I always get this question from beginner yogis: “How often should I be doing this?”
So here is my Answer
Most beginners should practice yoga 2 to 3 times a week, for 20 to 45 minutes per session. That is enough to gain flexibility, balance, and strength and to help your joints and muscles adapt to the practice. One class a week is better than none. Short daily sessions work too.
The key is to keep it up for at least 8 to 12 weeks. The rest of this guide explains how to achieve that.
Quick Summary
- Ideal practice frequency and duration: 2-3 times/week for 20-45 minutes to start with ( but I would advise spending every day for at least 20 min)
- Minimum useful frequency: 2 time/week
- Daily practice: Recommended for better results, but should be 10-20 minutes
- Results: 4 weeks to feel different, 8-12 weeks to see changes in test of fitness
- Important: yoga is light exercise and should be paired with other forms of exercise
How Often Should a Beginner Do Yoga? What the Research Says
A weekly class does produce measurable gains: In a 2021 Frontiers in Public Health study, 49 young women attended ten weekly 90-minute beginner hatha yoga classes, and compared with a control group, they improved in flexibility, balance, and core strength. That is encouraging if a weekly class is all you can manage. The participants were healthy young women, and results may differ for other groups. More frequent practice generally brings faster progress.
Yoga is considered light exercise. In the same study, a beginner class averaged a heart rate of 93 beats per minute and energy expenditure of 195 kilocalories. This class improved mobility and balance, but has limited cardio benefits.
General fitness recommendations: WHO advises adults to do 150-300 minutes of moderate-aerobic exercise weekly and muscle strengthening exercise on 2 or more days. Light yoga doesn’t fill the aerobic exercise need, so it should be paired with other exercises like walking, swimming, or cycling.
Low back pain. Many studies on yoga and chronic low back pain have used interventions of weekly classes for approximately 12 weeks. A Cochrane review notes low to moderate certainty evidence that yoga improves back-related function. If back pain is the reason you want to start, speak to your doctor, and if possible and appropriate, locate a teacher with experience working with students with your condition.
What teachers say. Many teachers of experience say that one class a week is sufficient for beginners. Some say, and many of my beginning students have found, that practicing 3 times a week results in the practice becoming more enjoyable, strength improving, and flexibility increasing, and that this often happens within the first month. Others say the number of practice sessions is more important than how long each session is. Although there is no peer-reviewed or scientifically controlled research to support any of this, it is something I have observed in my own beginning students and classes.
Also Read Online Yoga Classes for Beginners: How to Get Started
Frequency vs. Duration. Which is more Important?
If the goal is habit formation for a new beginning student, frequency is more important than duration. The students who improve the most, in terms of their ability to do yoga poses and their understanding of the overall practice, are rarely the students who take one long 90-minute session each week. These students often become quickly discouraged and fatigued and, in an effort to deepen a pose, can overstretch, which can lead to injury.
This is not to say there isn’t a time and a place for longer sessions. Longer sessions are great for deepening and holding poses and allow for a longer and more restorative final relaxation pose at the end of practice. If time permits, aim for one longer session a week.
Your Weekly Plan: Choose Your Level
| Your Current Situation | Freqency | Session length |
|---|---|---|
| If you have a very busy schedule. | 1 class a week plus 5-10 min stretching on other days | 45-60 min class |
| Most beginners (recommended) | 2-3 times a week | 30-45 min |
| Active and motivated | 3-4 times a week | 30-60 min |
| Habit builder | Daily short practice is a great thing | 10-20 min |
These are practical teaching guidelines, not medical rules. Adjust them according to your body. As a beginner, aim for 2 to 3 sessions a week and don’t feel like you need to do yoga daily. If you feel like doing more practice, do gentle or restorative yoga to give your body a break.
Mindfulness: Many people think mindfulness means sitting for long periods of time. However, it’s much easier to practice and stick to short 5-minute daily sessions. The key is to find time to practice and stick to it, rather than letting it pile up.
Results:
You will learn some of the basics in a couple of classes, and probably experience some minor muscle soreness. Keep practicing, and after 4 weeks, many people feel improvement in mood, flexibility, and balance. The core strengthening poses improve overall balance and flexibility.
Are rest days necessary?
Yes! Even if a yoga practice is gentle, it helps load the hips and shoulders in new ways.
Start with non-consecutive days, and use your rest days for gentle mobility and walking. Take a full break if joints feel sharp and painful. Make your practice work for you; you should never feel tired or drained after a practice. It should always be relaxing. Varying the intensity of your practices is always acceptable.
Despite Your Fitness Level, Start Slow
Yoga can be hard on the joints and connective tissues in the body and lead to injury. Something as simple as the act of pulling your foot back to your leg in a backbend can strain the joint if you don’t have the flexibility and control to do it slowly. Rather than breaking it in quickly like a pair of hiking boots, work slowly to build up control.
You can move to around 4 practices a week after around a month of 2 or 3 practices a week. Listen to your body as you build up.
Quick Tips for Practicing Yoga
The best times to practice are when you know you’ll be busy. Plan to practice for just 5 minutes at these times. You can practice a few Sun Salutations or even do a short breathing practice.
You can also practice shorter micro-sessions throughout the day. Practice briefly to reset while at work or practice a few minutes of pranayama before bed to wind down.
These practices are better than skipping entirely, and better than trying to “make up” time by practicing for very long sessions.
You can find time to practice by using online resources and practicing during unexpected free time.
Common Mistakes Beginner Yogis Make
- Overdoing it. Don’t try to practice for 7 sessions a week to start.
- Being inflexible and chasing depth over breath.
- Skipping Savasana.
- Not getting regular feedback. A good yoga teacher will work 1-on-1 with you and can give you regular feedback via Zoom or in person.
- Letting a skipped class snowball. One skipped class is okay. Just get back to practicing at the next class.
Not Feeling Like Practicing? The “Just Get on the Mat” Rule
Students often lack motivation to practice. My rule of thumb is to tell them not to give a commitment for a class, but to give a small commitment to unroll the mat. The smallest commitment becomes the easiest to keep.
Once you’ve unrolled the mat, you stand a great chance of doing a few poses. If you don’t, it’s still OK. The point is to keep the commitment small and the habit of practicing to be there, to be alive.
The Bottom Line
Practice for 20-45 minutes 2-3 times per week for 8-12 weeks to see how you feel, then listen to your body. Judging by your posture, you could use a restorative practice to start. The goal of yoga is to practice to improve your health and well-being; it’s not about perfecting a particular pose. My personal advice will be to be consistent with your practice; don’t think like I have to do it every day; just plan for the next day.
References
- Csala B, et al. “Is Weekly Frequency of Yoga Practice Sufficient? Physiological Effects of Hatha Yoga Among Healthy Novice Women.” Frontiers in Public Health, 2021. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.702793
- World Health Organization. WHO Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour, 2020.
- Sherman KJ, et al. “A randomized trial comparing yoga, stretching, and a self-care book for chronic low back pain.” Annals of Internal Medicine, 2011.
