ॐ
Hatha Yoga · Beginners
Yoga for Beginners
योग · आरम्भ
You do not need to be flexible, fit, calm or young. You need a mat and an hour. Everything in this course assumes you have never done this before.
“The pose begins the moment you want to leave it.”
The Course
Where this begins
Most people arrive at their first yoga class braced for something — a test they will fail, a room full of people who can already do it. That is not what happens here. Beginners’ classes are small, unhurried, and taught on the understanding that nobody in the room has done this before.
Over eight weeks you learn a handful of postures properly rather than thirty badly, you learn to breathe through them, and you learn how to tell useful effort from the kind that causes injury. By the end you can practise on your own without wondering whether you are doing it wrong.
This Is For You If
- You have never practised yoga, or tried once years ago
- You sit at a desk and your back and hips have noticed
- You want to start something you can keep doing
- You are recovering your strength after illness or a long gap
What You Practise
Six things, learned properly
Standing postures
Tāḍāsana, Vṛkṣāsana, the warrior family — where balance and leg strength are built.
Forward and back bends
Paścimottānāsana, Bhujaṅgāsana and their supported variations, taught with props from the start.
Sun salutation
Sūrya Namaskāra broken into its parts, then joined to the breath — the sequence you will use for years.
Seated postures
Sukhāsana and its alternatives, so that sitting for meditation stops being uncomfortable.
Simple breathing
Diaphragmatic breathing and the beginning of breath-with-movement. No retention at this stage.
Śavāsana
Deliberate rest, taught properly — the posture most people skip and most people need.
A Session
How the time is spent
Sessions follow the same shape each week, so that attention goes to the practice rather than to wondering what comes next.
10 min
Settling and breath
10 min
Joint mobility and warming
35 min
Postures, with corrections
10 min
Simple breathing practice
15 min
Śavāsana and closing
What you need
Before your first session
- No previous experience of any kind
- Loose clothing you can move and bend in
- An empty stomach — leave two hours after a meal
- Mats, blocks, straps and bolsters are provided
- Tell your teacher about injuries, pregnancy or surgery
- Two or three sessions a week to see it working
Questions
Frequently asked questions
I am not flexible at all. Is that a problem?
No — it is the reason to come. Flexibility is an outcome of practice, not a requirement for it. Postures are adapted with blocks and straps so you work at your own range from the first class.
How long before I notice a difference?
Most people sleep better within two weeks. Strength and range of movement take longer — six to eight weeks of practising two or three times a week is a fair expectation.
Is it safe with a bad back or knees?
Usually yes, and often helpful, but tell the teacher before you begin so the practice can be adapted. If you are under medical care for the injury, ask your doctor first.
Not sure yoga is the right place to start?
That’s a fair question — plenty of people aren’t sure whether yoga, meditation or pranayama is the better first step. Read how to choose your first practice to work out which one fits where you are right now.
When you are ready
Begin where you are
After a few months of steady practice, the advanced course opens up longer holds, inversions and the classical sequences.