My Story Of Cutting Stress & Weight

Beginner yoga classes near me: one student’s story

Many people start with a search for beginner yoga classes near me, and wonder what happens next. This is the story of M., a retired student who tried a beginner yoga course at Flametree, told in her own words. It is her experience, not a promise. Everyone is different, and your teacher will pace the poses to you.

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 story sits in our beginners notes.

This article in short form

• Why M. started: a foot that seized up soon after she retired.
• The first class: teachers had read her health check form and adjusted the poses.
• Props: they made the poses easier to get into.
• Her experience: more flexibility, calmer days and better sleep.
• Stress and eating: yoga made her more mindful of what she snacked on.
• Online: she now does most classes on her TV at home.
• Next step: try a beginner class, in Darwin or LIVE online.

Where do you start with beginner yoga classes near me?

With a beginner class at the right level, and a teacher who asks about you. Just after M. retired, her foot seized up. So she decided to get fitter, and try yoga. She searched for beginner yoga classes near her, and asked a friend who was doing yoga at Flametree Studio in Darwin. Her friend encouraged her, so she joined the beginner course.

Her story below is told in her own words. We have kept her name to an initial.

In M.’s words: why I started

“I wanted to sit on the floor with my grandchildren, without aching. Before I went to the beginner course, I was worried about being in a yoga class. I was self-conscious about what it would be like.

“But at my first class, I quickly saw the teachers had read the notes I’d put into their health check form. They adjusted the postures and instruction to suit my situation. I also saw that the yoga equipment and props would help with doing the postures. So it all went very smoothly, and I felt fine about it.

“I now see it’s never too late to start.”

How do good teachers help a beginner?

They notice what you cannot see for yourself. M. again: “The teachers notice things that you can’t see for yourself, whether you’re online or in the studio. Then they make adjustments so you can do what is appropriate and useful. You can build up slowly, bit by bit.”

She had tried some yoga before the beginner course, and found poses came before she was ready for them. At Flametree she found the pace different. “As an experienced, career teacher, I know good teaching when I see it. At Flametree, I saw quality teaching.”

“There are also different teachers. They all do things a bit differently, which gives you a good chance to see what works best for you. At the beginner level they all follow a beginner curriculum.”

“I quickly learned that even sitting and standing correctly is many months of work, if you want to do it properly. It’s exactly what I now realise I needed. Posture becomes the foundation for everything else.”

What did M. notice as she practised?

Gradual changes in her body, her mood and her habits. These are her own observations. We include them because beginners often ask what the early weeks are like.

• Flexibility: “After 2 weeks of yoga I started to get flexibility that I’d not had for decades. I could sit on the floor with my grandchildren.”
• Breathing: “I saw and felt the increased capacity of my lungs. It was not from doing any particular breathing exercises. I was just consciously breathing in the way the teacher instructed us.”
• Sleep: “I noticed improved sleeping after just 2 weeks. I was suddenly getting deeper sleep with a more refreshed feeling when I woke.”
• Posture: “Before yoga, I had no sense of the back-body, down your back where you can’t see. Now I can feel it, and I’m not slumping anymore.”
• Strength: “I used to struggle with poses such as down dog. Now they are steadily building, slowly and gently.”
• Calm: “I now see the interaction between the breath and my nerves. In the process, I’ve got a lot of calmness.”
• Courage: “I was fearful of shoulder stand at first, but I steadily got over that. Now I see that these inverted poses have built courage that can be applied elsewhere in my life.”

Everyone’s experience is different, and yoga does not replace medical care. M. says so herself: “Of course, there’s still a place for medicine.”

What did M. say about stress and eating?

“I quickly found that I’d been unaware of what stress was doing to me. I learnt that stress produces cortisol, which made me peckish. So I snacked too much, mostly on junky food.”

“Yoga reduced my stress. It also made me more mindful about what I munched. It gave me the mental discipline, or mindfulness, to steadily cut back on what I was consuming. It was both yoga and consuming less that got me there.”

Her teacher’s view is that mindful eating and stress go together: reducing stress can reduce the mindless munching that stress brings on. Other students and teachers tell similar stories, in their own words. G. said: “Over the 12 months, there were 8 of those K’s gone, and it’s continuing to drop at a steady 200 grams a month.” W., a young mum, said of getting back to a lower weight after a child: “Suddenly, 8 of those Kilos were gone! And I maintained it.” Chris Lalor, Flametree’s senior teacher, says: “The mindfulness that I get from yoga makes it easier to control my eating.” These are personal accounts, not results anyone should expect.

How did M. move up a level?

