We’ve all been there. No one has escaped that first awkward yoga class and after a few classes, we all wonder when we’re going to get better.

The good news is that we don’t have to be standing on our heads to know that our yoga practice is improving. As a former beginner and now a teacher, here’s my guide to how you know you’re getting better at yoga:

  1. You no longer get your left and right mixed up. Most people starting out have poor proprioception or what I like to call ‘body dyslexia’. With time we find that we’re facing the same direction as everyone else instead of that awkward moment when you’re facing the person next to you and you can’t figure out which one of you is facing the wrong way.
  1. You’ve stopped hating downward dog. 99% of people hate downward dog when they first start practising yoga but over time we get stronger and it starts to feel a little easier. Who knows, it might end up being your favourite pose?
  1. Your toes feel a little closer, maybe even within reach. You’ve never spent so much time looking at your toes since starting yoga.
  1. You can comfortably sit on the floor with your legs crossed. No slouching, not using your hands for support. And, you can get up again without groaning.
  1. You breathe properly, using the full capacity of your lungs. You’ve even started telling your friends and family about the virtues of deep breathing.
  1. Your plank no longer resembles a hammock and you know what it feels like when the teacher says “engage your core.”
  1. You chant Om at the end of the class at the top of your lungs, no longer silently miming or hoping that no one hears if you squeak or sound out of tune.

Have you noticed any changes or some things that now seem much easier? Let me know in the comments.

Monica x

P.S the only way to get better is to practice, get unlimited yoga classes for $450