Where to Put Your Mat in Yoga Class
Hey there! This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Please see my legal page for more details.
Congratulations! You’ve summoned the courage to walk into your first yoga class despite your internal misgivings surrounding seriously hippy, bendy people who might even burn incense.
Rest assured that, at the very least, you’re going to get a kick-ass workout that opens your chest, hips, and maybe even your mind. Better yet, you might even be walking into a room that will change your life forever through a daily practice of moving meditation.
But first things first. Where should you put your mat in yoga class?
First, the most important thing is that you feel comfortable. If that means that you get there early in order to stake out the back corner in an effort to be as invisible as humanly possible while your leg is stretched over your head, so be it. Nobody will correct you.
But if you put your mat in the center of the room, you may end up being a bit more comfortable. Here’s why:
where to put your mat
- You can hear a little better the closer to the front you get. And verbal cues are going to be key when you are in the midst of a pose that doesn’t allow for looking about.
- When you’re in the middle of the room and in, say, a downward facing dog with your hips inverted above you in a V-shape and your head hanging between your arms, you can only see behind you. It’s far better to see another student in the position than it is to see a wall or, even worse, a mirror reflecting your posterior. Because, yeah, that happens sometimes.
- Sometimes the back of the room becomes the front of the room. When the teacher turns the class around, as a new student, you’re now on display with nothing but those verbal cues…which you would be able to hear a bit better if you were in the middle of the room.
So there you go. Post up in the middle…or wherever you feel most comfortable.
Namaste.
About the Author
Hi! I’m Jen!
I’m a freelance writer and travel blogger who quit my nine-to-five after my fiancé, Jeff, died of cancer at the age of 40. When he died, I realized that life is just too short to delay our dreams. Since my dream was to travel and write, I now travel and write full-time. Today I wear hiking boots instead of heels and collect experiences instead of things.
I prefer putting my mat by the door in Bikram yoga class.
Ha. That makes sense! You are looking for a little breeze. Duly noted.