We all know that yoga is a fantastic workout for our body and mind. People practice yoga for a variety of reasons, whether it’s to increase physical fitness, to escape from mental chaos, or to improve posture. Although widely perceived as a rewarding exercise, sometimes yoga can be overwhelming and demanding, especially for beginners. Instead of trying to adapt and work on their postures, some people simply choose to quit after their first few yoga classes. Here are the most common reasons beginners turn their backs on yoga, and how to overcome them.
Flexibility
When it comes to practicing yoga in studios, new yogis are often intimidated by the impressive yoga moves performed with ease by old-timers. Beginners are keen to make the most out of their first yoga classes. They expect too much of themselves, and will feel disappointed when they are unable to perform certain yoga postures.
A simple fact most beginners overlook is that yoga is designed to help them improve their flexibility. Things will definitely get better over time, if you show patience and discipline during practices. If you’re new to yoga, know that flexibility takes time to build, even for the most experienced yogi.
Level of difficulty
Imagine how uncomfortable it is to join an advanced class where students are able to perform the most complex yoga moves with ease. Instead of taking things slowly as they should, newcomers feel pressured into trying postures that are too difficult for them, and this often lead to the loss of confidence or even injury. As a result they may leave the studio and never come back.
The key to practicing yoga for beginners is acceptance. Focus on your postures rather than others’ – it may have taken them years to reach this point. Selecting the right yoga class for your level is equally important. You’ll want to start slow and enjoy the progress as you become more familiar with different poses.
Teaching style
When choosing a yoga instructor, teaching experience and yoga skills aren’t the only criteria you should consider. It’s also about the personality, professionalism and care that the instructor brings to a yoga class. Compassionate yoga teachers plays an important part in a student’s success. Their methods of teaching will encourage you to attend yoga classes. Bad instructors, on the other hand, will not only make your yoga classes less enjoyable, but they can also put you off yoga completely.
When you feel that your instructor is a bad match, always know that there are many instructors out there with different backgrounds, one of which might be more suitable for you. Don’t give up on yoga just because of one bad experience.
Language
Beginners always have a hard time trying to learn the name of yoga postures which are derived from Sanskrit, whether it’s ‘sukhasana’ (easy pose), ‘salamba sarvangasana’ (shoulder stand), or ‘utktasana’ (chair pose). Pronouncing the names alone can be intimidating for new students and, with over a hundred yoga poses out there, sometimes it’s hard to keep up.
The good news it you will get used to it. Don’t let the words scare you off. There are ways to remember the ‘language of yoga’, and they will sound more familiar to you as time goes by.
Yoga is not as difficult as it seems, as long as you take the time to learn more about it. Contact us today for more information about our yoga classes.