Where to start
Recently, I have had a lot of messages and emails from people wanting to start Yoga but not knowing where to start or worrying about making the commitment. The messages come in laden with low confidence, confusion and anxiety around getting started. What I say to everybody is:
JUST GET STARTED!
You don't need a special mat, special clothes or the world's most talented teacher. Don't get me wrong, sometimes things can be more comfortable and smoother with some of these, but at the end of the day, you still have to get on your mat each day.
Realising that you want some Yoga in your life is great, you hear the road of medicine calling to you and it is time to take your first steps on that path. Where do you start?
I recommend looking in your local area for classes and try out a few. Talk to the teachers before and after if you have questions, it is what they are there for! I would go to class with a notebook and write stuff down during class and ask about things afterwards.
In my own practice, I rarely work with other teachers. I might go and see my only respected teacher maybe once a year! The rest of my time is me, on my mat, asking my body every day what it needs. When I first started out, I was going to class twice a week at a local gym on my campus, I didn't find it such an enjoyable experience. I started doing classes on YogaDownload.com every day, just for 20 minutes. This grew to 20 minutes in the morning and in the evening with weekends busting out a 45-minute class! I struggled with PDFs of the class and probably had most of the poses wrong but it was enough to set a foundation for me.
If there are no classes in your area, join up to something online. There is a wealth of information and video tutorial online. You can find beginner to advance practice and may end up following someone you really resonate with. I have a selection of classes on my classes page and my youtube which you are welcome to try out!
Get started. Have the grace to screw up and fall over a lot. You will do great!