After the beginner course, M. moved up to the next level of classes. She loves the gentle classes, and a class with students her own age, where “there’s something extra nice about being with the same age group”. She also likes restorative yoga, which she finds helps her sleep and unwind. Read more about gentle yoga for beginners, or our note on yoga class levels.

Her family and friends noticed too. In her words: “The people in my life are saying I am really calm. My husband says I am more relaxed, happier, and with more ability to move. I keep telling him he’s got to give it a try.” For her back, she found poses like the half angle especially good.

What holds people back from trying yoga?

Mostly fear, and a wrong idea of what yoga is. M. says: “Most people I talk to are just too scared to try. It helps when I explain about the yoga props we use to make the poses easier to get into.”

“My teacher says that if you are not in the pose in some appropriate way, then you can’t get the benefits it offers. That’s where props help, so long as you don’t let your ego tell you that you don’t need them.”

“Many people don’t understand that this type of yoga is tailored for the individual, at a level that you can manage. Before yoga, I thought it was about incense, music and whole-body relaxation, plus a few sun salutes. I was wrong! I like that Flametree is not pretentious. There’s no music. It’s just good practice at your level.”

What is it like to do a beginner yoga class online?

More like a class than a video, because the teacher can see you. When M. started doing her classes online, she sent Chris photos of her setup and a message. The classes were on her TV, plugged into her computer, and her dog watched on for moral support.

“It’s been such a wonderful lifeline to have online yoga with the great Flametree instructors, as well as being able to see my yoga friends. I’m into a routine now with Zoom of pinning the instructor to the top of the list of people in the class, so the instructor is big and clear. I do it as soon as I get access to the class, after I say hello, and then I mute myself. It works very well.”

“Yoga is keeping me sane.”

Chris could see M. clearly on screen and give her feedback where it helped. That is the difference between a live class and a recording: the teacher watches you and adjusts the pose. M. now does most of her classes online. With the internet, every class can be a beginner yoga class near you. Our guide to yoga for beginners in Darwin explains what to look for, and our Darwin yoga studio page shows what a visit is like.

Start with a beginner yoga class near you

Beginner classes are easy, introductory poses, with props to help. There are also special focus beginner classes, which you can see on the timetable. Classes run in the studio and LIVE online, so there is always a beginner class you can join. If you have a pain or health condition, tell your teacher before class, as M. did on her health check form.

For more on how yoga may help with back and joint comfort, see yoga for back pain.

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.

Beginner yoga classes near me: frequently asked questions

Where can I find beginner yoga classes near me in Darwin?

Flametree Yoga Studio teaches beginner Iyengar yoga classes in the studio at Woolner and Coolalinga in Darwin, and LIVE online, so there is always a beginner class you can join. 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.

What happens in a first beginner yoga class?

Your teacher will have read your health check form, and will adjust the poses and instructions to suit you. Props such as blocks, belts and bolsters help you get into the poses. You do not need any experience.

Can I do beginner yoga classes online?

Yes. Flametree’s beginner classes run LIVE online, so the teacher can see you and give feedback. M., a student, does most of her classes on her TV at home and pins the instructor on screen so the teacher is big and clear.

Is beginner yoga suitable if I am stiff or have a health condition?

Yes, because the poses are adapted to you. Tell your teacher about any injury or health condition on the health check form and before class, and they will adjust the poses. Yoga supports, but does not replace, care from your doctor.

How long before I notice a difference?

It varies. M. noticed more flexibility and better sleep after two weeks of beginner classes, but that was her own experience. Many students find changes build slowly as they practise more.

Do I need props for beginner yoga?

Props help most beginners. Blocks, belts, bolsters and chairs make poses easier to get into and help you stay in them with good alignment, so you get more from each pose.

What if I am nervous about starting yoga?

Being nervous is common. M. felt self-conscious before her first class, but found the teachers had read her health notes and adjusted the poses. Start with a beginner class, tell your teacher how you feel, and go at your own pace.

Is it too late to start yoga?

No. M. started after she retired and says it is never too late to start. Beginner classes use props and gentle steps so that people of many ages and abilities can take part.

Can yoga help with stress and mindful eating?

Some students find that regular practice reduces stress and makes them more mindful of what they eat. M. found this, but it was her experience, and she says it was both yoga and eating less that got her there.

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Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga in Darwin, at Woolner and Coolalinga, and LIVE online across Australia. This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have an injury or health condition, tell your teacher before class.

M.’s account is her personal experience, first published by Flametree, and is not a promise of any result.

Sources: M.’s own account, first published by Flametree.