Stepping into a brand new yoga space for the first time can feel both exciting and intimidating. Our studio culture is welcoming, but like any shared space, there are courtesies that help create a peaceful and respectful environment that is conducive to everything we come to yoga for. Here’s a guide to help you feel at ease and make the most of your practice. Please read carefully as violators will be asked to leave. Repeated Violators may be denied future service.

Arrive on Time (or a Little Early)

Especially on your first visit or two, give yourself at least 10-15 minutes to check in, set up your mat, get a feel for the space, and settle in before class begins. If you arrive late, wait for the instructor to find an an appropriate moment (like after the opening meditation) and signal you to come in rather than charging into the room and disturbing the class. Upon the Teacher’s signal, enter quietly and find a spot.

Remove Shoes (Do Not Wear into Studio)

Walking into the practice space with shoes tracks in dirt and disrupts the sacred feel of the room. We have designated areas for footwear in order to keep our studio floors clean. If it is muddy or snowy outdoors, please take your shoes or boots off and leave on the boot trays outside the door before the front desk. Clean shoes may be placed in shoe cubbies in the lobby (past the front desk). If your shoes are too big for cubbies or dirty, please leave them in the boot area. Do not leave shoes about the lobby floor. All shoes should be placed in shoe cubbies or on boot trays.

Additionally, hang up coats, bags, and other personal items on the hooks in the lobby. Do not leave them around as clutter. Place valuables or personal items you’d prefer to have in the same room in the yoga studio cubbies rather than have unnecessary clutter around your mat. (Outside Door is Locked 5 minutes into class).

Silence Your Phone

This is vital. Nothing disrupts a calming yoga session like a sudden ringtone. Turn off or put your phone in Airplane Mode before entering the studio (silencing will not do as often app notifications & alarms will still sound). If you’re expecting an emergency call, let the instructor know and follow their advice.

Keep Your Voice Low

Many of our students use the studio space before class for contemplation. If you spot someone in the yoga room during this time in meditation or deep breathing, please keep conversations soft, short, and respectful. If a deep chat is brewing, please move it to the lobby to enjoy or save it for after class.

Stay Through Savasanah (if you can)

Savasanah (final relaxation) is a vital part of the practice, allowing your body to integrate everything from class. We do not recommend skipping it, but if you must leave before class is over, please check in with the teacher so that they can tell you a good moment to leave that will not be disruptive to the room. A good rule of thumb is to never be up and down while the room is in quietness or contemplation such as when the room is winding down towards savasanah (usually 45 minutes into class). Never, ever leave or re-enter the room during Savasanah as this is highly disruptive. If you have to leave and then return, wait until class is over or class is up and active.

Practice Good Hygiene

Everyone Breathing Together means you should arrive to class wearing clean, breathable clothing. Be as clean as you would be if being company at someone else’s house. Do not stink, but also do not wear scents such as perfumes or strong oils as many students are sensitive to these and they can be distracting, especially when trying to work deeply with breath. Our studio is eco-friendly and does not use chemical cleaners or non-organic aerosols. Thus, do not even wear clothing that was worn while wearing perfume or cologne as scents can easily waft from the lobby into the yoga studio, not to mention re-embed on your skin.

Listen to Your Body (and the Teacher)

Yoga is about self-awareness, so modify poses as needed—there’s no need to push past your limits. That said, if an instructor gives a cue for the whole class (like shifting into Savasanah), try to follow along unless it feels unsafe for you. Our instructors are quite permissive with you being able to change up what you are doing on your mat to fit your own needs; however, you may not disrupt the class. Your actions in the yoga room should fit the mood of the room. Do not do your own inversions while the class is winding down to Savasanah. Avoid the middle of the room if you tend to do your own thing regularly. You are free do modify and change things up to get your best practice; however, it should also be evident as to why you are participating in a group class whereas - if you are doing your own thing the entire time - you could more appropriately practice on your own at home.

