Demystifying Yoga Rituals

I'll be the first to admit that when I went to a yoga class for the first time, I was a little nervous because I didn't really know what to expect. A few things occurred during class that I was unsure of, particularly at the beginning and end of class. Maybe you experienced this as well if you've attended a class in a yoga studio or on online studio. Maybe it was even a little bit intimidating or confusing or felt cultish. Maybe you are thinking about starting a yoga practice but would like to know what to expect before you get started. Regardless of where you are (or aren't) in your practice, this blog post provides a little explanation of what to expect in a studio or online studio yoga class.

One of the first things that usually happens is that the instructor will invite you to become present, to arrive on the mat, or to center yourself. This involves focusing your mind on the present moment, allowing your brain to be with the body where it physically is and to be aware of sensations. Centering generally includes some instruction to focus on your breath without changing it. By focusing on the breath, we shift focus away from ruminating on whatever we were doing prior to class and also away from thoughts of tasks, errands, chores, etc that may be looming for the rest of the day or week. This practice of centering usually takes a couple of minutes.

A pranayama, or breath work, practice usually follows centering. Since we are already focused on the breath, it's relatively easy to move into manipulations of the breath and this may happen without you even noticing. Yoga offers a wide variety of breath work practices with one of the most commonly taught in classes being a three-part yogic breath. In this breathing exercise, you'll be instructed to inhale deeply through the nose into the belly, then the rib cage, and finally the chest, followed by exhaling through the nose in the reverse order (chest, ribs, belly). You may be instructed to count to three or four on the inhale and then three or four on the exhale as you practice yogic breath. Getting in touch with the breath at the beginning of class supports your awareness of being able to match the breath with movement and poses during the remainder of class. Other pranayama techniques may be instructed during this portion of class - just follow the lead of your teacher and know that you can stop at any time if you find yourself straining for breath.

Next may come an invitation to set an intention for your practice, bringing the palms and fingertips of your hands together in front of your chest. Maybe this all sounds a bit esoteric but it boils down to setting your mind on a way you want to be as you experience the practice, how you want to experience the class. For example, you might set an intention to be open to trying new things or to establish a mind-body connection (i.e., be in the present moment, aware of sensations in the body as you move through class). Intentions are stated as positive statements rather than negative ones. If your intention leans to a negative statement like "Don't be competitive," try to turn it around to a positive one like "Do what feels right for my body today." Prayer position of hands (or anjali mudra) when setting an intention can be interpreted as a kind of prayer but if that doesn't work for you, consider it as a gesture of reverence for your intention. Intentions are sealed with a chant of OM.

What the heck is OM?! Maybe you're thinking,"This feels like a cult!" Or maybe "I'm not religious; I don't want to chant OM." That's totally fine. Intentions are sealed and the formal asana (or postures) portion of the class often begins with the chant of OM. You don't need to participate or chant it if you don't want to. Furthermore, there's no need to apply any religious or spiritual meaning to OM in order to use it to officially start class. If spirituality is part of your practice or if you are open to exploring it, OM, when chanted, is the vibrational frequency found throughout the natural world; it is the basic sound of the universe. By chanting it we symbolically and physically acknowledge our connection to the natural world and all living beings. Some teachers may follow OM with Namaste. Namaste is a greeting similar to a handshake or a bow, meaning that I see and greet you.

The final pose in asana practice is Savasana (pronounced shuh-VAH-suh-nuh) or corpse pose. It serves to calm the body into a deep state of relaxation after the stress of physical movement. Symbolically, savasana is a practice of letting go of everything including the ego. In a sense, it is learning how to die. To that end, savasana is a pause during which we can integrate the yoga practice (not just the physical poses but the broader lessons of yoga), awaken from it transformed, and go into the world again "reborn" so to speak. Of course, you don't need to apply the symbolic meaning of savasana if that turns you off. Just appreciate the quiet stillness as a way for your body to physically incorporate the movements you've just completed.

After savasana, you may be asked to recall your intention and chant OM to officially end class. A chant of OM is often used to close followed by bringing your hands in prayer position to your forehead and bowing in Namaste. The forehead, particularly the space just above the center of the eyebrows, is referred to as the Third-eye Center, the seat of knowledge and intuition. From this place, we acknowledge and recognize one another as living beings, the thing that is universal in all of us. And we honor this in one another through bowing and saying "Namaste." Again if the symbolism of this practice is not for you, skip it or think of it as a way of expressing thanks to the instructor.

If these aspects of a yoga practice don't sit well with you and you're exclusively after the physical benefits of an asana practice, yoga classes at gyms may be more to your liking (versus studio classes) as they tend not to use some of these symbolic practices. For some people, the physical benefits of a yoga practice include stress reduction and relaxation. For me, the stress reduction and relaxation come not only from the movement, but also from the stillness, the shared space (even when virtual), and the shared practice of the rituals.