6 Mistakes Yoga Beginners Make

Yoga can soothe away stress and help you become fit, strong, and flexible. Yoga has been scientifically proven to help lower blood pressure, relieve back pain, and even improve memory and sleep!

If you are ready to give yoga a try, here are 6 pointers to overcome common mistakes new yogis make. And if you want even more insight for yoga beginners, check out this article on the Buka blog about what to expect in your first class.

1 - Just Do It! 

Nearly every day, someone says to me, “I’ve always wanted to try yoga, but I’m not flexible.” Or they’ll say, “I’ve always wanted to take a yoga class, but I feel like I am too out of shape,” or “I’ve been too busy and stressed-out to add anything else to my life.”

These are exactly the reasons you SHOULD do yoga.

In yoga, we recognize that each student is an individual. Regardless of your gender, age, size, flexibility, or fitness level… truly, there is a yoga class that will be perfect for you. In fact, at our studio, we teach everybody from professional athletes to great-grandmothers.

Students are not expected to have it all together on day 1 or even on day 1001! Through the practice of yoga, day by day, you’ll become more flexible, fit, calm, strong, and balanced. Yoga is a practice. Just do it.

(Of course, talk with your physician before starting any new fitness activity.)

2 - Build Confidence by Learning the Basics

When you are learning any new skill, it’s important to learn the fundamentals.  Go to a yoga studio and take a beginner class.  In an intro-level class, you’ll learn proper alignment, ways to adapt poses for your body, how to use props, names of postures, how to pace yourself, and so much more.

Don’t jump right into more advanced classes right away. Higher-level classes are not tailored to the beginner student.  The pace may be too fast.  The poses may be too challenging, and oftentimes a teacher will not be able to offer the assistance a beginner needs to practice safely.

Check out the Buka Yoga class schedule to find beginner classes at both our Castle Rock and Denver Tech Center Studios. If you're unsure which classes are best for beginners, look for gentle yoga, restorative yoga, and level 1 yoga.

3 - Don’t Compare Yourself to Others

Yoga is not competitive. And no one is judging you.

Each of us is flexible, and each of us is strong.  And the way that these qualities show up in your body is unique to you.  And your poses will not look exactly like your neighbors’, and that is OK.

4 - Practice with Consistency and Be Patient

The benefits of yoga…its beauty and grace unfold over time. Be patient.  It took a lifetime for patterns of stiffness and pain to take root in your body and mind, and it will take time to change them.

In this world of rushing, pushing, and striving, yoga is an antidote. It's important to recognize that real, sustainable change is possible. Open up to the process and the practice.  Show up for yourself.  Ideally its best to practice two to three times a week.  Many people around the world practice every day.

5 - Try Different Classes, Teachers, and Styles

Once you have a few Beginner classes under your belt, try some new classes, teachers, and styles to see what you like. While there are classes for everyone, you may not love every class you attend.  So sample a few to see which ones resonate with you.

6 - Wear the Right Clothing

You don’t need to drop hundreds of dollars on yoga gear.  But you’ll soon find that loose-fitting, wide-legged shorts and baggy t-shirts can expose more than you’d like when you are in a down dog. So choose clothing that is comfortable and slightly snug so that it doesn’t fly up when you are upside-down, and there are no surprises when you bend over.

Yoga can help you transform your life. And the most important step in your yoga practice is the first one that leads you to your mat.

In gratitude!