Movement or stillness? Posture or meditation? Pilates or Reformer?Often, a dynamic and fast-paced class like Vinyasa or Power can be intimidating and overwhelming and has the ability to leave newbies feeling like Yoga or Pilates is too hard for them. It is not that Yoga or Pilates is not for you but rather that, at this stage, Vinyasa or Power may not be the right fit for you (yet – if that is what you want form your practice -). Often, these classes are not tailored to Yoga and Pilates for beginners even if the teachers teach in a way that makes includes all levels of experience. Choose a style such that suits your pace and gives you time to find your feet and learn how to breathe and move and set up your reformer. At the same time, the stillness and intensity of a Yin class can be excruciating for someone just starting. Meditation might be the right entry point for you? Learn to walk before trying to run. And above all, be kind to yourself.

Give yourself the time before your first few classes, to chat to the teacher and let them know you are a newbie. Ask anything you are unsure about and give yourself the space to figure out the lay of the land (or studio or reformer 🙂 ) rather than rushing in last-minute and hoping for the best. You will also need to register before your first class so allow an extra few minutes there.

This might seem a little controversial – you’d think at first, being as close to the teacher as possible is best right? In reality, most teachers don’t really demonstrate much as they would rather connect with the peeps in class. So the easiest way to see what is going on is to see the other students doing it. And that is really hard from the front row. Also, the back row can feel safer and less exposed, leaving you to focus on learning and trying.

EVERYone is a beginner at some point. We all struggled, stumbled, felt like we were going to break. Your practice will keep changing and expanding but you have to start somewhere. The good thing is that at I Am That, there is no right or wrong and the only one judging you is yourself. Everyone else is busy focusing on their own practice. If you do nothing more than observe your breath for even a minute, you have already had a perfect class.

Every class is different, every teacher has a different style and some might suit you better than others. Allow yourself to find your practice.

The poses don’t matter. The only reason we practice them is to bring comfort to the body in order to be able to sit still and breathe, meditate, turn inwards. Make your breath your primary focus and the poses will eventually follow.