Hey all! I have always enjoyed how I feel after a yoga session but never practiced for longer than a couple of months. Most success has been seen at home following along.
More recently I am hoping to make yoga more of a permanent staple. I decided to try a studio. The rec center offer times during the work day so that was out. The studios near me seemed... Intense? At least in marketing. I see a lot of power and cardio and even weights. Love that those options exist but I'm looking for something lower key to start. I especially want to make sure I'm doing the basics right.
I tried the studio that seemed the least intense. I signed up for their beginners class. It also said it was for veterans who wanted a slower pace to perfect things.
I just felt totally out of place. For reference: I'm not bothered when I Take longer, use blocks, or do the less intense versions of poses while others might choose the challenging ones. I hope I can see improvement over time and I am comfortable knowing I'm learning. What I decided made me uncomfortable was the pace. Even if I imagined a practiced me, it didn't feel mindful or relaxing. The pace between each pose felt very quick and I also did not know the pose names. To be fair, the instructor said them the first time we did them. But I didn't memorize all of them after the first flow. Examples include one legged airplane dealy-bobs and shiva squats. But if I had never done yoga in my life... I wouldn't have even known downward dog right?
Just wondering if anyone knows, did I pick an intense studio? Is this yoga and I will get used to it? What do you do? How do you balance doing yoga at home and finding places to push your skills in a manageable way? Thank you for your time and advice!
Edit: just wanted to say thank you to everyone for the advice. I decided to practice on my own again for now. In the meantime, I truly appreciate you giving me terms to look up to try different styles. I'm so impressed with how helpful you as a community have been. THANK YOU!
For the curious, here is the class title and description of what I took.
Y6 Slow Flow This yoga class flows at a slowed-down pace so there’s time to explore individual postures and transitions in a warm practice room. Newer students find this class builds confidence and familiarity, while more experienced students refine the fundamentals of alignment and dive into a deeper practice. You will gently engage, open, and strengthen the body by tapping into accessible yoga poses, fluid movement, and breath.