{"id":62566,"date":"2017-10-16T07:15:49","date_gmt":"2017-10-16T11:15:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=62566"},"modified":"2017-10-20T12:14:18","modified_gmt":"2017-10-20T16:14:18","slug":"yoga-class-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/yoga-class-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Mistakes You’re Probably Making in Yoga Class"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"6
Photo: Twenty20<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Turns out, there\u2019s more to yoga than flattering pants and downward-facing dog<\/a>. Beyond learning the poses, there are a host of other factors that can make or break your practice, from the proper gear<\/a> to your mindset while you flow. To help you enjoy your yoga class even more, we tapped two experts to identify the common mistakes you might be making, plus tips on how to fix them. A fresh new path to calm awaits.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>50 Resources to Step Up Your Yoga Game<\/a><\/p>\n

6 Common Yoga Class Mistakes and How to Fix \u2018Em<\/h2>\n

1. You show up late.<\/h3>\n

Your friends may forgive you for being a few minutes late for social plans, but showing up after yoga class starts is another story. If you\u2019re brand-new to a studio, budget an extra 10 to 15 minutes to fill out any necessary paperwork and meet the instructor, says Sage Rountree<\/a>, yoga instructor, endurance sports coach and author of Everyday Yoga<\/em><\/a>. \u201cWe want to have enough time to give you a warm welcome, and if you\u2019re sliding in two minutes before class, it\u2019s sets a negative tone,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Even if you\u2019ve been practicing yoga for years, showing up a few minutes early gives you time to transition from daily life to yoga practice. Plus, then you have the opportunity to let the instructor know if you\u2019re feeling any pain or discomfort. It\u2019s better for instructors to know of injuries beforehand, Rountree says, so they can offer modifications whenever necessary throughout the practice.<\/p>\n

2. You bring the wrong mat.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s not uncommon for new students to bring foam or plastic mats to class, which may be great for activities like foam rolling<\/a> or Pilates. But for yoga, they can make flowing from pose to pose a little more difficult. According to Heather Peterson<\/a>, chief yoga officer at CorePower Yoga, these types of mats cause students to slip all over the place, making it hard to balance or hold poses, especially once the sweating starts. \u201cLearning yoga is tough enough to begin with,\u201d she says, \u201cso the type of mat you use can be a huge advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peterson\u2019s go-to mats include Lululemon\u2019s The Mat<\/a> for hot classes, and Manduka ones<\/a> for non-heated practice. \u201cThey\u2019re heavy but totally worth it for the benefit of slip resistance,\u201d Peterson says. For added insurance, keep a yoga towel, like those from Yogitoes<\/a>, nearby to place on top of your mat.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>How to Gear Up for Your Yoga Practice<\/a><\/p>\n

3. You try too hard.<\/h3>\n

“Get happily lost in the middle [of the room].”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There\u2019s a time and place for pushing your effort to 110 percent, but yoga class isn\u2019t it. \u201cPeople try to step into the class midstream,\u201d Rountree says. \u201cThey try to follow along with every single iteration, everything the teacher mentions, and generally, that leads to overdoing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just like you wouldn\u2019t go out and run 20 miles on your first day of training<\/a>, you don\u2019t need to try to master every <\/em>pose during your first class. It\u2019s OK to do the gentler variations of each posture, and take as many breaks as you need. \u201cSmart rest breaks will help your body recover faster, which is the true measure of fitness<\/a>,\u201d Peterson says. \u201cRest whenever you need to in child\u2019s pose or savasana and then join back in when you\u2019re able.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keep in mind, if you try to force a pose that\u2019s beyond your current range of motion<\/a> and flexibility, you may wind up hurt. \u201cThen you\u2019ll miss out on the opportunity to actually connect with yoga,\u201d Rountree says.<\/p>\n

Finally, if you\u2019re tempted to compare yourself to the other students in the room, just know that some may have been practicing yoga for years. Or, they could even teach yoga themselves. So go with your own flow and don\u2019t worry about what others are doing.<\/p>\n

4. You hide in the back of the room.<\/h3>\n

When you\u2019re new to a class or studio<\/a>, it\u2019s tempting to set up camp in the back of the room where no one can see you. But sometimes, the back of the room becomes the front. And more importantly, it\u2019s tough to see the teacher from the back and therefore, harder to follow along, Rountree says.<\/p>\n

Instead of hiding, roll out your mat in the center of the room, if possible. This way, no matter what direction the class faces, you\u2019ll always have a visual. \u201cGet happily lost in the middle and you\u2019ll get good examples all around you,\u201d Rountree says.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>The Beginner\u2019s Guide to Every Type of Yoga Out There<\/a><\/p>\n

5. You wear the wrong clothes.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

According to Peterson, many students show up for class wearing layers or loose clothes that inhibit their movements. This makes it difficult to see the position of their bodies in the mirror (or for instructors to notice). \u201cRemember that your clothes are your gear,\u201d she says, \u201cand you want to be able to see your joints to make optimal alignment upgrades.\u201d That might mean dropping your hips a bit in a plank<\/a> or bending your knee more in warrior II.<\/p>\n

For heated classes, Peterson recommends looking for a technical fabric that will wick sweat, while also allowing your skin to breathe. \u201cSometimes that means a sports bra<\/a> instead of a tank top,\u201d Rountree says, adding that the studio culture can vary from place to place. \u201cIt\u2019s worth poking around on their website or calling and asking the front desk what people usually wear,\u201d she suggests. Feeling self-conscious? Take a cue from these inspirational yogis<\/a>: Every body is a yoga body.<\/p>\n

6. You hold your breath.<\/h3>\n

When your instructor calls attention to breathing<\/a>, listen up. Take notice if you\u2019re inhaling and exhaling normally or if you\u2019re actually holding your breath. If you\u2019re not taking in air regularly, you could be hindering your practice, says Rountree. Your flow should have plenty of ease to it, and when you hold your breath, you actually increase your fight-or-flight response, which can cause you to feel more <\/em>anxious by the end of class, Rountree adds.<\/p>\n

If you find yourself holding your breath \u2014 or even open-mouth breathing \u2014 dial back the intensity<\/a> until you can take air in and out through your nostrils, Peterson says. \u201cThis increases the amount of breath you get into the bottom lobes of your lungs and increases the oxygen in your system to help with recovery,\u201d she explains. Now, close your eyes and take a big inhale and exhale. It\u2019s time for a calm, cool yoga session.<\/p>\n

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\nAre You Doing These Yoga Poses All Wrong?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Your breath, mindset and gear could all put a pause on the positive effects of yoga class. Come out of the studio feeling serene with these tips. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":62572,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,6,19],"tags":[289,265,56,441,355,100,286],"class_list":["post-62566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exercise","category-fitness","category-yoga","tag-exercise","tag-fitness-class","tag-group-fitness","tag-tax1living","tag-tax2yoga","tag-workout","tag-yoga"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62566"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62566\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}