If you're new to yoga, maybe you've been practicing at home, or maybe you've never
practiced at all and you're going online, you're searching for "yoga studios in my city",
"yoga studios in my town", and you're getting overwhelmed by all of the different options,
and you're not sure if this class is religious, or if this class is too hard, or if this class
is too easy, you are not alone. This video is for you. It's called beginner's yoga:
how to choose a class that's right for you. Hey, my name is Lucas. I'm a yoga teacher,
I'm a teacher trainer. Back in 2002 when I started practicing yoga, I was living in New
York City and I did probably exactly what you're doing now. I went online and started searching,
and I found so many different styles I thought how can there be so many different yoga offerings? And
I quickly found out that there isn't actually that many. The vast majority of the market,
the vast majority of the classes on offer, whether you're in Sydney, or you're in St Louis,
or you're in Los Angeles, wherever you might live in the world, the vast majority of the
classes can be pretty easily lumped into a few different categories. I'll do my best to explain
those here. One big caveat, for sure I will leave out some styles of yoga. This isn't meant to be a
comprehensive overview of every style of yoga ever. It's meant to give you a comprehensive
overview of the most popular classes that you're bound to find in your average yoga studio, gym,
or fitness center in your area. Let's start off by talking about Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga. Sri K.
Pattabhi Jois was a teacher in Mysore, India, in the south, and he developed a style of practice
that's known as Ashtanga or Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga. And this is a dynamic style of practice, which
means the poses flow together very smoothly and the breath connects the movements, so everything
is one breath, one movement. It's pretty fast paced. In terms of religiousness, or spirituality,
Pattabhi Jois was famous for saying that yoga is 99 percent practice and one percent theory,
so there's not a lot of precision alignment, there isn't a lot of spiritual indoctrination. There is
an opening and closing mantra that might put some of you off, and there is often ohms in classes,
which again, might put some of you off. In terms of accessibility, Ashtanga yoga is probably one
of the more challenging, more physically demanding practices. That doesn't mean you should stay away,
beginners are welcome. But just go into it knowing that you're approaching a very, very
challenging style of yoga. In modern terms, this is often phrased as a Power Yoga, Power Vinyasa,
or a Flow Class. These are common terms you'll find. When you see those on a schedule very often
that is the Ashtanga sequence that's been modified and made a little bit more accessible, and in many
cases the chanting and ohms have been removed, but not always. The next style of yoga I'd like
to talk about is Iyengar yoga. BKS Iyengar was a very, very famous and prolific teacher,
as well as an author, from Pune in India. a Iyengar style yoga is scientific, precision
alignment. Yoga chairs, and blocks, and stools, straps, rope walls, everything in between. In
terms of the pace of the class, it's very, very slow. You might do five poses in a one-hour class,
so very, very slow and detailed. One way to think about it is like the classic ballet of yoga,
that's what Iyengar is. Teachers are very strict and every pose has precision alignment. If you
like all the small details, if you like to know exactly what's going on, if you like to
go pose by pose, then this is the class for you. Most Iyengar classes do not have any religious
trappings, usually there's no chanting and no spiritual indoctrination whatsoever. So,
usually these classes are relatively free from that, if that's a concern for you.
The next style of yoga that we need to talk about is hot yoga. Hot yoga was founded by
Bikram Choudhury and Bikram is currently kind of a fugitive on the run. Prior to his crazy
life and crimes and things like this, he founded hot yoga. He called it Bikram yoga after himself
and it was 26 poses and two breathing exercises. These 26 poses are static poses, you do a pose,
you rest, you do a pose, and you rest. There are two breathing exercises, one in the front,
one in the back of the class. The thing that's unique about hot yoga, as you can guess, is the
heat. It's practiced in a heated room 100 degrees Fahrenheit, sometimes even hotter. Which means
even though the poses are relatively simple, the hold times are long, sometimes up to a minute, and
the heat makes it really, really intense. So, this is simultaneously a very accessible practice and a
very, very challenging practice at the same time, which is part of the reason it really boomed in
popularity. A first-time student could try every pose and still come out of the class dripping with
sweat and having a really great experience. That 26 poses and two breathing exercises has
been morphed by lots of different schools, and studios, and teachers, some of them expanded,
some of them have less postures, but the idea is usually the same - static rather than dynamic
poses, rest between postures, that heated room, and that intensity. The next style of yoga that
we need to take a look at is classic Hatha yoga. The reality is everything that we've been talking
about falls under the umbrella of Hatha yoga. Yoga poses and breathing exercises those are Hatha Yoga
collectively. But in the vernacular, like when you Google search and you see Hatha yoga, usually what
they're referring to is yoga in the style of Swami Sivananda. Sivananda was a medical doctor turned
yoga teacher. He wrote like 200 plus books, so he was very prolific, and had a very big influence
on yoga all around the world, in the East and in the West. He had two very famous students,
Satchidananda and Vishnudevananda, who helped to spread his style of yoga all around the world.
