1. Try to focus and stand still between postures. Sometimes I catch a glimpse or feel the energy of a person near me and they seem like someone waiting at a bus stop or in line at Starbucks in between postures. Do try to stand still and breathe evenly during the rest period! It makes a difference.
2. Try your best. There is a fine line between pushing yourself too far and selling yourself short. I have been walking that line for a while now, and I know mine pretty well. I think that a lot of people, even those who have been coming for years, have no concept of what they are actually capable of. You can always do more than you think you can do.
3. Don't kick out on a bent knee during Standing Head to Knee. One line of dialogue that bugs me is "As a beginner..." Um, define beginner. Some people will never be able to kick out, at least not every class, at least without personal coaching. I see so many people kicking out on a bent knee despite the fact that you are told repeatedly not to. Something needs to be done about this.
4. Know that each and every time you do things "your way" and not as you're instructed, you are risking real and lasting injury. It is never worth it.
5. You cannot wrench yourself into posture further than your current level of flexibility will allow, without serious consequences that would at best negate the positive effects of maintaining the practice in the first place, or worse, a ghastly injury. Balance!
6. Don't wipe your sweat. What on earth would you do that for? What an interference to your practice. This just seems absurd to me now.
7. Don't give your yoga clothes a quick rinse (as opposed to a proper wash) in the shower and then just wear them again the next class. This omits a bad odor into the room and it's unpleasant.
8. Try (if your schedule allows, which mine often hasn't) to get there early and relax before the class starts. Go in slow, not rushed. A yoga teacher from a different school advised me that doing pranayama breathing before postures is considered a bad idea because whatever state you're in at the time you do pranayama breathing, it will become magnified. By the reasoning of this school of yoga, at least 7 postures should be performed before any breathing exercise. I can see some truth to this. It's food for thought, anyway.
9. Just because you did yoga doesn't mean you can pig out, especially if weightloss is a goal. In fact, if weightloss is your primary goal, I would not increase caloric intake on your practice days AT ALL.
10. A teacher once told me that as you progress in your practice, which teacher is leading the class will matter less and less. I have mixed feelings on this. I really do think that some teachers are so bad or difficult to be near, there is the possibility that unless you are capable of advanced states of focus, they can truly rob you of your peace. There are teachers whose classes I just won't take, even if that's the only class I can fit into my schedule that day. That's just how I feel at this time in my life. Anyway, the bottom line is that classes are expensive and you should enjoy yourself, so don't try to convince yourself you like someone you just don't jive with. Know that great teachers are out there, probably at your studio, and for some people, they make all the difference in the world.
Peace~
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