Guidelines for Yoga Students

Sacred Movement Yoga & Healing Center in Venice has these guidelines which I think are appropriate for all students.
These basic guidelines are to help enhance your yoga practice and aid in creating a collective experience of the sacred.

No shoes in the practice area, please.
In yoga, people put their hands, and sometimes their face, on the floor. You’re going to take your shoes off anyway, so please remove them at the door.

Absolutely never bring a cellphone or pager into a yoga class.
This doesn’t mean turn off the ringer, because sooner or later you will forget. Leave it in your car. If you can’t be out of touch for an hour and a half, this is indicative of an imbalance in your life. Remember, 90% of stress is self-induced.

Enter the yoga room in silence.
Please do not enter and start visiting. Go right in to meditation or stretching. Your practice starts when you walk in.

If possible, bathe prior to your practice.
Please do not wear perfume or any scent. You may love your perfume or oil, but there will be people who don’t and they may be doing deep breathing two feet away. Thirty or more people sweating in a closed space is less odorous than thirty or more people all wearing different brands of perfume. Also, people with allergies can be very sensitive to them.

Practice on an empty stomach.
It is recommended that you do not eat at least three hours before practice. If a special condition prevents this, eat easily digested foods, i.e. fruit or yogurt, one hour before class.

No food or beverages in the studio.
If necessary, bottled water is okay, but it is recommended to avoid constant sipping. We aim to generate internal heat; constant sipping cools the body. After practice, drink plenty of pure water.

Arrive a few minutes early.
Entering class constantly late is very disruptive and disrespectful to others, and also to your nervous system. If you do arrive a few minutes late, take a breath, unravel your mat outside, and then enter as slowly and quietly as you can. Consider being prompt as a part of your practice.

Acquire and use your own yoga mat.
Using the public rental mats is not as hygienic.

Abandon the competitive mind-set.
Yoga is absolutely non-competitive. It is not just a “work out” it is not just “cross-training” it is a spiritual practice which makes the body stronger, more flexible, and generally much healthier. But the aim is to calm the mind, open the heart, and accelerate our spiritual evolution.

Keep your eyes on your own practice.
We practice from the inside-out. When you can finish your practice without knowing what the person next to you was wearing or even who else was in the room, you’ll know you were truly focused.

Be kind and loving to yourself by accepting where you are.
Rest sometimes. “Do what you can, with what you have, with where you are.” Remember: Wherever, whenever in our life we begin yoga is perfect. No experience or flexibility required.

Mention any pre-existing injury or special condition to the teacher at the beginning of the class so that he/she can help you.

Please never enter or leave the studio when the class is in meditation, prayer, or final relaxation.

Namaste’