Thinking of starting yoga? Here’s some reason why to start with a Beginners Series

It’s that time of the year where we usually are more open to trying different things. We have reaffirmed our commitment to our wellness and are enthused to do go out there and get it done.For many, yoga is a wonderful option to access the benefits for both mind and body. From my experience in my last 4 years as a full time yoga instructor, a large percentage decide to jump straight into a class environment. After all, what’s the worst that could happen? It’s just stretching right? Wrong!First of all yoga is NOT just about flexibility and stretching. Like any other movement practice it is highly technical and requires co-ordination, strength, mobility as well as understanding of biomechanics in terms of knowing what muscles need to activate and when, along with positioning of certain body parts such as scapula activation in a plank as an example. It is this knowledge that ensures a strong and enduring practice that reduces the probability of injury.Would you join an intermediate ballet, capoeira, Kung Fu class without having any introductory knowledge?As a beginner it is unlikely that you will know what to do in a class which means that most of the time you’re trying to mimic what you see around you, quite possibly from someone who might have started the same way and isn’t necessarily doing it right in any case. A good instructor will try to help you along with adjustments during the class, however in a class where the average number of attendees are 15 or even more, it is unlikely that they will be able to give you the attention that you need or deserve.Performing the poses in a manner that is incorrect will begin to lead to injuries over years of practice. Take it from me, having started in the same way and having had to resolve a potential wrist injury due to incorrect loading in plank. Good decisions come from experience. Experience comes from bad decisions.My advice would be treat your journey into a yoga in the same way that you would construct a house. Build a strong foundation and build slowly. It is only on the strongest of foundations that one can build a skyscraper. Too oft we can get focussed on attempting something that looks good on Instagram rather than doing the work itself.Personally the best foundation is to join a solid Beginners Series and once completed then transition into doing fundamental and beginner’s classes. Throw out the timelines and expectations. Treat this as a journey along a path of mastery. This is surely a way to ensure a powerful and enduring practice.