Do you want to try yoga but you’re feeling nervous about it? Maybe you’re worried about what you might look like or who might be looking at you? Are you worried that everyone else will know what they are doing and you’ll do it wrong?
Trust me when I say you are not alone in these worries. But… it does us and our brains so much good when we try new things (and, honestly, everyone is concentrating so much on themselves no one will be looking)!
Taking ourselves out of our comfort zone from time to time is a good thing for us to do. It helps us learn resilience and adaptability, for example, as well as learning more about ourselves. Learning something new is also good for our brains as it helps build new neural pathways and improve our cognitive abilities and memory. Yoga can be very effective at doing this, too!
This weekend I went out of my comfort zone… My yoga comfort zone.
You may think that as a yoga teacher, I don’t get nervous about trying new classes. I practice lots of different styles of yoga, I teach a lot of classes and events, how could I be worried? But, yes, I still do get nervous!
I recently tried ‘Hotpod’ yoga. This involves entering an inflatable structure, not dissimilar to a bouncy castle but with a solid floor, which is then zipped up from the inside and heated to 37 degrees. The temperature was lovely upon entering the pod but soon became incredibly hot and with the lights down low it was very atmospheric. It was a ‘dynamic’ flow, and a full class too, so it became very humid in there. Also, as an aside and anyone who had been to a class with me where we have explored this pose will know that my nemesis, we started with ‘(screaming) toe pose’ where you sit on your heels with your toes tucked under. What a start!
But I persevered and, while I don’t think I fully got used to the heat of the class, I loved it. One of my big fears was being so sweaty in front of other people, but everyone was in the same boat! I tried to do a crow pose, but my knees kept slipping off my arms. We had a lovely teacher who made me feel comfortable and at ease and we all had a giggle when she suggested a downward-dog with one hand and one foot off the floor. There’s something so energetically exciting about flowing with other people as well as something so comforting about breathing together as a whole room (or pod).
Alongside getting nervous about new classes, I also put pressure on myself to succeed in doing every pose ‘perfectly’ – even though, when I’m teaching, I emphasise that there is no such thing as ‘perfect’ in yoga. In the hotpod class, we worked towards flamingo pose, which is a pose I haven’t done before. In the class, I was trying to wrap my head around it and didn’t quite produce the perfect end result. But that’s ok! Yoga is about the flow, the movement, and the breath, on the way to the pose – not the pose itself.
It was a hard class, but I found it hugely satisfying lying in a gloriously sweaty Savasana at the end, knowing that I had done it – I had tried. I had overcome my worry of being sweaty in front of other people. I had tried a new pose, even if I hadn’t completely done it. I even tried the one-hand-one-foot down dog!
Are you curious about trying yoga but feeling nervous? Come to a class with me and I’ll be your supporter and guide. In my classes, I explain each pose and we will have some fun along the way. They say your vibe attracts your tribe, and my ‘tribe’ of yogis are some of the loveliest people you can hope to meet.
Still unsure about a class? We could always book in a 1:1 session to start with to help build your confidence in a quieter setting.
I teach a variety of classes and styles to help you find the style of yoga you love. Want to know more about my classes, click here for the Class Information. But, if you have any questions, please do reach out to me directly. There’s a famous saying that yoga is not about performing the perfect pose – it’s about what you learn on the way! See you on the mat.
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