Stage 1: SURVIVAL. For beginners, attending class regularly and getting
through the practice is a great accomplishment in itself.  It requires great energy
to create a new habit and learn something new.   For some, developing the
physical and mental endurance and body awareness are unchartered
territories.  This is a stage of exhilaration, of falling in love.

    Stage 2: TECHNIQUE . As strength and endurance improve, more of our energy
is spent on posture mechanics, Pranayama, alignment, Vinyasa, and memorizing
posture sequence.  We start to become acquainted with the postures individually,
and how they are strung together to create the overall structure of the practice.  
We have come to recognize, appreciate, and rely on the mental & emotional
outcomes of the practice.  

    Stage 3: SCALING THE WALL. “Rapid” improvement occurs in stages 1-2 with
startup levels of strength & flexibility.  Progress beyond this point (of hitting the
physical wall) appears much slower.  In this stage students often feel that their
practice remains stagnant for several years, that they are no longer improving.  
This is the stage where many abandon the practice for a new exercise routine.  
This is also the stage where the initial infatuation has worn off, and now we have
to figure out how to transition from infatuation to developing a long-lasting &
deepening love.  This is also the stage where the ego becomes threatened by the
more subtle aspects of the practice - the quieting of the mind.  Physically, as one
persists,  strength and flexibility grow, and more challenging postures become
possible.

    Stage 4: REFINEMENT. Once basic posture, breath, and flow mechanics have
been learned, a more subtle level of refinement may be cultivated – posture
detail, muscle relaxation, softening breath, lighter flow, and inner stillness.

    Stage 5: INNER PRACTICE.  Becoming aware of the subtle energetic effects of
the posture and proper use of Bandhas.

    Every individual develops and progresses through these stages are their own
unique rate.  Practice santosha (contentment) by appreciating the stage you are
in rather than being consumed in anticipating for the next stage.  In every single
practice you experience progress and deeper understanding - even if this is not
obvious to you at the time.  Many postures must be done thousands of times to
master.  
"Success comes to him who is engaged in practice.  How can one get success without
practice; for by merely reading books on Yoga, one can never get success".
Hatha Yoga Pradipika
Typical Stages
Practice Evolution: