Six Things I Would Tell A New Beginner Yoga Student

During classes, we usually focus on physical practice, like executing the postures (or what we call the asanas) and breathing techniques. I constantly remind my students and my fellow practitioners that yoga is beyond physical practice. Here are the top six things I would tell a new beginner yoga student.

1. What Is The Intention Of Your Practice?

As with all things, you need to ask yourself, “Why am I doing what I am doing?” So, why do you want to practice yoga? To improve your overall physical fitness? To have an avenue for stress relief? To be able to execute a certain asana? Once you gain clarity on the Why, it guides you in your path of finding the right style, the right teacher, and where exactly you choose to practice.

2. Own Your Practice

Yoga is a very individualised journey - we progress at our own pace. On the mats, individuals vary in terms of strength and flexibility. This is why teachers provide variations to suit different students’ needs. Off the mats, we again differ in terms of how we practice the eight limbs of yoga (or what we call ashtanga yoga). Some keep their yoga practice to their mats. Others, like me, practice the don’ts and do’s, breathing control, withdrawal of senses, and meditation even off the mats. There is no value in comparing your on-the-mat or off-the-mat journeys with anyone else. You practice in your own unique way and always know the intentions behind it.

3. I May Not Be Your Right Teacher

Yoga as a practice is so vast with different types of styles. Every yoga teacher is unique in their own way as we are trained in different schools, influenced by different sources, and grow our own teaching style during the course of time. As a teacher, I acknowledge that my style does not fit everyone and I perfectly embrace that. I appreciate the most when my students give me feedback and share their hearts openly with me on how they feel about my classes. Those are invaluable information for me in stewarding them in the right direction to find a good fit that is resonant with what they need to be well. For me, I want you to practice yoga as a lifestyle, more than I want you to practice asanas with me. Today, I am still in contact with students who previously practised with me and we still talk about yoga, life, and everything else in between.

4. You May Have Found Your Right Teacher But…

Great, you found a good fit! You may be going to their classes consistently (or not), and you look forward to their classes because you always learn something new, or you just simply enjoy it. But remember, what we instruct during our classes may not always be something you need to follow. When we say “Hinge from your hips into a forward fold and place both palms on the mat”, feel free to micro-bend your knees before hinging at your hips so that your palms can reach the mat. Feel free to also place your elbows instead of your palms on the mat if that is accessible for you. Ultimately, we are here to guide you, but it is necessary and empowering to listen to your body and experiment individually during each practice. Have fun with self-exploration.

5. Yoga is Beyond The Asanas

Yoga has been commercialised to what we know as an exercise with “fancy poses” and exorbitantly-priced active wear. I have been mindful to never represent myself solely in light of that as it is the journey of self-discovery that is the crux; the attainment of asanas is a by-product of the journey. While asanas may be the most accessible in-road (out of the eight limbs) to this sacred practice of yoga, let us not lose sight of the other seven limbs.

6. Yoga Has Cultural Roots

Many studios and practitioners have modernised the art of yoga, and the teachings have transcended time and space. While we can modernise the technique and it is our prerogative to adopt it for exercise or otherwise, it is imperative to acknowledge that yoga is rooted firmly in a set of locations and we cannot decontextualise it from its historical origins. The key here is cultural origins. We should still remain respectful and cognizant of this ongoing living tradition.

I have had many new students lately and these are reminders I am unable to share with them during the class because there is just so much to discuss and digest. But these are the things I hope they would know.

Namaste,

Mae