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It’s estimated that 300 million people in the world do yoga! It’s been around for 5,000 years and people who practice it can find a sense of peace, improve their flexibility, stay fit, and get pain relief as well.
Not to mention, it’s not tough to do at all! There’s a low barrier of entry to this exercise.
Considering all these benefits of yoga, you might be interested in taking classes. But how do you pick the right one?
If you need help choosing a yoga class, then you’re in luck. We’re here with 8 factors you should consider!
1. What You Hope to Achieve
As we’ve pointed out above, yoga has many benefits to those who practice it. But to get the most out of your classes, you need to first determine what you hope to achieve.
For example, do you want to find inner peace? Or do you want to find an exercise that can help with pain? Or perhaps you want to burn as many calories as possible to lose weight?
What your goals are will affect the yoga class that’s right for you. There are different types of yoga, from Iyengar (for alignment) to Kundalini (spiritual) and Vinyasa (fast-paced), so the type you pick should align with your specific needs.
2. The Location
Taking up a new activity shouldn’t be difficult for you to stick with. When you’re looking around for classes, one of the first things you should consider is the yoga studio’s location.
But don’t just think about how far the studio is from your home. If you’re planning on going to classes after work, then your house’s location doesn’t matter much (besides the fact that you need to go home after at some point). Finding a yoga studio just a few streets away from work would be a huge plus since you won’t need to rush to classes after your shifts are over!
3. Beginner Lessons
This might seem painfully obvious, but you’d be surprised at just how much time’s wasted because people don’t consider this!
While many studios have yoga classes for beginners, there are a fair few that only offer classes for those who are experienced. As a beginner, it doesn’t make much sense to jump straight into these lessons since you won’t have a clue what they’re talking about!
So before you get your heart set on a particular studio, find out if they even take beginners!
4. Good Reviews
You want to have a positive experience, so make sure you check online reviews. They’ll tell you a lot about how the yoga studio’s like, such as how well-maintained and clean it is. In addition, they’ll have information about whether or not classes start on time and how payments are taken.
You want to make sure that you choose a yoga studio with a good reputation. That way, you can rest easy knowing that you’ll get the most out of the money you’ve spent and that you won’t get scammed nor will you get frustrated by the lack of good service.
5. The Teachers
The yoga teachers can make or break your experience. You’ll want to find out about their teaching styles, as they might clash with your personality and learning style. While some people might do better in high-energy, tough-love type classes, others do better with more relaxed and gentle teachers.
Reading online reviews can be a good idea. Both previous and current students will have recommendations and comments about how the yoga instructors are like.
Another idea would be to go to free classes if the studio has any. This allows you to interact with the teachers and see if you click with them.
6. Private vs Group Lessons
Although most yoga classes are given as group lessons, you can also get private lessons if that’s what you prefer. This gives you more privacy, attention from the instructor, and flexibility for when you have your classes.
However, do note that private lessons can cost significantly more. This is because the teacher has to dedicate a chunk of time to just you instead of several students, which can eat into their profits if they don’t charge more.
7. The Prices
Speaking of cost, you probably don’t have infinite cash to spend on yoga classes. So you want to make sure you choose a class that won’t break your budget.
Find out the fee structure before you sign up so you don’t have any surprises during the course. As a beginner, you won’t want to splurge on expensive classes since you’re not even sure you’ll stick to yoga. You should wait until you’re more sure of yoga before you make a bigger commitment.
8. The Class Times
Not only should you choose classes that are conveniently located, but also conveniently timed.
It’s best to do yoga before you eat or in the early evening. If your work schedule doesn’t allow for this, then you’ll want to find a yoga studio that has plenty of classes on the weekends in addition to weekdays. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself missing out on a lot of classes!
Good Luck With Choosing a Yoga Class
In the end, choosing a yoga class all falls to personal preference. What may be an amazing class for your friend might not be so great for you.
So if there are local classes offering free trials, always take advantage of those. This will allow you to get some firsthand experience and help you determine if you’re suited for a particular class!
Now that you know how to pick a yoga class, keep reading about fitness by checking out our blog page!