Your First Class: What Actually Happens

You arrive a few minutes early. You take your shoes off at the door, look around the room, and wonder where to sit, what everyone else already knows, and whether it will be obvious that you have never done this before.

It will not be. And it helps to know that every class follows the same simple shape.

Here is the whole hour, from the moment you sit down to the moment you leave.

The shape of the hour

1. Arrive and tune in. We begin sitting quietly. A few moments to arrive in the body, let the day settle and turn the attention inward. In Kundalini Yoga a class opens with a short mantra, chanted together. If you do not know the words, simply listen. That is taking part too.

2. Breathe and warm up. Gentle movement and simple breathing wake up the body and deepen the breath. Nothing here is complicated. It is a way of telling the body that practice has begun.

3. The kriya. This is the heart of the class. A kriya is a set of exercises practiced in a particular order, and each class has its own. Some exercises are movements, some are held positions, and most are done with a particular breath. There is usually a short rest between them. You go at your own pace. Doing less, or pausing, is always allowed.

4. Energize. Some parts are faster. They lift the breath and the heartbeat, build energy and shake out tension. If it becomes too much, slow down or make the movement smaller. Nobody will mind, and most people will not even notice.

5. Meditate. The meditation changes from class to class. Sometimes it uses the breath, sometimes a sound, sometimes a position of the hands. Your mind will wander. Everyone's does. Each time you notice and come back, the meditation is working, not failing.

6. Deep relaxation. You lie down on your back, cover yourself with your blanket and do nothing at all, often with sound in the room. The body becomes still and the practice settles. Many people find this the best part of the hour. Some fall asleep. That is fine.

7. Close. We sit up slowly and close the class together with a prayer. Then the hour is over, and people tend to leave more quietly than they arrived.

What to bring

• A yoga mat
• A cushion or pillow, because sitting is much easier with some height under the hips
• A light blanket for the relaxation at the end
• Water
• Loose, comfortable clothes you can move and breathe in

Before you come

Eat lightly, about two hours before class. Arrive ten minutes early so we can begin together. We practice barefoot, so shoes stay by the door.

What nobody tells you

You do not have to be able to do everything. Nobody can, on the first day or the hundredth.

Much of the class happens with the eyes closed, so nobody is watching you.

And you may leave feeling calm, or energized, or sleepy, or unexpectedly moved. All of these are normal. Drink some water, and give yourself a quiet evening if you can.

One small thing to do

Come ten minutes early and tell the teacher it is your first time.

That is all the preparation you need. The rest is showing up, and breathing.