Satchidananda was even on stage at Woodstock, just to give you an idea. Of all the yoga styles
we've talked about, Sivananda style and all the derivatives, things like integral yoga and other
classic Hatha yoga styles, are probably going to be the most spiritual. Some of them might feel
neo-Hindu. For example, you might have devotional prayer or chanting, you might have songs and
singing. But every class is usually around 12 postures, with rest in between each posture.
The class is usually bookended with breathing on both sides and often, again, includes chanting,
sometimes prayer, and more religiosity than any other styles that we've looked at today.
Classic Hatha yoga has many different interpretations and so just because something says
Hatha yoga it doesn't mean it's going to be the way that I present it. Hatha yoga is a catch-all
term, similar to saying cardio, there are lots of different iterations, but very likely because
of the influence of Sivananda, Satchidananda and Vishnudevananda, very likely you're going to have
an experience that's somewhat similar to what I shared with you. Now the poses themselves are
pretty accessible, meaning most people would feel pretty comfortable getting into a class,
even if they've never been to a class before. The next category of classes I call targeted yoga and
this is just a term that I've invented, but this is very much a modern iteration on classic yoga
poses. Targeted yoga classes are usually focused on one particular outcome, for example yoga for
PTSD, yoga for back pain, yoga for scoliosis, yoga for anxiety. These classes might be super short,
supplemental practices, 10 to 15 minutes. They might be long intensive workshops. But these range
everything from extremely physical to extremely metaphysical and everything in between. Of all
the categories of classes this is one of the most fast growing styles, using yoga as a tool
to solve specific health challenges in your life. The last category that I wanted to chat about is
what I call fusion yoga. This is yoga plus dance, Pilates plus yoga, acrobatics plus yoga, and these
classes tend to be dynamic, so things move fast. They tend to be very, very physically challenging,
meaning of all the classes we've chatted about, along with Ashtanga yoga, probably the level of
athleticism and physical challenge is probably up there. They also are very unpredictable. Some of
these classes will seem a lot like a yoga class, some of them might not seem that much like yoga
at all, and integrating yoga into other movement practices, again like targeted yoga practices,
has been on the rise for a long time. So what do you do? You Google search, you take a look, find
a studio in your local area, and think do I want a class that's religious or is that a no-go for
me? Do I want something that's fitness-focused?. Number two, am I excited by flowing? Do I want
to move steadily and dynamically throughout the hour, hour and a half of class? Or do I
feel more comfortable with a pose-by-pose, detailed breakdown, with resting between
postures? And lastly, what kind of challenge am I looking for? Do I want something that's
really beginner-friendly and going to remain pretty accessible? Or do I want to physically
challenge myself from an athletic standpoint? From there I think it's relatively easy to pick your
first class. Keep in mind, whether we're chatting about a very, very challenging Ashtanga class,
or a very, very accessible classic Hatha class, every studio has beginners every single day,
so you shouldn't be intimidated. These studios are set up and designed for people like you. So,
sign up for a class and go. Now, many of you are thinking hey YouTube there's a whole bunch
of free videos here why don't I just practice from home? I would recommend you do that, home practice
is amazing, but there's something magical that happens when you get into a community. We will
always work harder when other people are around us, we will always rise to the occasion, whether
it's a work scenario, a social scenario, a fitness scenario, a mind-body health scenario, even
internal work, we all do better work when we're in a community. I don't know why it's just that's
the human experience. So I would encourage you, if at all possible, to take in-person classes. Many
studios have intro specials, which means for the first week or the first month it's at a discounted
rate. This is also a great way to try different studios and figure out what's right for you. And
again, the most important thing is when you find something that does work forget about everything
that I've said and just keep going with that. The best practice is one that you do long term. Let's
talk a little bit about preparing for classes, in terms of mats, and clothes, and some safety
considerations. When it comes to gear I usually tell people just go to class and use whatever
mats they have at the studio. Rent a mat or borrow a mat, because mats are very personal. I use these
Kurma mats, they're from Germany. Kurma with a K, and I like them a lot because they're really,
really durable, high quality, and they're pretty affordable. There are yoga mats that cost about
150 dollars, it seems a little bit excessive, especially when you have about five of them like
I do. Whatever mat you use is just fine, but do get a yoga mat, not a fitness mat. The mats they
have at the gym, they're often too squishy and they're often too short. These are about 180 to
200 centimeters and they're designed for yoga, so they won't slide around and they won't squish
like a fitness mat, or like a camping mat. In terms of clothes, the most important thing is
don't wear pyjamas, don't wear sweatpants, don't wear baggy clothes. Form-fitting clothes will make
you feel more comfortable and they'll make you feel more confident when you're practicing, and
these things really do matter. In terms of what brands or style, it's totally up to you, but I
would not wear fisherman pants and I wouldn't wear orange robes, like you'll see on the internet when
people are doing yoga. Those fishermen pants will fall off and you'll have a wardrobe malfunction in
the middle of class. The clothes will get sweaty and they'll stick to you, so I would avoid that.
