When I walked into my first yoga class in Prague in 2015, I was the least flexible person in the room by a significant margin. I could not touch my toes. I fell over during tree pose. I left feeling humiliated and oddly curious. I went back the following week. That decision changed a lot about how I move through the world.
The flexibility myth
The most common reason people give for not trying yoga is that they are not flexible enough. This is like saying you are too dirty to take a shower. Yoga is not a performance of flexibility. It is a practice that develops flexibility over time, among many other things.
When I started, I could not sit cross-legged comfortably for more than a few minutes. My hamstrings were so tight that forward folds looked nothing like the pictures in the books. None of this mattered. What mattered was showing up and working with what I had.
After two years of regular practice, my flexibility had improved considerably. But more importantly, my relationship with my body had changed. I had stopped treating it as a machine that was either performing or failing, and started treating it as something to listen to.
Choosing a style when you are starting out
There are more styles of yoga than most beginners realize, and the differences between them are significant. Walking into a Bikram class as your first yoga experience is very different from attending a Yin class. Here is a brief orientation:
- Hatha yoga is the most common starting point. Classes are typically slower-paced, with time spent in each pose. Good for learning alignment and basic postures.
- Vinyasa yoga links movement to breath in flowing sequences. More physically demanding than Hatha, but many people find the rhythm easier to stay with.
- Yin yoga involves holding passive poses for several minutes. Excellent for flexibility and for learning to be still, but can feel frustratingly slow at first.
- Ashtanga yoga follows a set sequence of poses practiced in the same order every time. Physically demanding and best approached after some experience with other styles.
For most beginners, I recommend starting with Hatha. The slower pace gives you time to understand what you are doing and why. Once you have a foundation, you can explore other styles.
Finding a class in Czech Republic
Prague has a good range of yoga studios, from traditional Hatha schools to more contemporary wellness centers. Most offer beginner courses that run for six to eight weeks and provide a structured introduction to the practice.
If you are outside Prague, the options are more limited but growing. Many smaller Czech cities now have at least one or two studios. Online classes have also made it possible to practice with quality teachers regardless of location, which has been a significant development for people living in smaller towns.
The Yoga Journal maintains a useful guide to different yoga styles that can help you decide what to look for when choosing a class.
The first year of yoga is mostly about learning to be uncomfortable without leaving. Every time you stay in a pose that is difficult, you are building something more important than flexibility.
What to expect in your first class
You will not understand everything that is happening. The teacher will use Sanskrit terms you do not recognize. You will look around to see what other people are doing. You will fall out of poses. All of this is normal and expected.
Most yoga teachers are accustomed to beginners and will offer modifications for poses that are too challenging. Do not be afraid to use props. Blocks, straps, and bolsters exist precisely to make poses accessible to people whose bodies are not yet ready for the full expression of a posture.
One thing that surprised me in my first class was how much of yoga happens in the transitions between poses. The movement from one position to another is not a pause in the practice. It is part of the practice. Paying attention to how you move, not just where you end up, is one of the things that distinguishes yoga from simple stretching.
The mental side that nobody mentions
Yoga is often sold as a physical practice with mental benefits. In my experience, it is more accurate to say it is a mental practice that uses the body as its instrument.
When you hold a challenging pose for thirty seconds, what you are really practicing is the ability to stay present with discomfort without immediately reacting to it. This is the same skill that meditation develops, just expressed through the body rather than through stillness.
After a few months of regular practice, I noticed that I was handling difficult situations at work differently. Not dramatically differently, but there was a small but real change in my ability to pause before reacting. I attribute this partly to the yoga and partly to the meditation I was doing alongside it. The two practices reinforce each other in ways that are hard to separate.
Equipment: what you actually need
A yoga mat is the only piece of equipment you genuinely need. Most studios provide mats for beginners, but having your own is more hygienic and gives you the option to practice at home.
You do not need special yoga clothing. Comfortable clothes that allow you to move freely are sufficient. The yoga wear industry is large and profitable, but none of it is necessary for the practice itself.
If you want to practice at home, a mat and enough floor space to lie down flat are all you need. Some people find a yoga block useful for poses that require reaching the floor, but you can substitute a thick book or a folded blanket.
How long before you notice a difference
Most people notice physical changes within six to eight weeks of regular practice. Improved flexibility, better posture, and reduced tension in the shoulders and neck are common early benefits.
The mental benefits tend to take longer to become obvious, but they are often more significant in the long run. After three to four months of consistent practice, many people report feeling more grounded, less reactive, and more comfortable in their own bodies.
The research on yoga's effects on stress and anxiety is substantial. A review published in the International Journal of Yoga found consistent evidence that regular yoga practice reduces cortisol levels and improves self-reported wellbeing across diverse populations.