I went to a yoga class at the London Buddhist Centre recently.

And I really enjoyed it.

Not because the teaching was exceptional — it wasn’t.

There were no adjustments.
No real feedback.
Very little explanation.

There was an unspoken assumption that you could follow.

And if you couldn’t… you’d work it out.

And yet — it was a wonderful experience.

Simple.
Quiet.
Uncluttered.

It gave me space to practice
To pay attention.
To explore what was happening inside rather than being constantly directed from the outside.

It felt like yoga stripped right back to its core.

So… was it a good yoga class?

For me — yes.

For someone completely new?

I’m not so sure.

Because here’s the thing we don’t say out loud very often:

A yoga class can be “good” and still not be appropriate for everyone in the room.

If you’re experienced, you bring a lot with you:

• body awareness

• a sense of alignment

• the ability to self-correct

• familiarity with the shapes

You don’t need much guidance to have a meaningful practice.

In fact, too much instruction can get in the way.

But if you are brand new?

That same lack of guidance can feel like being dropped in at the deep end.

You might:

• not understand what you’re being asked to do

• move in ways that don’t feel good

• feel unsure, or even slightly exposed

• quietly decide that yoga “isn’t for you”

So what makes a class “good”?

This is where it gets uncomfortable.

Because it’s not just about the teacher’s knowledge.
Or their personality.
Or how “authentic” the class feels.

A good yoga class is not just one that stays true to its intention.

It’s one that is aware of who it’s serving.

That doesn’t mean every class has to be for everyone.

It doesn’t.

Some classes will be:

• beginner-friendly

• highly instructional

• slow and supportive

Others will be:

• minimal

• self-led

• assuming prior experience

Both can be good.

But they are not interchangeable.

And this is where things get muddled

Because in yoga, we often blur the lines.

We say things like:

“Just listen to your body”
“Take what you need”
“Work at your own level”

But those cues only work if you already know how.

Otherwise, they’re not guidance.

They’re guesswork.

So maybe a better question is this…

Not just:

“Is this a good yoga class?”

But:

“Who is this class good for?”

Because when that’s clear:

• expectations are clear

• students feel safer

• people are more likely to come back

• and the practice becomes something they can actually build over time

And here’s the bit I’ve really come to understand as a teacher

I don’t teach every class the same way.

My Foundations class?

They are clear.
Structured.
Repetitive (on purpose).

I’ll tell you where your foot goes.
What your arms are doing.
What’s likely to feel strange.
What’s likely to feel hard.

Not because I think you can’t work it out…

…but because you shouldn’t have to.

Other classes?

Different story.

There’s more space.
More flow.
More expectation that you’ll start to recognise patterns and build familiarity over time.

Less hand-holding.
More self-trust.

Same teacher.
Same yoga.

Completely different experience.

Because a good yoga class isn’t about proving how “pure” the teaching is.

It’s about meeting the person in front of you.

And yes — sometimes that means stripping everything back.

And sometimes it means saying:

“No, your knee needs to bend a little bit more — let’s work on that.”

The problem?

If your first experience of yoga doesn’t meet you where you are…

You might quietly decide it’s not for you.

And that would be a shame.

Because it’s not that yoga isn’t for you.

It’s just that…

that class wasn’t.

(And honestly — if we’re pretending every class suits everyone, we’re either lying… or we haven’t been paying attention.)