I’m a Beginner, what is the best yoga class for me?

This might be the most common question we get at the studio when new students attend yoga classes.  What is the best class for a beginner yoga student?  Luckily our White Rock yoga studio has many beginner friendly yoga classes that are accessible and welcoming to students learning yoga.  Read on below to learn about the perfect yoga class for your fitness and wellbeing goals.  You’ll be sure to find a class to leave you feeling calm and blissful!

Hatha Yoga

Our Hatha Yoga classes are all levels and offer modifications to suit the needs of each student who attends.  You can expect a full spectrum class that includes seated, standing, balance, and supine yoga postures while also exploring breathing, meditation, relaxation, and yoga philosophy.  The steady pace of a Hatha Yoga class means teachers can give attention, corrections, and modifications to each student in class to ensure they are learning proper alignment and keeping themselves safe during class to receive all the healing benefits of yoga.  This class is perfect for learning the pose shapes, names, and how to make them work for your body! Hatha Yoga is also called the “yoga of action” and a huge benefit for students is they will develop strength, active range of movement, control, balance and joint stability.  The confidence that comes from getting strong and stable in yoga poses allows students to quickly discover more flexibility, mobility, and of course learn to let it all go in relaxation after a yoga class.   

Gentle Yoga

The class name says it all.  A gentle approach to yoga that is slow paced, accessible and low impact.  Gentle yoga blends active stretching, supported poses. restorative/relaxation poses, breathing techniques, and meditation all for a calm and peaceful class experience. This class is perfect for students brand new to yoga or for those who need to adapt their practice to an existing injury or condition (do consult with your wellness practitioners if yoga is appropriate for you).  So, if a sore back or shoulder is keeping you from yoga you can be sure Gentle Yoga won’t have you practicing too many downward dogs, Warrior 2’s, or other challenging poses. Teachers utilize lots of props, and make sure each student experiences comfort in their poses.  The slow pace of the class also allows more time for individual instruction for each student and lots of variations in postures so students don’t overdo it in any given pose.  Because of the gentle nature of this class there is ample time spend seated or supine so students don’t ever exert themselves.  In other words, this is the perfect class to chill out and unwind!

Hips and Back 

This class is all about releasing tight and sore hips and giving a healthy amount of attention to keep our back healthy and happy.  The hips and back classes are like gentle yoga classes and you won’t spend too much time in standing poses, or doing downward dogs.  Rather the focus is on seated, supine, and supported poses all to help students stretch and open their hips and back.  You might stand up for a couple poses but it is not a strength class or strong hatha yoga class.  This class is made for runners, walkers, cyclists, or athletes who really want to focus on the hips, legs, pelvis, and spine that all become tight from so much physical activity.  The perfect post training therapy! As Hips and Back is slow paced and low impact it also makes a perfect introduction to yoga for beginners! 

Restorative Yoga

This class works to relax, release and unwind both the body and mind by supporting students in each posture with yoga bolsters, blocks, chairs, straps and other tools.  There is some stretching involved but always with an emphasis on holding poses longer and allowing our nervous system to settle down and the body to relax completely.  Many make restorative yoga a priority for its stress reduction and to release tension in the body.  Restorative Yoga classes are also a form of meditation and help students slow down their breathing and focus the mind.  You will sleep well and feel replenished and rejuvenated after this class.  

Alignment Yoga 

This is a slower paced Hatha Yoga class that dives deep into the structural integrity, anatomy, and proper form and alignment for students in each posture.  The slow pace, attention to detail, and precise instructions help students learn how to perform yoga postures and more importantly learn how to modify, adapt and make yoga postures work for them.  This is such a great class do develop the fundamental actions and ideas to have a healthy yoga practice for years to come.

Yin Yoga

Yin Yoga takes a different approach then hatha style classes and ask student to relax the muscles and stay in postures for the stretch longer.  By softening in each pose, it changes the effect and experience by targeting the release of the connective tissues (fascia) including the skin, ligaments, cartilage, and even our bones.  Connective tissues run throughout our muscles and body making and to really stimulate, stretch, release, and rejuvenate them we must hold postures for a longer duration.  Holding a deep stretch for a long time is a meditation and can be a therapeutic relaxation practice that also relieves stress and tension for the tissues, mind and body.  You won’t see standing poses in this class as it is mainly done in seated position or supine on the back with minimal yoga props.

Beginners Yoga Series

Live Yoga runs our amazing Beginners Yoga series 3-4 times a year.  This 7-week progressive class helps students learn the fundamental of common yoga poses so they are ready for regular hatha yoga classes.  The class builds progressively and each week showcases ideas, alignment principles, and actions so students learn and get better at yoga as they go.  The series is mainly hatha yoga, but touches on therapeutics (finding healing therapy through yoga), restorative yoga, gentle yoga, and even flow yoga.  Our beginners’ alumni always come out with a smile and enjoy learning how to safely practice yoga with other beginners!

Healthy Back Yoga

Like the Beginners Yoga Series, Healthy Back is a 7-week progressive series that looks at practicing yoga therapeutically to keep our back (and spine) healthy and mobile.  It is a gentle yoga class that utilized the use of props like chairs, blocks, straps, and bolsters to support each posture and allow students freedom in their back.  Time is spent working on breathing, developing a strong core, stretching tight hips, opening tight shoulders, and of course learning to move and stretch our spine/back in safe and effective ways.  Everyone experiences a stiff or sore back at some point and this class takes that into account.  Students learn to create strength, stability and confidence in order to enjoy ease and relaxation during the postures.  As having a sore back can stress anyone out there is also a healthy amount of relaxation and breathing practice in this class so students have tools to get out of pain and discomfort.  A must try class for anyone fed up with back pain and discomfort.

Thanks for reading our post on classes that are perfect for beginner level yoga students here at Live Yoga.  White Rock and Surrey sure have many different options when it comes to yoga like hot yoga, flow yoga, fusion fitness yoga, power yoga, aerial yoga and so on.  It is easy to get confused about what is the right class when starting out or end up in a yoga class that might be too much and leave you feeling overworked and in a funk.  Come to Live Yoga and try one of our classes to enjoy a friendly, educational and welcoming introduction to yoga.