Yoga for Beginners

Maybe you should know by now that what I write isn't going to be the typical stuff. "Yoga for beginners" would usually be about the poses you might do, how to do them, and what benefits they have. All of that is great information, but I feel like there's something even more fundamental that doesn't get enough emphasis.

Show up. Not just for a class, or moving along with a video (again, great stuff!) but show up in a very real way for yourself. Commit to the exploration of your practice, and commit to making it work for you in the way that you need it to.

What does that look like? It very much depends on you. If you're choosing to start by attending classes, commit to making it through the door. Commit to listening to your body and honoring yourself where you are at this moment. Commit to the idea that yoga isn't in what you do with your body, but what you do with your life. Commit to guiding yourself with help from your teacher. Commit to leaving behind the stories that stop you from becoming a person who lives a full, rich, nourishing life.

Also, consider that not everything you will hear during a class or from a particular teacher will be for you. Be okay with discarding the thought-stopping cliches which keep us trapped in a cycle of shame. (No, just because you can do a thing doesn't mean you have any obligation to do it!) While there is plenty of space in the practice for awareness, there isn't room for shame. Our growth is best nurtured in an environment of awareness, non-judgment, and self compassion.

So when you begin, don't worry so much about whether you're doing it "right" so much as whether you're doing it at all. Allow for time to be a major component of your practice. Since when do we all have to be instant experts? Since never. Recognize the drive to be "good" at the practice (usually it's the physical practice where we drive ourselves like this, but you can frankly end up with toxic positivity by trying to be good at yoga too.)

Also, you want to start to practice yoga? Take two full breaths and pay attention to how it feels. Be kind to yourself and to the people around you. Be honest and forthright, but not so blunt as to be hurtful. Give up the idea that you have to have it all, and right now. All of these are yogic practices too. Yoga for beginners really isn't what you might have thought.

A cloudy sky