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Where are you in your practice?
Your first yoga class in Uluwatu
Welcoming classes for your very first time.
First class ever marks classes built for complete beginners. The pace is slow, poses are explained from scratch and nobody expects you to know the names. Some are one-off intro classes, others are short beginners' courses.
16 classes coming up at 1 studio.
What First class ever does for you
You get to start without pretending. Everything is explained, from where to put your mat to what the words mean, so you can focus on how things feel instead of keeping up. You leave knowing a handful of basic poses and how to breathe through them, which makes every class after this easier to walk into. And everyone around you is new too.
It suits you if
- you have never been to a yoga class
- you tried once and felt lost
- you want the basics explained before joining regular classes
- you are coming back after a long break and want to start over
Read the full guide to First class everWhat a class is like, your first time, history and the words you will hear
What a class is like
Classes usually last 60 to 75 minutes, sometimes as a series of four to ten weekly classes. The facilitator demonstrates and explains names, often in German and English plus the Sanskrit, and walks the group through basic standing poses, simple floor stretches, gentle sun salutations and how to use props. There is time for questions and a longer rest at the end. You may sweat a little, but nobody pushes the pace. Mats and props are almost always provided.
Your first time
- Wear comfortable clothes you can move in; you will practice barefoot.
- Arrive ten to fifteen minutes early to fill in any forms and find a spot.
- Skip a heavy meal in the two hours before class and bring water.
- Tell the facilitator it is your first class and mention any injuries.
Good to know
- If you have an injury, are pregnant or have a medical condition, tell the facilitator before class, and check with your doctor if you are unsure.
- You may hear Sanskrit names and a closing Om; it is fine to just listen.
Where it comes from
For most of yoga's history there were no beginners' classes. Practice was passed on one to one, from a guru to a student, and adjusted to the person. Group classes are largely a 20th century development, shaped by modern physical culture and by figures such as T. Krishnamacharya and his students.
Systematic progression arrived with B.K.S. Iyengar's Light on Yoga (1966), which graded every pose for difficulty on a scale up to 60 and set out week-by-week courses lasting up to 300 weeks. Ashtanga built progression into fixed series, starting with the Primary Series.
As studios multiplied in Western cities from the 1990s, intro classes and labels such as beginners or level 1 became standard. In Germany, beginners' courses of around eight weeks are common, and some are certified so that Krankenkassen partly reimburse them.
Words you will hear
- Asana
- A yoga pose; the Sanskrit word means seat.
- Savasana
- The rest at the end, lying on your back; the name means corpse pose.
- Surya Namaskar
- Sun salutation: a short sequence of poses linked with the breath.
- Adho Mukha Svanasana
- Downward dog: the upside-down V shape you will meet in almost every class.
- Namaste
- A greeting meaning 'I bow to you', often said at the end of class.
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