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Choosing a class without knowing anything

Four questions that sort most of it.

Style names convey little to a newcomer and the practical differences are large. The useful questions are about the class rather than the tradition: how many people, how fast, whether the teacher demonstrates or observes, and whether they will be told what to do if something hurts.

Class size matters more than most factors. A teacher with thirty people cannot see anybody, which means no correction and no notice if somebody is doing something unwise. Fifteen is a different experience from thirty at the same skill level.

Heated classes and rapid flowing classes are both popular and both are poor entry points, the first because heat increases apparent flexibility beyond what tissue can safely produce, the second because pace prevents any attention to how a position is being entered.

It is entirely reasonable to watch a class before joining one, and most studios will allow it. Fifteen minutes of observation tells you more than any description.

It is worth adding that the teacher matters more than the style. Two classes with the same label, taught by different people, can differ enormously in pace, attention and safety, and a recommendation for a specific teacher is worth far more than a recommendation for a tradition.