Yoga Instructor Christine Lalor (aka Chris), & Other Flametree Instructors.

Via public & private classes, teachers work as both a personal trainer and yoga instructor.

Chris Lalor’s background and training

Chris’s yoga instructor journey began in Melbourne over 30 years ago. It began by going along to an Iyengar yoga class.

Read on for her story, or see details of  yoga instructor training options at Flametree.

After leaving her first class, Chris recalls having a strong feeling that her life was about to change.

Even then, she thought that Iyengar yoga would be the driving force behind the changes.

Since that first class Chris has been passionately involved with the many aspects of the practice of yoga.

Plus, via her private classes and coaching, as well as otherwise, she works as both a personal trainer and yoga instructor.

In 1997, Chris started to teach yoga in Darwin and in 2002 opened Flametree Yoga studio.

Among other things, she’s passionate about the importance of having high protein, low sugar nutrition. So, that’s a key theme of the Flametree Recipe Page that she also runs.

Chris has over 12,000 hours of yoga instructor training

As Flametree’s founder and Senior yoga instructor, Chris gets an immense satisfaction from seeing yoga students use their yoga practice to unlock their full potential.

She trained for many years under another Senior Iyengar Yoga teacher, Alan Goode. She also still travels to India to study with the Iyengar family.

Chris is an accredited Senior Iyengar yoga teacher, with over 12,000 hours of yoga teacher training.

As in Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher, Chris is also accredited to teach pranayama breath meditation, or mindfulness meditation (depending on how you prefer to describe it.).

Chris is also a certified Yoga Therapist. She uses such training in all her teaching and private classes.

Yoga therapy is obviously especially useful in classes where she is making a greater than average number of modifications and adjustments for particular conditions, such as in the Special Focus classes in Gentle Yoga, Women’s Wellness, Restorative & Immune System Yoga, and Back, Neck, & Shoulder Yoga.

In addition, for the last few years, Chris has been an Assessor, on the teacher trainee assessment panels of about 30 of the more senior Iyengar teachers. These panels assess and certify the new teachers who wish to get their initial Iyengar yoga qualification in Australia.

At Flametree, Chris teaches Beginners, Transition , Intermediate, and Experienced level students.

In addition, Chris conducts Yoga Intensives, teaches Pranayama (breath meditation), and runs the Flametree Teaching Training Programme.

Via private classes & other classes, both a personal trainer and yoga instructor.

Bumble bee breathing

Chris Lalor, demonstrating Bumble Bee breathing. It’s one of the many powerful meditative techniques she uses, and teaches, to deliver the many powerful benefits of breathwork (aka pranayama).

Among other things, Chris also has a particular interest in Flametree’s Women’s Wellness yoga classes.

Chris introduced the first workshops and classes in Darwin that specialise in this area.

In Flametree’s beginner program, in addition to designing the program, and supervising all teachers, Chris herself also teaches the class on Back, Neck & Shoulder Yoga, Easy Restorative Yoga, and some Gentle Yoga classes. (See more under the TIMETABLES menu tab).

There’s more about Chris Lalor’s story in this video.

At the Flametree TikTok or YouTube pages, you’ll also see tiny vertical videos where Chris is demonstrating a wide range of yoga poses, from Beginner level, to Advanced level.

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Gertrude Knight (Gertie), yoga instructor

Gertrude is a part time yoga instructor at Flametree.

Gertrude, better known as Gerty, or Gertie, first trained in flow yoga styles, where she became a 200 hour certified yoga teacher.

She has now been in Chris Lalor’s Iyengar Yoga Teacher Training program for several years, and has completed over 300 hours of Iyengar Yoga Teacher Training.

So, she’s now in the final stages of preparing for her official certification as an Iyengar Yoga Teacher.

Gerty has also taught at Flametree at earlier times, before COVID re-arranged the life of all of us.

She’s also a co-founder of a popular Darwin restaurant. So, as well as her excellent yoga, you’ll notice the same charming personality that is loved by all those who know the local restaurant.

You’ll find all her classes on the Flametree timetable.

Like Flametree’s other yoga instructors, via private classes & other classes, Gertie is both a personal trainer and yoga instructor.

Renae Moore, yoga instructor

Renae is a certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher. She holds Introductory Level 2 with the BKS Iyengar Association of Australia.

Renae first began to practice yoga in the 1990s in Melbourne, when attending a small yoga school in her local neighbourhood.

She recalls how different she felt in both mind and body following these classes. As a results, she was eager to continue attending no matter what the weather!

Renae sought out yoga classes upon moving to Darwin in 1995. Now, she continues to be amazed at what she discovers about herself ‘on the mat.

Through both attending classes and through her own home practice, she has found a sense of peace and clarity.

Among other things, Renae’s yoga practice helped her recover from a major accident she had a few years ago.

In addition, yoga continues to extend through all aspects of her life. Renae works fulltime, but teaches yoga classes when other yoga instructors are not available.

Yoga Instructor Margi Landrigan

Margi Landrigan is a certified Iyengar Yoga instructor, with 17 years of yoga teaching experience, including in Darwin and Hobart, Australia.

She’s teaches yoga and pranayama meditation at a range of yoga studios, including for Flametree Yoga Darwin.

Margi is also very proficient at being a yoga instructor online.

In the process she follows all the tiny but important ways to make this way of online instructing work very well.

Currently, Margi is a yoga teacher based in Hobart, Australia, where she teaches both beginner and non-beginner Iyengar yoga.

However, because Margi lived and taught for many years in Darwin NT, she also keeps in touch with a range of friends in her Northern Territory yoga network.

In addition, Margi periodically teaches yoga for Flametree Yoga, both in-the-studio, and online.

Excellent feedback about yoga instructor Margi Landrigan

The feedback Flametree receives about Margi confirms they are very happy with her teaching of both yoga and pranayama meditation.

Like all proficient yoga teachers in the Iyengar style of yoga, Margi teaches so that you get step by step yoga instructions on exactly what to do. At the same time, yoga poses and pranayama techniques are demonstrated correctly, so you can learn as a result of her  “show and tell” instructions.

As a result, Margi’s students all agree that Margi is a delightful person to know, and to work with on their yogic skills, and learning.

Plus, due to her powerful life journey, her very regular practice of yoga and pranayama meditation, and her studies of yogic materials, Margi is also a very compassionate and insightful guide to help you with whatever journey you may be pursuing.

In her spare time, Margi enjoys bush walking in the beautiful Tasmanian wilderness, and catching up with her many friends.

Yoga Instructor Salome Harris

At Flametree, Salome is a certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher. She first started doing yoga in 2001.

She says: “I was immediately attracted to it because it gave me relief of aches and pains, and a feeling of calm”.

In addition, she also felt that she was achieving. She could see she could make the shapes, and get benefits from doing so.

Over time, she has learned that yoga is so much more than ‘achieving’ the postures. She says:

“It teaches me to meet myself in the present moment, and to accept and work with what’s there. Yoga is so much more than making the shapes!”

As she practises, she continues to be astonished at how much mind and body are one. In her view, we can approach our physical ailments through the mind, and work with our mental states physically. She loves this element of yoga.

Salome started yoga teacher training, in 2017, at Flametree Yoga. Among other things, she wants to share what she has learned, and help other people experience the benefits too.

In 2023, she was officially certified as an Iyengar Teacher.

Salome is teaches one of Flametree’s Palmerston yoga classes, at 6pm on Wednesdays, at Gray Hall, in Gray, Palmerston. 

She also teaches at the Woolner yoga studio. You’ll find her other classes on our timetables.

Kim Faehse, yoga instructor

I’m from the Northern Territory of Australia, so I’m a so-called “Territorian” by birth. I was born in Alice Springs, and raised in Darwin, Australia, before heading south for university.

As a young girl, I was heavily involved in gymnastics. It gave me strength and flexibility, but often led to injury.

I was first introduced to Iyengar Yoga (which is the yoga style at Flametree) when I was 16. My mother got me started, as she had been attending Iyengar classes for many years. However, it would be over 20 years later before I realised that my mum was onto something remarkable. In turn, this led me to commit to my own yoga journey.

The benefits of yoga for me

In contrast to my early years in gymnastics, yoga gave me equal strength and flexibility, but also with connection between mind and body.

I find that yoga practice looks after all the different parts of me. I’m more in tune with my body and no longer have neck and shoulder pain.

Yoga was also instrumental in recovery from Ross River virus 2 years ago.

Yoga is teaching me to stay more grounded, present and calm within the usual crazy, busy world.

Both a personal trainer and yoga instructor.

At Flametree Yoga, I currently teach beginner and non-beginner classes, both in Palmerston, and Woolner (3 km from Darwin CBD).

My classes are also available LIVE online at the local Darwin time scheduled for the classes.

Some of my classes are also available in our Beginner streaming video playback which is available on demand. All beginner playback classes are at this link.

In the standing picture below, in my hand, I’m holding the timer that we use to make sure poses are held for just the right amount of time.

In the picture with my pink tights, I’m demonstrating a twist, using a chair, bolster and strap as props.

Currently, I have completed well over 300 hours of yoga instructor training at Flametree.

Apart from teaching yoga part-time, I work in the health industry. Yoga gives me an whole new insight into mind and body, and complements the other health work I do with individual clients.

