Every experienced yogi was once a beginner, and every studio regular — at one point in their yoga journey — walked through a studio’s doors for the first time.
Yoga can be a vulnerable and scary practice. Trying new things is intimidating! Especially when you’re trying new things in a new environment in front of new people.
And you may or may not be very sweaty.
If you’ve never been to a yoga studio, it can be an overwhelming experience at first. So, I took a second to jot down some etiquette tips for new and beginner yogis who maybe haven’t participated in a studio practice before.
A lot of these etiquette practices stem from the yamas and niyamas, two of the eight limbs of yoga that elaborate moral values yogis should aspire to follow, and dictate the way yogis should conduct themselves around others.
A lot of these are common sense: Be kind and respectful. Try not to distract other students. Be mindful of the space you are occupying. Some of these may be controversial! Some of these pieces of advice follow in line with common studio rules, and others are just some common pet peeves.
While I’ve had the privilege of working, teaching and practicing at a variety of studios, all of this advice is general. None of it reflects specifically on any single studio, and your studio’s rules may be different from another studio’s rules.
That’s why we’re starting off with the biggest piece of advice:
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When in doubt, look for signage or ask a studio employee. Every studio I’ve practiced at has typically posted signage about community expectations, and employees have always, in my experience, been happy to answer any and all questions.
Arrive early, stay for the entire class, and leave once the instructor is done speaking. There are, of course, exceptions. Many studios try to recognize that sometimes, things happen. But, it’s incredibly distracting for students and instructors when a latecomer arrives to start setting up their space while students are reclined with closed eyes, setting intentions and breath. Many studios will even lock their doors once class starts! If you arrive late, set up your space as quietly as possible in the back. If you have to leave class early, do so before savasana.
If you’re a new student, arrive extra early. It will likely take a few minutes for studio employees to book you into class, have you sign waivers, give you a tour of the studio space and share policies and etiquette with you. If you arrive a minute before class starts hoping to take class, you may not be allowed to simply because one minute does not allow enough time to sign waivers, and studios are very unlikely to allow you into a studio without a signed waiver.
Take off your shoes at the designated shoe area. Most studios don’t allow shoes in the studio proper so as to keep things as clean as possible for students, since yoga is a barefoot practice. A lot of studios will place shoe shelves or cubbies by the entrance with benches so there’s an easy place to store your shoes. On that note-
Leave all unnecessary things (especially phones) in the lobby. Unless you’re practicing in a very small niche studio or a community fitness center, your yoga studio will likely have a lobby or a designated area to place the things you don’t need for practice. Your studio might have hooks, lockers, shoe cubbies/ trays or any combination of the above. Leave your things in the lobby and don’t bring them into the studio. This includes your phone- leave your phone in the lobby. Don’t film your practice or the practice of Things like coats, jackets, bags, etc. can take up a lot of studio space and make it hard for an instructor to move around. If you don’t need it for practice, leave it outside the studio. It’s OK to keep an extra layer, such as a wrap for savasana, near your mat, but leave your gym bag in the lobby.
Hopefully, you’ve adhered to the rule above and left your phone outside of the studio so the following shouldn’t be a problem… but don’t film yourself, your instructor or other students without explicit permission. You can always ask your instructor if there’s time outside of class to film yourself in the studio.
Keep chatter to a minimum. This can be a little tricky: All studios are a little different in how they approach community building. If you’re in doubt, look for signage or take a cue from other yogis around you. When I worked at CorePower, we had signs on our studio doors indicating studios were for silence, and before-and-after class socialization could be conducted in the lobby. At YogaSix, we encourage community connection INSIDE the studio, so students are allowed to chat in the studio proper before and after class. However, chatter during class is a big no-no. While it’s probably OK to breathe as loudly as you would like, refrain from interrupting the instructor during class, and refrain from talking to other students during instruction. It’s very distracting for other yogis and quite rude.
Silence your watches. This is a big one lately! It’s pretty common to hear beeping and chirping from Apple Watches and Garmins throughout class and especially during savasana. Put your fitness trackers on silent before entering the studio.
Practice good hygiene. “Saucha,” or cleanliness, is one of the niyamas. Hot yoga gets really sweaty, which means it can get smelly. Try not to make the studio’s smell worse. Shower before class. Make sure your equipment is clean, and refrain from wearing strong oils, perfumes and other scents.
Clean up after yourself. While some studios do have cleaning crews that meticulously clean mats, blocks and straps, many studios don’t. Clean any borrowed props. Just like you’d wipe down your elliptical at the gym, wipe down any borrowed fitness equipment at your yoga studio so it’s clean for the next student. While it’s OK to leave sweat smudges on the studio floor, if you spill your water bottle, clean it up.
Leave the studio environment alone. Don’t prop open doors, don’t adjust the lights or window shades, don’t touch audio equipment, don’t touch anything that isn’t yours. If you’re taking a heated yoga class, try not to continually enter and exit the studio* as it can let out heat, which compromises the studio environment your instructor has meticulously tried to set and can be distracting to other students.
*Be safe and smart- if you must exit the studio for your health and safety, you must exit the studio. But try not to move in and out of the studio without cause.
Respect the space (and time) of other yogis. When you’re placing your mat down, make sure you’re giving yogis near you enough space for their practice. If your studio uses mat markers, adhere to them. Mat markers are stickers, tape, paint or any other markings that indicate where mats should be placed in the studio. Many studios use markers to ensure there’s enough space for all yogis to practice. If your studio doesn’t offer mat markers, it’s nice to stagger your mat, and if there’s a yogi behind you, avoid placing your mat directly in front of them. They may be trying to keep a view of the mirrors. While your studio may be a quiet space, it’s almost always OK to quietly ask an already-established yogi if they’re OK with where you’ve placed your mat. Don’t step on other yogis mats. If you are using studio showers after class, keep it quick.
This one may be controversial. While it’s OK to deviate from an instructor’s sequence in some situations, free-flow may be discouraged. That’s not to say yogis are expected to do every single thing an instructor does and says- of course not! But a studio practice is much different from a home practice. A lot of yoga sequences are set up to include some basic poses — like toe stand — that can be modified for beginners using blocks, or modified into an inversion (such as crow pose) for more experienced yogis. This is totally fine! If you have an instructor cueing you into lizard pose and they indicate you’ll have several breaths or “time to play” in that pose, it’s OK to fly or revolve your lizard. Conversely, you’re also always welcome to find a seat or a child’s pose at any point in your practice. However, I’ve had “experienced” yogis arrive to my classes, set up their mats right in the front row, and then proceed to completely ignore my sequence and cueing for the full hour of practice while working into several advanced poses (with improper alignment) and using the full hour of class practice handstands against the mirrors even while I was cueing students into savasana. Yikes. That’s incredibly disrespectful to the instructor (who worked hard to craft an entire experience for all students), to regular students (who are trying to focus on their pratyahara, dharana and dhyana) and especially to new or beginner students (who may be intimidated, and are likely in the back row trying to follow along with the instructor). If you absolutely must must practice your own sequence in a studio space, talk to the instructor beforehand. They may ask you to find an unobtrusive spot in the back corner or ask that you work with studio managers to rent out studio time outside of class for that practice.
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Whew! That seems like a lot — but I promise, if you shower before practice, show up early, leave your phone and shoes in the lobby, respect the space of other yogis, stay for the whole class and clean up after yourself — you’ve nailed it!
My views are mine alone and don’t represent those of YogaSix, YogaSix Flagstaff or any prior yoga studio I have worked for. You can read more on my disclosure and privacy policy page.
