01 · First class walkthrough
A 60-minute beginner-only class in central Kyiv. Twelve mats, one teacher, and a sequence you can follow even if you have never stood on a mat before.
Beginner-only · Velyka Vasylkivska St, Kyiv · 60 min · max 12 people
02 / The class
Every beginner class at the Velyka Vasylkivska studio follows the same six-part rhythm. The room holds 12 mats, so the instructor can cue you by name and change a movement before you have to ask for something easier.
00:00
Mats, blocks and straps are already laid out. Shoes stay at the door. Lie down or sit, whichever feels less exposed.
Instructor cue: "Take any mat. Nothing begins until everyone is settled."
00:10
Ten minutes of slow nasal breathing with one hand resting on the ribs. You stay seated or on your back the whole time.
Alternative: sit against the wall or on a folded blanket if the floor feels too low.
00:20
Eight movements repeated slowly: cat-cow, knee rocks, a standing roll-down, half squats. Each one is taught twice, once without props and once with a block.
Alternative: keep the block under both hands for the roll-down and stop the half squat above your usual depth.
00:40
Short flowing sets of four or five movements with a pause between each. The instructor names the adjusted version of every pose before the full one.
Alternative: stay in the seated version for a whole set. Nobody comments.
00:50
Legs up the wall or a supported bridge, then ten slow breaths on your back with knees bent.
Alternative: a chair-supported resting position if lying flat is uncomfortable.
01:00
Five minutes of open questions, answered in the room or at the desk. You leave with the printed sequence you practised.
Alternative: ask privately after class if you would rather not speak in front of the group.
03 Modification comparison
Three limits come up most in the beginner class on Velyka Vasylkivska: a stiff lower back, wrists that complain in weight-bearing shapes, and knees that stop short of a deep fold. Choose one below to see the exact adjustment, the prop, and the instructor cue that comes with it.
Every seated forward fold becomes a supine one. Knees bent, feet mat-width apart, for the full 60 minutes.
A folded blanket under the hips and one block under each hand.
"Press the low ribs down, then let the belly soften. If the back talks, we stop there."
All fours moves to the forearms, and weight-bearing shapes keep the whole hand flat with fingers spread.
Two blocks, or the front edge of a mat rolled under the heel of the hand.
"Take the mat edge or the forearms. Your wrists decide, not the sequence."
Kneeling is replaced with sitting on a block. Bent-knee shapes stay at a smaller angle on both sides.
One or two blocks and a folded blanket behind the knees.
"Sit taller on the block instead of sinking. A smaller angle still counts as the pose."
Everything else stays put: 60 minutes, beginner-only, 12 mats on the floor, no inversions, no long holds, no partner work, no measurements. The full list sits in what you will not be asked to do.
A beginner class only works if you trust it. This is the short list of things that never happen on the mat, not on your first day and not in any beginner class after it.
No headstand, no shoulderstand, no handstand. Your feet stay under you or on the floor for the full hour.
Nothing is held longer than three calm breaths in the first month. If a shape asks for more, you come out of it.
You are never paired up, never balanced on another person, and nobody adjusts you without asking first.
No weight, no tape measure, no flexibility score, no before-and-after record of your body.
No cameras on the floor and no filming of the class. Your practice stays in the room.
If a cue does not suit your body, you say so and it changes. That is the whole arrangement between you and the teacher.
05 · Before you arrive
Everything below fits in one small bag. Mats, blocks and straps stay at the studio, so the only thing you have to remember is yourself and a bottle of water.
Doors open 20 minutes before the start at 15 Bohdana Khmelnytskoho St, Kyiv. The room holds 12 people, so there is space to set up without queueing. See the timetable and prices.