The first class is the hardest and the most useful. Here is what Nina tells every newcomer before they roll out a mat.
You will not finish the sequence
Nobody does in their first class, or their tenth. Ashtanga is a fixed series and the point is not to get to the end but to meet the same shapes every week and watch them change. Stop where the teacher tells you to and take rest. That is not failing, that is the method.
Breathe louder than you think you should
The breath is the metronome. If you lose it, the practice becomes a workout, which is fine but not what we are here for. When in doubt, slow down and make the exhale audible.
Come back within a week
The second class is where it starts to make sense. The body remembers more than you expect and the sequence, which felt like chaos, turns out to have a shape. Three classes in and you will know where you are.
Bring a towel, skip the big breakfast and tell Nina it is your first time. She will keep an eye on you.
