Class levels are not standardised. One studio's level 2 is another's open class, and an all-levels class can be anything from gentle to demanding depending on who turns up.

Instead of trusting the label alone, use this guide to read what a level usually implies, check yourself against concrete skills, and recognise when a class does not fit. For choosing between styles, see our guide to yoga styles for beginners.

What level labels usually signal

Read the class description and ask the studio; the label alone is unreliable.

  • Beginner, foundations or level 1: poses are taught step by step, names are explained, props are offered, and the pace allows questions.
  • All levels or open: the teacher offers options for different abilities. Useful once you know basic poses, but instruction is less detailed.
  • Mixed or level 1-2: assumes you know common pose names and can follow cues without demonstration of every step.
  • Intermediate or level 2: faster transitions, longer holds, and harder variations; less time spent explaining basics.
  • Advanced or level 3: assumes a steady practice and familiarity with demanding poses.

Self-check before moving up

These are practical markers, not tests of fitness. If most are true, a mixed-level class is reasonable. If several are not, staying in beginner classes is a good choice, not a failure.

  • You recognise common pose names in English and can set up those poses without watching the teacher.
  • You know which props help you and set them up without being prompted.
  • You can keep a steady breath through a sequence and know when to rest.
  • You can modify a pose yourself when something does not feel right.
  • You have practised regularly for some weeks and feel comfortable in your current classes.

When to stay in, or choose, gentler classes

The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health advises that pregnant women, older adults and people with health conditions talk with their health care providers and the yoga instructor about individual needs, and notes that conditions such as knee or hip injuries, lumbar spine disease, severe high blood pressure, balance issues and glaucoma may need modified poses. It also notes that the rate of yoga-related injuries treated in emergency departments is higher in people aged 65 and older.

If any of these apply, choose classes where the teacher has time to offer modifications, usually beginner, gentle or small classes, and tell the teacher before class starts.

Signs a class is the wrong level

Notice these during or after class.

  • Too hard: you often cannot follow cues, you hold your breath to keep up, or you skip safety to stay with the group.
  • Too hard: you feel sharp pain, joint pain, or lingering soreness that affects daily life.
  • Too easy: you feel no challenge at all for several sessions and the instruction repeats what you already do well.
  • Wrong fit: you leave confused rather than tired; the problem may be the teaching style, not the level.

A gradual way to move up

Use this checklist as an optional planning aid; adapt it to the actual class, equipment and time available.

  1. Keep one beginner class per week as an anchor.
  2. Try one mixed-level class with a teacher you already know, if possible.
  3. Take every option to rest or modify in the first few mixed classes.
  4. After a few weeks, review: are you following comfortably? Then add a second.
  5. Move back down without hesitation if anything feels strained.

Levels in videos and online classes

Online levels are even less consistent than studio ones, and the teacher cannot see you in recorded classes. Start one level below where you would book in person, and preview a recorded class before following it.

Sources & further reading

  1. NCCIH: Yoga—Effectiveness and Safety

    Talk with providers and instructor; conditions needing modification; higher emergency-department injury rate at 65+.