Yoga Basics: Yoga for Beginners
Yoga Doesn’t Have to Be Daunting
You don’t need to be able to touch your toes or stand on one leg. You don’t need fancy yoga pants or expensive equipment. We break down the postures and classes to meet you where you are at.
Why This Course?
Ever walk into a yoga class or turned on a YouTube video and felt like it just wasn’t for you? Let me know if any of this sounds familiar:
- I can’t come to yoga because I can’t even touch my toes.
- I’m too old for yoga, everyone looks like they are 25.
- I don’t think I’m skinny enough to do yoga.
- I can’t stand on my head, I can barely sit on the floor with my ankles crossed.
- I felt worse after going to a yoga class, not better.
I get it. Here’s the thing, anyone can practice yoga or start yoga. There are so many different ways to practice: slow, fast, powerful, gentle, hot, cold. However, the instruction needs to meet students where they are at not forcing body parts into complex positions that does more harm than good.
This course is for people who are absolute beginners. If you haven’t exercised in a while or are so tight that you feel like a rubber band ready to snap this course is for you. Yoga Basics will help you:
- Reduce your stress and target areas of the body you carry stress in.
- Increase your flexibility in a way that feels good.
- Build your stamina.
- Learn the basics of yoga in a comfortable environment
- Build up towards longer classes focusing on the fundamentals of yoga postures.
Here's What You'll Get
Build Up Module
This module focuses on building you up towards a 30 minute class. Perfect for those who want to get started slowly, this module helps participants understand the basics of each portion of class.
5 Full Length Classes
These beginner friendly yoga classes include the basic yet effective postures of yoga, focusing on how to adapt the postures for your body. Class length increases as you build strength.
How To's
These short videos break down the postures so you learn different ways to modify them for you body. The how to videos can be watched to simply learn or to be practiced as mini-classes.
Planner and Journal
Starting a new yoga practice can be challenging. We included a planner and journal to help plan your practice and reflect on what works for you and what doesn't. The planner is self-paced to find out what works best for you.
What to Expect in Your Yoga Basics Course
This course is divided into 4 different sections:
Module 1: Just Getting Started. We’re going over the basics. Safety, how to navigate this course, your planner, and just a little bit about what’s behind yoga. It’s quick, it’s easy, you can finish it in one sitting and likely just watch it once. Just enough so you feel confident to get going.
Module 2: Building Up to Your First Class. If starting a full 30-minute class or longer seems daunting, literally don’t SWEAT it. This module is divided into really short clips so you build up to a full class……in a few videos we barely even move when focused on relaxing. Some of you may want to skip this is you’re ready to get moving immediately. But if you’re one of those people who want to know what’s happening before committing to 30 minutes with me, this section is for you. We go over the basic set up of a full class one section at a time.
Module 3: The full-length classes. We have 5 super beginner-friendly classes. The first class is around 30 minutes as we increase the length to 50 minutes.
Module 4: How’s To’s. We all have different body types and different abilities. I’ll review different options, modifications, and tips for yoga poses. These short videos will give you a deep dive of things to try so poses feel good for YOU. So if you’re having any challenges during the classes with certain postures or just want to learn more, this is a great resource to come to. You can practice these as mini-practices if you want to squeeze a few minutes of yoga into your day.
About Your Instructor
Melissa Leger is an MBSR and yoga instructor. She works with women, veterans, and the medical community to help decrease stress and incorporate healthier lifestyle habits. As a female veteran, recovering corporate professional, and business owner, she has experienced stress and the challenges it creates in overall health and interpersonal relationships. Through a practical and straightforward approach, Melissa facilitates wellness programs that focus on living fully in the present moment through meditation and mindful movement.
Melissa currently teaches mindfulness to veterans experiencing PTSD at the Road Home Clinic and offers affordable yoga and mindfulness programs throughout Chicago through various organizations. She has completed training programs through Mindful Academy International, Bloom Prenatal, Connection Coalition, Sunlight Chair Yoga, and Yandara Yoga Institute. She has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, Female Entrepreneur Association, Veteran’s Path Podcast, and the Tampa Tribune. She does freelance writing and has been featured in Yoga International.
Melissa holds an MBA from the University of Tampa and a BS in Business Management from the University of Tampa and is the owner of Kindpact.
Yoga for non-pretzel people.
You don’t need to be able to touch your toes or stand on one leg. You don’t need fancy yoga pants or expensive equipment. We break down the postures and classes to meet you where you are at.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yoga mats are not required but we definitely recommend having a non-slippery floor so it is highly encouraged to have one. We also love props and in Module 1, we will review them but we will also go over substitutes. It could also be helpful to check out our post on recommended yoga mats and supplies.
Doesn’t matter. We encourage the least flexible people to start with us. Yoga isn’t for flexible people, it helps you increase your flexibility no matter where you are at.
Honestly, this course probably wouldn’t be the best suited for you. However, we highly recommend Chair Yoga which is great for beginners, seniors, and those with joint, balance, or energy challenges. Check out our Chair Yoga for Beginner Course here.
Absolutely not. We review postures and techniques and focus on being kind to ourselves. The meditation we practice is mindfulness meditation and we practice in a secular format. Our focus is to help you relax, stretch, and strengthen your body and practice a little self-care.