I’ve booked a yoga class, now what?

If this is your first yoga class, here are some guidelines on how to best be prepared.

Bring a yoga mat. The studio is not currently providing yoga mats for students. This allows you to know your mat is just for you. We recommend buying a “sticky” yoga mat, rather than a thick foam exercise mat. It will help you with your balance if the mat is not too thick or slippery. For tall students, you may prefer getting a mat that is at least 182cm long.

Wear comfortable clothing that allows you a range of motion. We used to say “loose, comfortable” clothing, but with the adoption of leggings for yoga, we’ve modified this slightly!

Yoga is best practiced on an empty stomach. Please refrain from eating 1-2 hours before class. If you must eat, keep it light. Please do not drink water during the class. Yoga creates “fire,” or heat within the body, and to drink during the practice, extinguishes that fire. Drink before and after class for best results.

Yoga is practiced barefoot. This is to keep ourselves grounded and aware of the extremities of our bodies, but also a safety concern, as we can slip in our socks doing the poses. Please leave your shoes outside the studio.

If you have any concerns about your foot hygiene, please treat first and cover any areas of concern or broken skin.

Please arrive shortly before the class begins to have time to take off your shoes, register with the teacher, and settle in your place in the studio. If you are late, please check that the initial, quiet sitting or chanting that may occur at the beginning of the class is complete before entering. (Not all classes at yoga darsana begin with chanting.)

It is essential to let your teacher know about any past injuries or special conditions. If you’ve attended a class with another teacher, please inform every teacher about your condition.

Now, you are all set for class, so enjoy it!

Chanting

Yoga’s origins are in a spritual practice. While in the West, many of us come to yoga seeking to improve our physical or mental health, there is an underlying spritual element. The poses, or asanas, we do are a way to quiet not only our physical body, but our nervous system, to find a calmer self within. Practiced regularly, the asanas will eventually allow us to sit for long periods for meditation. Even if this is not your goal in yoga, it’s helpful to know the background.

Firstly, not all classes will have chanting. Some may simply chant three “Om” at the beginning after sitting quietly.

Chanting “Om” at the beginning of a class is a way to connect with the sound of the universe, which in classical Sanskrit, is Om.

In more advanced classes, an invocation may be chanted, and the teacher will explain what this is and guide students who are unfamiliar with the invocation. This may be an expression of gratitude to Patañjali, the sage credited with passing down knowledge of yoga through sutras, or another chant that the teacher will guide students through.

While we encourage students to join in chanting, which can help us reach various parts of ourselves through the mere vibration of chanting, if you don’t feel comfortable, it is not required. You are welcome to sit quietly, which is another great way to start a yoga class.