Before Class

Be early. Getting to your mat a moment before class helps you getting centered and settled in with the purpose of the class. Take this moment for yourself, center your body and mind, stretching or simply sit or lie quietly and breathe.

DO quiet down before class.  Remember to lower your voice when you greet your friends in a studio? Do just the same by lowering your inner chatter when you get ready to practice online.

DO listen to your injuries that might affect your practice. Let your teacher know about Injuries or preexisting medical conditions. Modifications may be given to adapt to your needs. It’s absolutely acceptable to skip poses you can’t or shouldn’t do and rest in child’s pose or savasana during class when feeling tired.

DON’T eat for several hours before class. Practice yoga on an empty stomach especially in twists, deep forward bends and inversions. Digesting heavy food takes way longer using energy and making you feel lethargic.
I feel my best when I practice at the end of an intermittent fast, but that’s very personal.

DON’T Pepe Le Pew!
Good body hygiene is a also part of your mental well-being even when practicing alone…

During Class

DO turn off your phone. Leave socializing and business outside of the class, so your focus during practice remains undisturbed.

DO turn off everything else. Yes, also your other social devices, like the tablets, iPads, smartwatches. Even turn off your doorbell or landline. Your yoga practice is precious ME-time!

DO listen to your yoga teacher. 
If your experienced yoga teacher tells you to stay in the basic version of the pose, accept that your body may not yet be prepared for achieving the more advanced variation. No hard feelings, it’s for your own safety.

DO use props. Props make all the difference in your practice, even if you are an experienced yogi/ni. When stepping on your yogamat, grab a strap and a least one block. If you have a stiff body, get two blocks. Alternatively use books or towels.

DO be quiet during class. 
Take the time of the yoga class to remain silent, even if you are tempted to share with your friends.

DO push yourself. Practice at 100% of your capacity, particularly when feeling tired. Yoga has an appeasing, yet energizing effect on your nervous system.

DON’T push it. Yoga should be practiced freed from competition with others or yourself. Do what you can without straining or injuring yourself. Progress comes faster when you take a loving attitude toward yourself.

After Class

DO stay for savasana. Savasana is the most important pose of any yoga class! At the end of each class allow yourself the time to unwind from the intensity of the postures taken.

DO pick up and neatly put away any props you use. A good yogi/ni always leaves a place in a better state than s/he found it, even if it’s only your own living-room.

DO take time afterwards to think about what you did in class, so you can retain what you learned. Review the asanas you practiced, and make a mental note of all instructions that particularly made sense to you. Even if you remember just one thing from each class, soon you will have a lot of information helping you deepen your own personal practice. Maybe you even write down your findings in a journal.

Be happy: Please spread the bliss you experienced during your yoga class. Enjoy the calm and post-class bliss.

BE.
JUST BE.
Stay present and focused after class and into your day.