My first exposure to yoga was in high school. A buddy and I signed up for it as a PE elective, mostly because we’d heard you got to just lie there and do nothing at the end. As a soccer player trying to stay limber, I also appreciated all the parts before doing nothing at the end. So in the intervening 25 years, I’ve continued to spend a lot of hours on the mat. I follow along with yoga programs on TV, I am all in when I am on vacation and yoga is on the schedule at a resort or hotel, and I incorporate a few poses into the PE and athletics programs that I lead as a PK-8 teacher. I even bring in yoga teachers to lead my students through an actual class and practice along with them.

But as someone who has been flexibility challenged my entire life, I have always found the mere idea of going to class at a yoga studio to be nerve-wracking. In each of my practice experiences, the stakes seemed low because everyone was basically beginners. In my imagination, though, a studio class meant a roomful of superfit pros nailing every pose while the teacher had to constantly come over and correct me. Even then, l figured, I still wouldn’t get it right. And what if—*gulp*—the only space left was at the very front of the class?! My inflexibility would be on full display!

So despite my affinity for yoga, I managed to avoid attending a studio class for almost three decades.

Until, that is, this summer, when a couple of my friends repeatedly mentioned the killer workouts they were getting at a chain yoga studio near me. It was time for me to step outside my comfort zone and into the doors of a yoga studio.

To get over the hump, I pulled the same move I did in high school: I got a buddy to practice on the mat next to mine. Because he had experience taking studio classes, I knew he’d be sage company. I also figured I would feel less hesitant about being a noob since there would be companionship during the awkward pre-class moments and someone to laugh with if I fell out of a pose.

After a lot of overthinking, we signed up for a yoga sculpt class, figuring it would help us not feel completely out of place as we bridged the transition from gym bros to om bros.

Of course, in doing something new, there is usually a degree of uneasiness. Before class, I felt those same old butterflies that meant I was about to tackle novelty. But as I age (did I mention the 25 years since high school?!), I’m trying to expose myself to new situations more frequently, especially in light of a recent study conducted by Harvard researchers. Basically, they pored over 30 years of data and found that exercise variety, and not just amount, was linked to a much lower risk of premature death. Yet whenever I try to do yoga solo, I run out of moves after about 15 minutes and end up working the same muscles over and over.

So yeah, I leaned into the discomfort.

As I unrolled my mat and waited for my friend to show up, I tried to stifle that feeling of seeming tremendously out of place, although I couldn’t help but wonder if studio yoga just wasn’t for me. I didn’t seem to be part of the target demographic seeing as I was A. not in spandex, B. not Gen Z, and C. not female-identified. But as the space began to fill up and other students rounded out the mix, I felt a little less awkward.

Then class began and Paige, the instructor, kicked our asses. Here’s the delightful part about that—as it turns out, ass-kicking does not discriminate. Old and young, baggy shorts and spandex, all of us were put through our paces while sweating buckets in a heated room and guzzling water during breaks like a boxer given a minute in between rounds.

I tried to keep up—we all did—and there were plenty of moments when I turned the wrong way or had to tweak a pose. But everyone was shifting and tweaking. The struggle was real and not just for me.

When we finally reached Savasana, I was spent. Just like in high school, those moments of respite were damn welcome, and as we sunk into our mats, I felt the satisfaction that comes from surmounting an obstacle, even if it was one invented by my mind.

First-Time Yoga Studio Class Tips for Noobs

As I type with forearms that are starting to feel the first aches of soreness, I’m psyched to return. It’s not every day you get to confront your butterflies. Although I am still loathe to practice yoga on a mat at the front of a crowded studio. And of course, studio yoga classes aren’t for everyone. But I can see why that Harvard study made such a splash. The novelty of practicing something new in community was invigorating.

And after attending a couple more classes, I’ve found a few things to be helpful in making studio practice feel like just another fulfilling part of my yoga repertoire…

1. Have a buddy system!

Going to that first class with someone helped me feel vastly more comfortable taking the plunge.

2. Make practicing yoga routine, not random.

Block off time for yoga in your calendar each week and make the commitment. That way you won’t be waiting for the perfect time to go, because let’s be honest, that never happens. Making it part of your schedule is how it becomes part of your routine.

3. Find the right vibe

There are so many different teachers and studios out there. If you try a yoga class and it doesn’t feel quite right, don’t assume that you’re the problem. Try a different teacher, stye of yoga, or studio to find one that feels more right for you.