Female Yoga Classes To Maximise Wellness | Female Only, With Female Yoga Teacher
Would you feel more at ease asking about periods, menopause or pelvic floor in a room of women, with a woman teaching? That is the idea behind a female yoga class.
Female yoga classes: the short answer
Female yoga classes are classes for women only, taught by a woman, where the poses and the conversation are chosen for the stages of a woman’s life. Many women find they can ask questions they would not ask in a mixed class, about periods, menopause, bones, the pelvic floor, stress and sleep. In our experience this is a good way to learn which poses suit each stage. Research on yoga and women’s health is encouraging in places and mixed in others, and we say which below.
Iyengar yoga is the style developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. In the 20th century he did more than anyone to set down traditional Indian yoga, through his books and his teaching, and he pioneered the use of props. It is sometimes called modern classical yoga, and it’s the style we teach at Flametree. This page sits in our menopause notes, and it is for women of any age.
This note in short form
- What it is: a women only class with a female teacher, built around the stages of a woman’s life.
- Why choose it: privacy, and room to ask questions you may not ask in a mixed class.
- What it can cover: periods, menopause, bones, pelvic floor, stress and sleep.
- Research: a 2024 review of 24 trials found milder menopausal symptoms overall, but no clear effect on hot flushes.
- Safety: strenuous poses and inversions are usually left out during menstruation.
- Next step: your first class is free if you are new to Flametree.
Why choose a female only yoga class?
You choose it for the privacy and the focus. In a women only class, you can ask about things that are hard to raise in front of men, such as period pain, menopause or pelvic floor problems. The teacher can also pick poses and give advice for what women often face at different ages.
Chris began yoga in her late 30s, after years of difficult periods. When she reached menopause, she already had a regular practice, and she found that stage easier than she had expected. That experience is a large part of why she teaches women’s classes. It is one person’s story, not a promise, and every woman’s body is different.
Supported Cobbler Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana), lying over a bolster with blocks under the knees. Restorative poses like this are often used in women’s classes.
What can a female yoga class cover?
A women only class can cover topics such as these. Each is a topic to learn about and practise for, not a treatment.
- The menstrual cycle: why strenuous poses are usually avoided during menstruation, and which gentler poses help.
- Perimenopause and menopause: poses and breathing to support comfort, sleep and mood. See yoga for menopause and perimenopause.
- Bone health: weight-bearing standing poses, which load the bones. See yoga for strength.
- The pelvic floor: gentle awareness of the muscles that support the bladder and bowel. See yoga for pelvic floor.
- Stress and sleep: restorative poses and slow breathing, which help many people settle.
Many women also search for “yoga for the female reproductive system”. In plain words, the poses we teach are chosen with the pelvis, back and nervous system in mind. We do not claim they treat a condition. Talk to your doctor about any symptom that worries you.
Which poses are common in women’s classes?
You will often meet supported backbends, bridge poses, restorative poses and, at the right time, supported inversions. Props such as chairs, bolsters and blocks make them more doable.
In the Iyengar tradition, strenuous poses and inversions are usually left out during menstruation, and restorative poses are used instead. Your teacher will show you the options, and an inversion is only added once you are ready for it.
A supported backbend over a chair, with blocks for the feet. Props make backbends more doable and more comfortable.
Bridge-style backbend, a pose many students can do at some level. It opens the chest and front of the body.
Supported Shoulder Stand (Salamba Sarvangasana) with the shoulders on folded blankets. It is taught in stages and not during menstruation.
What does research say about yoga for women?
Research on yoga for menopause is encouraging in most areas. A 2024 review by Wang and colleagues, in the International Journal of Nursing Studies, pooled 24 randomised trials with 2,028 women going through menopause. Yoga improved total menopausal symptoms, sleep quality, anxiety and low mood compared with usual care. It found no clear difference for hot flushes, and none for quality of life.
In other words, yoga is a promising support for how many women feel, and it is not a cure for any symptom. We say more in yoga for menopause and perimenopause.
