5 Tips for Introducing Yoga to a Friend

Recently, my best friend asked me to share some yoga poses that would be good for opening up the hips and winding down at night. After several years of singing yoga's praises, that request was music to my ears! Very quickly my mind started spinning with emotions, ideas for what to share, and visions of us becoming famous yogis and taking over the world. Luckily for my friend, I have done enough yoga to catch myself before some of my crazy ideas leave my head! If you ever have the opportunity to share yoga with friends or loved ones, here are a few tips to make yoga a pleasant experience for the both of you.

Play it cool. I know, you've been waiting what feels like forever for people to just listen already, and finally try yoga. But if you start doing cartwheels and celebrating loudly, well, you may just stop your friend before they get really get going. Fight the urge to doing a victory dance, and try to keep your reaction interested but calm. “Oh really? Let me know if you want any suggestions.” You can call up your yoga friends later to celebrate.

Don't overload people. If you've been doing any sort of yoga for a while, you've probably got a good knowledge base. You know all the Sanskrit names for poses, your chakras are perfectly attuned, and you can tie a turban with your eyes closed. So it may be a bit jarring when you realize your friend doesn't even know where their shoulder blades are, or how to do Long Deep Breathing. If your friend asks you to show them a few things they can do at home, keep it simple. Don't toss them a bunch of props and recommend Bound Lotus when Spinal Flexes and Breath of Fire may be enough.

Recommend a class. Yogi Bhajan said that he came to make teachers. I often hear that it doesn't matter if you only know one kriya, just share that. There is certainly a benefit to that, but no matter what style of yoga there comes a point when everyone could use the guidance of someone trained in the practice of teaching yoga. I may know how to do sun salutations and the Radiant Body kriya for myself, but that doesn't mean I can look at a friend and know when they are out of alignment or pushing too hard. A good yoga teacher will provide a safe and healthy foundation, physically and emotionally, for new students to flourish. If your friend or relative can't get to a class, recommend a good yoga dvd!

Embrace who they are. Yoga has an image of being populated by New Age, hippie women. We all say it's for everybody, but many of us secretly believe that yoga would turn our meat-eating, Republican relatives into crunchy, “Oming” yogis. While it's certainly possible that yoga can make uptight people a little more laid back, we aren't really practicing yogic ideas of acceptance if we have hidden agendas for our friends and family. So if you know your dad won't be comfortable chanting, don't drop him unprepared into the middle of a Kundalini class. If your best friend isn't interested in things like prana or chakras, maybe a power yoga class at the gym would be a better recommendation. Yoga can be for everybody, as long as we allow people to be themselves.

Have fun. Sharing yoga with someone you care about can be a great bonding experience. If you get too hung up on your role as “teacher,” worrying what they'll think of what you're showing them, or if you're doing things right, you'll miss out on a fun time. Think about why you love doing yoga, and share that spirit. Your friend will thank you for it!