Beginner Yoga

Written by Steph Carroll

What I Wish I Knew When I Started Practicing Yoga

I’ve told this story a million times but I keep coming back to it because it was such a pivotal moment in my yoga journey.. I didn’t know how to do a ‘proper’ downward dog until 10 years into my yoga practice. And I learnt this while I was undertaking my yoga teacher training course.  

It was a big moment for me because I suddenly felt ‘at home’ in a downward dog and I began to think, who else has had this experience? Who else has felt too shy to ask questions during a traditional yoga class, or to come down out of the flow to tell the teacher, ‘this doesn’t feel right to me’. 

As my knowledge and practice developed throughout my yoga teacher training course I thought more and more about what I wish I knew earlier in my practice and how I could go about sharing this with not only new but also experienced yogi’s, as it’s never a bad idea to revisit the basics. And so the Ardor Beginners Class was born!

Our Beginners Class is taught in a 4 week cycle with each week focusing on something different so you’re able to get comfortable with and build on your practice layer by layer. You are able to start your Beginner Cycle at any of the four weeks.

Below I’ve shared what each weeks focus is and what it includes so you can see how it all comes together:

WEEK 1 - PRIMARY FOUNDATIONS

This class focuses on feet and hand placement through your flow. This can sound fairly basic, we all know how to stand up straight don’t we? But without nice, strong foundations, you are building your practice on rocky ground. It may be easy to get away with this in the early stages of your practice but as you progress and start to introduce balances and inversions, these foundations become crucial.

WEEK 2 - SECONDARY FOUNDATIONS

In this class, the focus is on hips, shoulders and how they play a big role in your practice. The tilt and placement of the hip not only helps to engage your core and glutes to help with balance but it also helps to support your lower back. Your shoulders are super important because correct placement and use of these throughout your practice will support the head and neck during certain poses as well as help to bring mindfulness into your practice.

 WEEK 3 - CENTRAL FOUNDATIONS AND INCORPORATING THE BREATH

If you’re new to yoga, moving your body in a new way, all of these strange words and poses, as well as breathing in a new/different way can be a lot to take in. For the first 2 weeks of the cycle, I leave the breath out of the class so that you’re able to focus on the poses and physical aspects of your practice. In this class, the breath is introduced as you start to move the body and breath together. This will enhance your poses, practice and the mindfulness aspects of our practice. This will also help to bring awareness to your central foundations.

 WEEK 4 - WHAT IS YOGA?

In the 4th week of the cycle, I think it’s important to touch on some of the philosophies of yoga as well as how to tailor your practice to your needs. I share with you a little about the Yamas, one of the 8 limbs of yoga as it is while considering these that you can start to ‘take your yoga off the mat’ and into your daily life. We also cover why settling into your practice and Savasana at the end of your practice is so important. And finally, we bring together all of the physical lessons you’ve learnt through the cycle and I share how you can start to create your own practice so you feel empowered to practice anywhere, anytime.

As well as all of the above, we breakdown some key and frequently used yoga poses and I teach you how to practice in a way that supports your unique body. As much as this class is taught in a cycle, you absolutely do not have to start the cycle at week 1. Not only that but you’re welcome to run through the cycle as many times as you’d like or join the odd class as a ‘refresher’.

These classes are a great way to try yoga and learn a little more on what it’s all about. They’re also a great way to build some confidence and before you progress into a more challenging class. 

But the thing I love most about these classes and Ardor in general is the community of people that join them. There’s something so special about going on a journey and learning a skill with other people. If you would like to ‘dip your toe’ into yoga and see if it’s for you, our Beginners Class is perfect for you. We would love you to join us on the mat on Tuesdays at 6.30pm

If you have any questions or would like to know more, please feel free to pop a comment below or send an email to connect@ardoralbury.com.

 I can’t wait to see you on the mat soon! xx