There’s a bit of debate about music in yoga classes. Some love it, some hate it, but let’s face it, the most popular classes seem to be the ones with the loudest, most raucous playlist. When I practice, I practice in silence. When my teacher is out of town and I’m feeling like going to a class over a home practice, I gravitate towards teachers who do not play music in their classes. That’s not to say that I can’t or won’t go to a class that has music, but I prefer silence. My mind is perfectly capable of wandering or going on autopilot all on its own without having a song to sing along to, a chord progression to analyze, some artist’s message to contemplate, or to simply get lost in a song or melody so that I’m not paying attention to what I’m actually doing. The world offers enough of a symphony of sounds around me to challenge my dharana (concentration) for a lifetime. I come to my mat to go into myself, not to escape from being with myself.

Yoga is a practice of subtlety, and it takes immense focus to be able to listen to your body and to your breath. If there is music playing, it doesn’t need to be very loud before you can no longer hear your breath. If your breath is also supposed to be what you’re moving in time with, it doesn’t help to have a beat playing either. Most of us don’t come to this practice so skilled in ekagrata (one-pointed focus) that we can really handle extra noise on top of all the other noise in our world and in our heads. Yoga helps us develop that skill. Some would argue that practicing amidst noise helps us develop it more because it forces us to tune out the chaos around us, further developing our pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses). There’s some validity to that, but I think it takes a very advanced yogi to do it skillfully, and the vast majority of us do not fit into that category, myself included.

I think of the yoga classroom much like a traditional classroom. Your math or english professor doesn’t turn on music and then proceed to give their lecture over the music, do they? In the yoga room, your subject matter is your body, your mind, and your spirit. I want to be able to observe all of these things and how they work together. What is happening in my body? How am I responding to it emotionally? Can I feel the muscles that I’m using? Can I keep them engaged or do they only light up for only one or two seconds at a time? Can I NOT feel the muscles that I need to use? Where are the dull/blind spots in my body that I cannot feel? This is a LOT of information to process, and if I’m humming along to some song or other I’m going to miss out!

As a teacher I also prefer to teach without music. There’s a lot to pay attention to in the classroom! You are giving verbal instructions, sometimes demonstrating, constantly scanning the room to make sure that everyone is doing each asana safely, and adjusting people as needed. If I’m busy on my phone pulling up the next song, that takes my attention away from all of that. Not to mention, having to speak over music is going to wear on my voice over time, and I’m not interested in doing that either.

Now, I don’t want you to think that I hate music. I most certainly do not. As a matter of fact, I’m a musician. I love music. I even have a degree in it. It moves me to the very core of my soul. This is one reason those who love to practice to music cite for why they love it so much. We are all different, and different things work for each of us to connect us to ourselves. There are definite benefits on a vibrational and molecular level to practicing amidst consonant sounds. However, I think there are certain times and places, like sound baths, that are better suited to that kind of thing than during an asana practice.

The last time my teacher went out of town my friend Chanahira was subbing for him, and I always jump at the opportunity to take her class. She said something that really struck a chord (pun intended) with me. She said “Observe your relationship with silence.” When external distractions are minimized you have no choice but to face yourself. You have to look at what comes up. Does silence make you uncomfortable? Does it make you feel like your skin is crawling? Or does it make you feel bored, anxious, or agitated? Can you not focus? Do you feel like you need something, anything, to distract you from the physical discomfort of what it is that you’re doing on the mat until it’s time for savasana? All of this is what you need to take note of. This is the work in yoga. If you’re intentionally distracting yourself then you’re missing the point.

Yoga is gaining more popularity than ever the world over. Its benefits are plentiful, spanning physical, mental, emotional and spiritual fitness. However, walking into a yoga studio can be intimidating to some. Here are some guidelines that will help you enter that brand new environment with confidence and make the yoga world a little less unfamiliar.

Arrive 10-15 Minutes Before Class Starts

Whether it’s your first time at a new studio or you’ve been attending class there for years, it’s best to arrive early and give yourself time to get settled. You need time to sign in, put your belongings away, set up your mat, use the restroom, etc. If a class starts at 8am and you’re walking into the studio right at 8am, you are going to have to do all these things after the class has already started. Not only will you be cheating yourself out of that precious opening meditation time and possibly even some warm-up postures, but you will also be disturbing the class as you walk in and get set up while class is in progress. It’s disrespectful to the teacher, as well as the other students, who all showed up on time, and it’s also disrespectful to yourself. Make the commitment to show up for yourself by showing up on time, and on time means 10-15 minutes early.

Remove Your Shoes At The Door

At the very least, the yoga floor is something our body will come into contact with during the course of our practice, and sometimes that means our face will be touching the floor. At the very most, the yoga room is a sacred space. Either way, no one wants all the muck that you traipse through out in the world to be on that yoga room floor. Consider all of the public restrooms you walk into and what is on those floors, and then think about your bare feet, or worse, your face on that floor. Yuck! Get into the habit of removing your shoes immediately upon entry of any yoga studio.

