What to Expect at Your First Yoga Class?
In this article, I will share with you my yoga journey and how my first yoga class went because I find that experience is worth more than theory in answering the question, “how does a yoga class go”, which I also asked myself before my first try.
Let’s be clear, I’ve always played sports that make you sweat…
For me, the stretching and well-being are savored at the end of the session after having endured suffering and experienced the joy of having lost that 300 kcal, which is the equivalent of… not much at the end of the day.
In this context, where would yoga have a place? And by the way, how does a yoga class work? Like you, these are the questions I asked myself before I started…
A typical yoga class begins with conscious breathing exercises, followed by a warm-up. A series of postures are introduced to develop strength and flexibility. This usually includes standing and floor postures, and even chair postures. Each yoga class always ends with a directed final relaxation and sometimes mediation.
Okay, here we go!
My unexpected encounter with yoga
Turning for several years towards a healthier and more spiritual life, I first changed my diet by favoring vegetables and fruits, avoiding gluten and lactose, seriously limiting my consumption of meat, and buying ethically and responsibly.
I also evolved on a spiritual level by devoting myself to meditation and the power of the present moment.
A few months ago, I can still hear my friend Berengaria, an assiduous yogi, telling me: “You’ll see, the next step is yoga! Ahah, OMG, LOL, and so on! I literally sniff him out.
Not destabilized at all, she adds: “That’s good, there’s a yoga club that opened near your work. You can try it already to see if you like it.” Well… (A wave of acute skepticism overwhelms me).
A stroke of fate, some would say, a sign of the universe, others would exclaim.
A few weeks later, my works council organized an initiation to meditation with this famous yoga club…
Apart from the fact that the initiation was a delicious experience, I was especially able to discover this cocoon place, a pure bubble of well-being and introspection that I really enjoyed.
Curious about new experiences, I decided to go for it and opt for a week of yoga discovery (after all, maybe my yogi friend was right…).
What does a yoga class look like? My first Vinyasa yoga class...
On the big day, my leggings and I were ready for our first Vinyasa yoga class.
What is vinyasa yoga?
Vinyasa is a dynamic and very complete yoga style, which means “synchronization of movement and breathing”.
It is inspired by ashtanga, a traditional form of yoga that places great importance on alignment.
Vinyasa stands out for its creative and free aspects.
Beginning of the yoga class
The session begins with a mantra that we sing, by joining our hands, an “oooom” followed by “shaaaanti” 3 times, focusing on the vibrations in our body.
Then it is the turn of the traditional sun salutations, although it was not very present that day…
Mr. Yoga mumbles words to us in Sanskrit – the language of Buddhist and Hindu religious texts in particular, still used today, in the manner of Latin in the West.
Mr. Yoga continues: Kumbhakasana*! I don’t know what this 12-letter word means, but in Scrabble it would be a hit!
Just to put on a good face, I imitate my neighbor who, luckily, is a regular.
We continue with Urdhva Mukha Svanasana* and Adho Mukha Svanasana*.
Decidedly, I should have done Sanskrit as a second language!
In the upward-facing dog position, I lift the nose of the carpet and check that I am in the right position.
My neighbor helps me make sure I’m doing the right thing as we go…
Vinyasa sequence
After a couple of sun salutations came a dynamic series of asanas* with a sequence of standing, sitting, and inverted postures: warrior positions 1 and 2, child, chair, triangle, candle.
I felt that my concentration reaches its paroxysm, I am one with my balance and my breathing.
I relax, leaving my mind and my thoughts away from my mat.
We hold the figures long enough, just to get to know each muscle of our body and God knows I discover a lot of them during this first yoga session…
The final relaxation
Then finally comes the time to savor the benefits of the practice with a well-deserved meditative relaxation.
Lying on the mat, in the Savasana* position, I close my eyes, relax every part of my body, breathe deeply and nourish my cells. There is no need to say, this corpse position is amazing!
We close this session with a mantra that increases the vibration of our intention.
Gratitude to oneself and the other participants (special dedication to my neighbor…) and Namaste for this moment of sharing.
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How a yoga class works, in summary
I came to this first vinyasa class with all chakras open!
At first, I was a bit disconcerted by unknown sequences and the fear of doing the movements badly, but then I gradually let go of the fear in my body as well as in my mind, and time flew by.
The coordination of body movements with my breathing made me disconnect from my to-do list and the preoccupations of my daily life.
First successful experience!
Now let’s discover ashtanga, yin yoga, and kundalini, let’s GO!
“The important thing is not the destination, but the journey itself” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Small Sanskrit - English glossary
