I haven’t had a yoga post in a while (actually I haven’t really had a post uploaded recently, sorry friends), but rest assure I’m still practicing my asanas daily. I’ve finally purchased a membership to a yoga studio here in Houston and it’s been an amazing first couple of months. I’ve bee introduced to Forrest yoga, Rocket yoga, VinYin combination yoga, and I’ve had some really great Baptiste flows.

I’ve attempted to go about 4 times a week since I’ve started (about two months ago) and I’ve seen some great improvement. For starters, I can actually hold a hand stand for a couple of breaths. Granted, I see need the wall for support, but it’s a start. It took me a while to find a studio because I’m quite picky. You see, I started doing yoga because my gym back home offered a yoga class once a week. In retrospect, I guess it wasn’t the best place to start the practice. The instructor never walked around to check posture, the moves were elementary at best, and we were rarely shown ways to modify poses. It wasn’t until I moved for college and attended an actual yoga studio that I realized just how much I was missing. I was used to having a mirror guide me and tell me if my alignment was sort of correct. I was used to the instructor just doing the poses in the front of the room, not walking around. I think it’s good to have the instructor at the front if you’re absolutely confused with how a pose looks, but it’s not particularly helpful if you’re doing the pose wrong without knowing.

So, let’s say you’re new to yoga and need help finding a proper studio. Don’t worry, while attending your first yoga class can be intimidating, you’ll know immediately if you’re a good fit for the studio. There’s a couple of things I look for when choosing where to practice:

1. Wood floors. I’ve once done super hot yoga in a carpeted studio and it was probably one of the grossest yoga places I’ve ever been to. Wood floors also indicate that the studio already has a decent amount of money. While my current studio started out with carpet, they changed to wood as soon as they go t the funds. Now, that’s not to say that carpeted floors means the studio and the instructors will be bad, but it still isn’t nice to practice on carpet.
2. A hot room. This is just a personal preference. I’m not really into Bikrim yoga as I get bored doing the same moves over and over again, but I do enjoy to practice in a slightly warm environment. Therefore, even if your studio doesn’t do hot yoga (110-115F), if can still have warm rooms (85-95F). Of all the studios I’ve been to, a majority will actually have at least a heater in the room.
3. A welcoming staff. This may seem obvious, and a necessity for any establishment, but there are definitely yoga places that don’t seem that inviting. A welcoming staff could be as simple as someone always there to greet you. At my studio, I got a tour of the place and the owner even introduced herself to me. I felt like this was a good place to meet people, and I was absolutely correct. A welcoming staff is just an extension of a friendly community.
4. A plethora of props. If you’re just starting yoga, you’re probably going to want a couple of props (yoga strap, two blocks, etc) to help you get into some positions. Props aren’t just for newbies, though. They are valuable instruments that can help you get into a larger array of poses and help you get into a deeper stretch. A good yoga studio will have a wide variety of props for you to take advantage of and a good teacher will show you how to use props properly.

So there you have it. Four things that I look for when going to a yoga studio. Hope this helps any new yogi out there!