to ask, what are you hoping to get out of your practice? Start with what YOU want instead of trying to find what you think is “supposed” to come after you get started. There are so many paths to take and you will find your own at the right time.
For my students, I recommend looking for classes with titles like “gentle”, “slow flow”, or “hatha” in the name. Read the class description and don’t hesitate to reach out to the teacher or studio if you have questions. Be prepared to describe your experience level and they should be able to guide you to the right class.
You could even look for chair yoga classes or meditation classes. Search engines like Google are a good place to start, and there are lots of free videos on YouTube if you don’t mind missing the personalized feedback of an in-person class.
If you’re on a budget, keep your eye out for “community” classes. These are usually free or donation-based and tend to serve all levels of yoga students because they’re community focused. (As opposed to, say, a more specialized hot vinyasa style class.)
10. How do we end the class?
Hopefully, at the end of class, you will practice a savasana and then the teacher will guide you back to a seat. Once you’re back to a seat, different teachers have their own ways of wrapping up. Some will lead a collective breath, chant a mantra, or offer a statement of gratitude.
Here in the west, you may hear your teacher say something like, “the light in me honors the light in you”, followed by the phrase “namaste”. The students respond by repeating back “namaste” and taking a moment to silently express gratitude for the shared practice.
I’ve heard that this use of the phrase “namaste” does not honor its original cultural context and can be harmful for southeast Asian, Indian, or Desi students in the class. Be mindful about who’s in the room and decide whether “namaste” is the best fit or if there’s some other phrase you could substitute instead. As a student, you can’t control how the teacher ends class, but you can pay attention to social equity in yoga and wellness spaces.
And finally, it might feel natural to clap but gracious sakes, please do not try to start applauding your teacher! LOL. The class was about you and your mind-body connection, not the teacher’s ego.
Three Things You Need to Know Before Walking Into a Yoga Class
- Double-check that your phone is off or on silent. Most places will have an area for you to store personal items, so most people don’t take their phones into the studio with them.
- You may feel self-conscious, like everyone is watching you, but probably nobody is paying that close attention to you (except maybe the teacher from time to time). Think about it, if everyone’s in their own zone, then it’s actually not very likely that you’re being observed.
- Your experience in the class is heavily dependent on the type of class that’s being taught and the instructor. Keep an open mind whether you connect or not to the class and if you don’t, be open to trying a different instructor or a different style of yoga.
Feel free to write to me if you have other questions that haven’t been answered here! Special thanks to all the teachers who shared these lessons with me. Wishing you rich reflections and lots of personal growth as you continue your yoga journey.