The following guest post was written by Kelsey Cook, founder of the blog Bananas + Bellinis
There is a lot of chatter these days about yoga. Everyone from your coworkers to your weird uncle to professional athletes and celebrities are talking about how yoga has changed their life, bodies and overall health. So much, in fact, that you may have even thought about trying it out for yourself.
Maybe you’ve found yourself researching yoga studios in your area and reading articles about all of the amazing benefits yoga has to offer, exploring the idea of attending a class and wondering if it’s possible for you to experience all of the same results you’ve been hearing others talk so much about. Perhaps you’re really curious about yoga, but still haven’t actually attended a class yet because it all seems just a little too intimidating. Sound familiar?
If it does, you’re not alone! There are a lot of people out there, most who have never practiced yoga themselves, that have all of these pre-conceived ideas about what you need to be able to do with your body or what you should look like if you want to practice yoga, and if they don’t fit that “mold” they assume they won’t be able to do it.
The good news is that this just absolutely isn’t true! Yoga is for every body type, for any person at any age with any level of fitness or physical ability, so there is no reason to be intimidated when walking into your first class. There are, however, three things that will help to make getting started with yoga a little bit easier for you.
There are a lot of inexpensive yoga mats on the market, but as with many things, when it comes to yoga mats, you get what you pay for. Studios usually have rental mats available as well, but these are often those same, low quality mats that will make your practice more difficult as they are rarely very cushioned and can be slippery when you start to build up a sweat. Spend a little but of extra money on a good mat…I promise you won’t regret it!
Splurge: Jade Yoga, with a price of $60
Steal: Gaiam, with a price of $30
When practicing yoga, you’ll want to make sure that you are as comfortable as possible. You don’t want to be readjusting your top, have your pants slipping down when you’re trying to stay focused or be restricted from moving freely because the outfit you picked out is just too tight. I recommend wearing snug fitting, stretchy clothing that isn’t too tight and offers full coverage. Full-length or cropped yoga leggings and a fitted tank top or t-shirt are your best bet!
Splurge: Onzie yoga leggings, with a price of $65
Steal: Old Navy yoga capris, with a price of $18
This is the most important thing that you need when getting started with yoga. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned practitioner, you never want to walk into a class with any expectations. Let go the idea of perfection, and more importantly, don’t be nervous!
If it helps to ease your mind, you can get to the studio early and chat with the teacher to get a better idea of what the class will be like and address any concerns that you might have. With an open mind, the sky is the limit, and you’re guaranteed to leave with a feeling of accomplishment, and I bet you’ll want to go back for more!
The great thing about yoga is that it’s accessible to everyone. As long as you show up, focus and put forth your best effort, you’ll be getting all of the same benefits as the person at the front of class twisting their body into a pretzel. Yoga isn’t about reaching a certain destination, it’s about the journey, and that journey looks different for everyone.
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*Bio: Kelsey Cook is a 200-hour certified yoga teacher, Health Coach and healthy lifestyle blogger residing in sunny Los Angeles. Kelsey can typically be found doing yoga, eating her way through wherever she happens to be or globetrotting to the next destination on her bucket list. Her obsessions include: the beach, margaritas, puppies, skinny jeans and green juice. You can hear more from Kelsey at http://bananasandbellinis.com.*