Form-fitting, lightweight clothes is usually the way to go. Lastly, I want to chat about a couple
of safety considerations and before we get into that it's really important to understand that
yoga is safe. How do I know this? Because I have insurance for studios, for myself, for teachers,
for graduates all around the world. And insurance is very inexpensive, which means the actuaries,
the math people, they've done the math and they've figured out that injuries are rare and very,
very minor in a yoga studio compared to any other activity you could think of - golf, tennis,
ping pong, forget about sports like football or racquetball, forget about that stuff, it's very,
very safe, which means that injuries are very unlikely to happen. When they do happen they're
very minor. That doesn't mean you can't get hurt. There are three things I'd like you
to think about specifically - your wrists, your knees, and your lower back, and I'll show you a
couple of simple tips now to keep you safe as you practice. No matter what style of yoga you choose,
for your first class you'll probably end up in a plank position, a chaturanga,
and a downward facing dog at some point. And for some people this can be pretty hard on your
wrists initially. I'd like to give you a couple of tips to keep your wrists happy during practice,
knowing full well that it's still normal to get a little bit of soreness, but this can really make
a big difference. When you put your hands down on the mat I'd like you to think specifically
about what we call the naughty knuckle, your first knuckle pressing down into the ground. I'd like
you to think about spreading your hand as much as you can and then gripping the floor,
as if you had a claw, with that naughty knuckle down on the ground. Most new students will have
trouble getting their knuckle down on the ground. If you struggle, that's okay, keep working. Within
a couple of weeks you'll find your knuckle down, it'll really help with your wrist alignment. The
next thing is your hand positioning. You want to think about either your index finger pointing
straight forward, or your middle finger pointing straight forward, or somewhere in between. The
way to gauge the angle of your hand is to look at your wrist wrinkle. What I mean by that is when
you put your hands on the ground, with either your middle finger or your index finger going forward,
look at the wrinkle that your skin makes at your wrist and try to make an even wrinkle. If you're
turned out too much, you'll find the wrinkle bunches up to one side. If you're turned in too
much, you'll find the wrinkle bunches up to one side. We like to have an even wrist wrinkle, with
either our index finger, our middle finger, or somewhere in between, pointing straight forward,
and that can make a really big difference. Next, let's talk about our lower back. In many classes
you'll take you'll do some variation of a sun salutation. The challenge with sun salutation is
if you have tight hamstrings when you dynamically fold forward sometimes it can hit your lower back.
I'd like to show you a very, very simple way to modify, especially when you're starting out,
that can really help to ease that pressure on your lower back. Whatever style of class you're in,
when your teacher has you move from a position like this to a folding forward position just
soften your knees ever so slightly and that'll help to take the pressure off your lower back.
As time goes on, as your hamstrings open up, maybe you'll keep your legs straight, maybe, like me,
you'll soften your knees forever, it's totally up to you, but it's a very, very simple way to
protect your lower back in the short term. When you hinge forward, soften your knees. The final
consideration is your knees. Now your knees are a really strong joint, but they're a hinge joint.
It likes to open and close, it doesn't really like rotation, and this is where you have to
be careful. If you're a new student I want you to be extra careful with any motion where you fully
flex your knee and then you work on lateral rotation. Now eventually, of course, you'll
get to a place where this is very comfortable. But initially even a simple seated position like this
can potentially be tweaky on your knees, and by tweaky I mean if you feel any kind of sharp
shooting pain you back off, modify, use blocks, or ease up. Be particularly careful anytime you flex
your knee and rotate. Anytime you flex your knees and rotate, full flexion and lateral rotation of
your hips, that's when you can potentially get into trouble. With those three tips you can do
really well. The final tip is anytime you need to, especially during your first three classes,
take a break. Take a child's pose, let the class keep going, and don't worry, all of us have some
challenging times during our first initial classes, you'll get up to speed very quickly.
I hope you found this video helpful and most importantly I hope you sign up for an in-person
class sometime in the next week or so. If you're feeling nervous, if you're feeling apprehensive,
again remember, beginners come to classes every day. I know some of you will write in
the comments "Hey you forgot about this style and you forgot about that style", and you're right,
there are so many different styles. As I mentioned before, the best style of yoga is the one that you
love, the one that you go to most often. So, my question for you is, down in the comments, what's
your favorite style of yoga and why? If you'd like more science-based yoga videos, hit subscribe down
below. If you'd like to find my teaching calendar, it's at yogabody.com. I'll put a PDF reference
guide down below to some of the things that we've covered in terms of spiritual, not spiritual,
in terms of static, or dynamic, and lastly, in terms of challenge, physical challenge of the
practices, in case that's helpful. Thanks so much for joining me and I'll see you in the next video.