A standing backbend with a chair behind the body. A chair makes a backbend easier and safer to learn.
What to wear to a women’s yoga class?
Wear anything comfortable and stretchy. Shorts and a T-shirt, leggings, singlets, crop tops, and a pullover for warmth all work, in any colour. Online, a close-fitting top and leggings let the teacher see your shape and adjust you.
How do you start at Flametree?
Flametree teaches Iyengar yoga in the studio at Woolner and Coolalinga in Darwin, and LIVE online. There is a women only class, Women’s Wellness Yoga, for women who already have some yoga experience. Read about it on our women only classes page, or in what is women’s wellness yoga. See the timetable for the day and time.
If you are new to yoga, start with a beginner class. Many of the same poses are used there, and you can move to the women’s class when you are comfortable. See yoga class levels.
Practise this at Flametree
Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga in the studio at Woolner and Coolalinga in Darwin, and LIVE online.
- New to Flametree? Your first class is free. In the studio, just come along. Online, go to our online class list, click the class time you want and we email you the link to join.
- Beginners: new students, and anyone who has been away three months or more, can get a half price 10 class pass with 2 extra classes free, to use online, in the studio, or both. See the beginner half price pass.
- Already practising yoga? The same half price 10 class pass with 2 extra classes free, for new students and for anyone away three months or more, is also available as the non-beginner half price pass.
- See every class time, including online classes, on the timetable.
Can’t make a class? Practise at home with our video courses.
Female yoga classes: questions people ask
What is a female only yoga class?
It is a yoga class for women only, taught by a woman, where the poses and talk are chosen for women’s life stages such as periods, menopause and bone health. Many women choose it for privacy and to ask questions they would not ask in a mixed class.
Why choose a women only yoga class?
Privacy, ease and focus. You can ask about period pain, menopause or pelvic floor concerns without feeling self-conscious, and the teacher can choose poses for those topics. A women only class is a choice, not a requirement, and mixed classes teach many of the same poses.
What does a women’s yoga class cover?
Topics such as the menstrual cycle, perimenopause and menopause, bone health, the pelvic floor, stress and sleep. The aim is to explain why each pose is used, so you can build it into your own practice. It supports how you feel and does not treat a condition.
Does yoga help with menopause symptoms?
Research suggests it can. A 2024 review of 24 randomised trials with 2,028 women found yoga improved total menopausal symptoms, sleep quality, anxiety and low mood compared with usual care, though it found no clear difference for hot flushes.
Are inversions safe during your period?
In the Iyengar tradition, strenuous poses and inversions are usually left out during menstruation, and restorative poses are used instead. Talk to your yoga teacher about what suits you, and talk to your doctor if you have a heavy or painful period.
What should I wear to a women’s yoga class?
Anything comfortable and stretchy: shorts and a T-shirt, leggings, singlets, crop tops, or a pullover for warmth, in any colour. For an online class, a close-fitting top lets the teacher see your pose.
Can beginners join a women only yoga class?
The Women’s Wellness class at Flametree is for women who already have some yoga experience. If you are new to yoga, start with a beginner class, where many of the same poses are taught, and move across when you are comfortable.
Are there female yoga classes in Darwin?
Yes. Flametree Yoga Studio teaches a women only class, Women’s Wellness Yoga, in the studio at Woolner and LIVE online, taught by a woman. See the timetable for the day and time. Your first class is free if you are new to Flametree: in the studio, if you have lived in the NT for three months or more, and online, for anyone new.
Can I do a women’s yoga class online?
Yes. Click the class time you want on our online class list and we email you the link to join. You can keep your camera off, though the teacher can help you more if she can see you.
Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga in Darwin, at Woolner and Coolalinga, and LIVE online. This article is general information, not medical advice. For any symptom that worries you, talk to your doctor, and tell your teacher about any health condition before class.
Sources (studies found through PubMed): Wang H and colleagues, The effectiveness of yoga on menopausal symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, International Journal of Nursing Studies, 2024, doi 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2024.104928.