Leave Your Personal Effects In The Cubbies Provided

We practice yoga to un-clutter our minds and bodies, so it makes sense that we shouldn’t clutter up the environment in which we practice. Yoga studios provide cubbies for your belongings, so leave them there rather than bringing them into the yoga room with you and piling them up next to your mat.

Turn Off Your Cell Phone

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been either taking or teaching a class and someone’s cell phone goes off either in the middle of class or in savasana. It’s embarrassing for the person whose phone it is, and it disturbs the whole class. While it can be viewed as an opportunity to practice dharana (concentration), it’s also another opportunity to show the people you’re practicing with that you respect them. I personally leave my cell phone either at home or hidden in my car. On the off chance that my phone does make it into a room with me, I have the phone completely silenced so that it doesn’t even vibrate. Your teachers and classmates will thank you.

As a side note, some of us may have extenuating circumstances which require us to have our phones on us during class. Such circumstances may be: a loved one is in the hospital and we are waiting for a call from the doctor, or we work an on-call job which requires we be available by phone during certain hours. If you find yourself in one of these circumstances, it doesn’t mean you have to stay home and not practice yoga. Just communicate that to the teacher ahead of time, and kindly turn the volume down low enough so that it doesn’t disturb the whole class when it goes off.

Inform Your Teacher of Any Body Circumstances Before Class

Always let your teacher know if you have something going on with your body that they need to be aware of. This doesn’t always mean injury, though, of course, always let your teacher know if you are injured. This could mean letting your teacher know you have something going on like high or low blood pressure or glaucoma, and it could also mean letting your teacher know if you’re in the early stages of a pregnancy or recently postpartum. The more information your teacher has, the better they can serve you. Similarly, if you’re in the middle of class and something doesn’t feel right, whether something is hurting or you start feeling dizzy or unwell in some way, let your teacher know immediately.

Don’t Be Attached To Your Favorite Spot

One of the principles we practice in yoga is called aparigraha. It can be interpreted as non-attachment, non-greed or non-hoarding. This applies to, among other things, people, emotions, feelings, things, and yes, your favorite spot to be in class. Sometimes you might show up and someone might be there already. Be okay with setting your mat up somewhere else and see what it’s like to practice with a new perspective. There’s no better way to show people that you’re not practicing your yoga than to throw someone attitude or ask them to move because they’re in “your” spot.

Make Space For People 

As a room fills up, people tend to try to keep their bubble around their mat as big as possible. Make sure that when you set up your mat you leave enough room for people who come in after you to set up their mats as well. In popular classes, it’s not uncommon to only have an inch or less between your mat and the mats around you. Keep that in mind as you set up. Also, be ready and willing to move your mat if there is space to make room for someone who is darting in at the last minute. If there is any more than a couple of inches between mats in a row, everyone can generally shift over enough to create an entire mat’s worth of space!

Try Not To Step On Other People’s Mats

A person’s mat is a personal item. It contains their sweat and their energy. For personal and spiritual hygiene reasons, we generally want to avoid contaminating other people’s mats with our energy and our feet.

As A General Rule, Stay For The Whole Class

Savasana (corpse pose) is an important part of the yoga practice. It’s the time at the end of class when we practice complete relaxation while remaining fully conscious. It’s the time when we allow our bodies to integrate the new lessons we have taught it; the time to allow those new neural pathways to set in. This is by far the hardest part of the practice, because it is much harder to keep the mind still than the body. According to the Hatha Yoga Pradipika it “removes the fatigue caused by the other asanas and induces calmness of mind.” Leaving early robs you of the opportunity for this restorative part of the practice.

If You Have To Leave Early, Tell The Teacher And Leave Before Savasana

Sometimes life calls, but we still want to get our practice in. Everyone appreciates this. It’s as simple as letting your teacher know that you have to duck out early before they get into teaching the class. You will be responsible for keeping an eye on the time, doing a few cool down postures, and giving yourself a savasana before you leave. Also, make sure you leave before the teacher puts the rest of the class into savasana. That way, you won’t be disturbing anyone else’s final rest. Talking to the teacher ahead of time allows you to ask the teacher what time they plan to put the class into savasana so that you can plan your exit accordingly.

Respect Your Body

Sometimes a class is too much for us. Try not to let your ego get in the way of recognizing that. It’s important to pace yourself. It is always okay to take child’s pose or stand in tadasana or do some restorative poses if you need to collect yourself and reclaim your breath. It’s also okay to leave these classes early if you find it’s not serving you in the moment. Just quietly let the teacher know what’s going on with you, make sure to give yourself a savasana, and be on your way.