Never been to a yoga class, but feeling kind of curious? I thought it might be helpful to assemble a few tips for newcomers (aka "n00bs") to any kind of yoga – things beyond the logistics like wearing comfy clothes, and not showing up with a full tummy.

The following four are the things that I would most love for new students to consider. If you take one of my classes, you'll likely hear most of them, but they are good things to keep in mind in any class you might attend. 

1. Accept yourself and exactly where you are at today. Now, read that again, and take it to heart! You may have monstrously tight hips, you may be miles away from touching your toes, you may have trouble sitting still for five minutes... and it's fine. Everything transforms in time, and you don't get to decide on the schedule. Accept yourself, and work from where you're at. Take a longer-term view of change, and find out for yourself that your own unconditional acceptance is the best gift you can give yourself (and ultimately everyone else). 
2. Resist the urge to "keep up with the Joneses". Yoga is *not* a competitive activity (unless you're in the Bikram's Yoga Competition, but that's another story). You run the risk of injuring yourself when you try to make your body conform to an outside standard, whether it's a picture in a book, your teacher's example, or the person next to you. Always make sure that the urge to go "deeper" into a pose is not coming from a place of ego, but rather from a sense that there is space for your body to move further, into a place of even more connectedness.  Don't miss the opportunity to experience what actually IS happening, because you're lost in ideas about what "should be" happening. 
3. Respect your teacher's experience, but realize you are ultimately your own best authority. Learn to trust what you feel, and trust what you know. The process of getting in touch with your inner wisdom can be a slow one, but it is exciting, rewarding, and incredibly interesting.
4. Keep breathing. Don't worry so much about any fancy breathing (unless you're being specifically instructed)... but do keep breathing. When you're "in a tight spot"... return to your breath. When you want to get out of a pose and run away from the class... return to your breath. If you notice that you're not breathing, gently inquire into why. Is your mind elsewhere? Are you way past your comfort point? Are you anxious? See what you can do to get your breath moving again, even if just a little.
   

Certainly there could be more than these four, but I hope you find them helpful. I would suggest taking just one of them into the next class you attend, and trying it on for size that day. How does it affect your experience in the class?

Comments? Additional ideas? I'd love to hear about them!