Clean Up After Yourself

Follow your teacher’s instruction for cleaning and putting away props after use (Fold and return blankets, blocks, and straps neatly) and take all personal belongings with you when you leave. Should you rent a studio mat, make sure to coat it with our mat spray (by the cubbies) and leave the mat where it is in the studio space. Do not wipe the mat. Always leave things as good as or better than what you came into it with.

Respect Personal Space

Make sure to put your mat in a proper row as indicated by the teacher or placeholder mats. No one likes feeling cramped, so this allows everyone to maximize the space possible within your mat as a personal bubble. Keep your mat in line with the row and stagger your body as needed for practice to move freely. Avoid stepping on someone else’s mat—it’s considered bad etiquette.

We welcome questions during class, but be low key (the rest of the class is trying to focus in, so act like everyone is watching a movie) with how you bring it up. Instructors are always available before and after class for questions as well. Please use us. Do not talk to your friends and other students during practice unless you need to communicate class-related cooperation / coordination.

As the yoga space is also a space to unwind, celebrate, mourn, and emotionally release, it is also a space where we do not want to discourage involuntary noises. Please…. release, cry, vocalize, etc. and understand that this is space set aside for such inner work. You may encounter this in our yoga space. However, we will discourage unnecessary noise that is due to a lack of conscientiousness such as snapping mats, exasperated sighs, or other attention seeking behaviors. “Main Character Syndrome” and disrespect will be warned before you will be asked to leave or further service denied.

We will trust our teacher’s judgement on this, so please listen up if one of them mentions something. Otherwise (we find 90% of people need to express more), please feel welcome to let it fly!

If you Want a space that is more open to questions & Interactions

Again, Teachers are available before & after class for questions & short workshopping. However, we also have classes that are specifically designed as a learning environment that welcomes questions and takes time to break down the pose and build yoga skills. You can find these classes in our Beginner Classes Section (Continuing Beginner Classes are often cited as being very useful, even for Intermediate Students) - Free for Members. Or you can find more advanced classes like this in the Workshops & Deeper Dive Section: Foundations Series. (Foundations Series, Free for Advanced Members).

It may be helpful here to make a distinction between two types of yoga classes: The Learning Class & The Practice Class

A Learning Class: Is a class where the primary focus of the class is to break down the yoga poses and breath exercises into their component parts. Here we spend a lot of time helping you gain skills and get nuanced about the practice of yoga. We often stop and demo and carve out time for questions and refinement. The goal is to help you develop new capacities by learning the breakdown, then trying it out, then habituating. A learning class enables you to “win skill”.

A Practice Class: Is a class where the primary focus is to get in as much practice as possible. The downside of a Learning Class is that the more time you spend breaking things down, getting nuanced, learning intellectually, and taking questions… the less time there is for practice. The less practice you do, the less you change your Nervous System, state of body, state of mind. A practice class is what most people want after a long day or week of work and responsibility. A practice class enables you to “win the day” and “get into the flow”. The downside of a practice class is that you can plateau in your practice. If you haven’t learned anything new in a month, try one of our workshops, continuing beginner classes / deeper dives.

We have unparalleled experience teaching yoga. Our average teacher has nearly a decade-and-a-half yoga teaching experience. One of the marks of a master teacher is the ability to combine Learning into a Practice Class & make plenty of practice in a learning class. If you are patient, and pay attention, you will often find that you get what you need; however, if you’re feeling lost, you should sign up for a Beginner Series, Workshop, or Foundations Series. These series are designed for questions and interactions because learning takes place in the week-to-week sequence of a series much better than a drop-in “whoever shows up” situation.

The drop-in classes you see on the schedule are primarily practice classes (with learning sprinkled in by our master teachers). The important thing about a practice class is “getting into the zone”, open up avenues to your subconscious, and feeling good so that you can win the day. Getting too intellectual (rather than doing the practices that open up what underlies the intellect) or stopping the class for questions tends to ruin this benefit, so if you want lots of learning, sign up for a series!

…. And Most importantly—

Relax and enjoy your practice

No one expects you to be perfect. With time, these habits will feel natural, and you’ll feel right at home in the yoga community. See you on the mat.