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Romina Sesto, Flametree relief teacher

I was initially drawn to Yoga in the early 90’s, predominantly for its stress-relieving benefits. It proved to be a valuable antidote to the demands of a busy corporate lifestyle.

In early 2007, I did a 6-month Intensive Yoga Teacher Training program in India under the guidance of Bharath Shetty. He was heavily influenced by Mr BKS Iyengar (the founder of Iyengar Yoga).

Later that year, I became more involved in the teachings of Iyengar Yoga, and the beneficial effects it has on injuries, misalignments, and posture.  It was at this stage that I was able to also appreciate the therapeutic aspects of Iyengar Yoga.

Yoga Instructor training from 2008

On returning to Australia, I moved to Sydney to manage a yoga studio.

Shortly after, I commenced Teacher Training with a Senior Iyengar teacher who’s based on the Gold Coast, and in Melbourne (2008-2012).

As a result, I gained Iyengar Yoga Teacher Certification in 2010.

Then, I was also subsequently certified in what was then the next level of Teacher Training, in 2012.

In September 2012 I became the owner of the inner Sydney studio that I had been managing. I continued my professional development with another Senior Iyengar teacher who was then based in Sydney (2012 – 2015).

In 2015, I commenced further training with another Senior Iyengar Teacher from Sydney.

Intermediate level certification

Then, I received what was then called JL1 certification in 2018. This level of certification was one of 3 intermediate level Iyengar certifications, in between the initial certification, the Senior level of certification.

I now continue my professional development both locally and internationally with the Iyengar Family and Senior Iyengar Yoga teachers.

I’ve also been fortunate enough to study at the Institute in Pune, India, under the guidance of Geeta Iyengar, and Prashant Iyengar (two of the children of the late Mr BKS Iyengar).

My teaching journey has been one that has seen me working with a wide cross section of the community from beginners to advanced students, within the Studio environment, online and onsite, including research programs, local councils, and corporate groups.  I’ve also taught numerous workshops and retreats.

Stuart McGill, Flametree teacher

At Flametree Yoga Studio, I (Stuart) teach Beginner Yoga at Woolner (near the CBD of Darwin NT), Casuarina NT, Palmerston NT, and the Rural area in the Northern Territory.

The classes I teach include regular beginner yoga, as well as Special Focus options like Gentle Yoga, Yoga For Backs, and Relaxation Yoga.

About a third of Flametree’s yoga students are men. So, it’s especially good to be a male on the Flametree teaching team.

I’m hugely impressed that Australian cricketing Legends, such as Justin Langer, and many others, have used yoga to increase their flexibility, mental performance, and overall wellness.

Many men, just like me, also use both yoga and meditation, to reduce and reverse the physical, mental, and emotional impact of the testosterone decline that starts in your early 30s.

Of course, just like the other males at Flametree, I use yoga for all these reasons, plus staying fit, strong, and healthy.

I have over 300 hours of yoga instructor training, in yoga teaching, postures, and breath meditation.

As a teenager, I was raised on Tipperary cattle station in the Northern Territory.

In my early 20s, I first learnt meditation when I was at University, in Canberra. I was looking for some other alternative to the drug culture that was already prolific on campus.

I learnt and tried 3 different meditation styles, and continued with one of them.

Then, I used this sound based meditation technique daily, and found it delivered energy, creativity, calmness, and much more. So, I’ve told Flametree the story in this blog post on meditation.

It was also during this period, when I attending weekend workshops on meditative techniques, that I first learnt about the studies that show how meditation generates very useful changes in your brain wave patterns.

For, instance, the Alpha and Theta waves, shown in the diagram below, are expanded.

Change starts with changing yourself

Meditation teacher near me

Meditation expands the Alpha and Theta brain waves, thereby giving you more of the benefits shown in the next 2 diagrams. Some of their benefits are below.

Finding pranayama breath meditation

Later, at an Iyengar studio in Melbourne, I also started to learn Iyengar pranayama meditation techniques.

Now, I do pranayama daily in the morning, and sometimes supplement it with other sound based meditation in the afternoon.

I find pranayama meditation techniques, including Ujjayi, Viloma, Bhramari, and Nadi Shodhana, to be the best of the various meditation techniques I’ve used.

One reason is that the pranayama sound and breath techniques make it easier to maintain focus, and thereby access the higher level brain waves, and other benefits outlined by Flametree.

In addition to the pranayama benefits I’ve mentioned, I find they’re especially powerful at delivering energy, as well as Sattvic mind benefits like more compassion, relatedness, and less upsets.

Plus, I’ve also found the meditative benefits in the diagrams below, like creativity, focus, better sleep, and peacefulness, to be extremely useful for the very conventional life I’ve had in both government and business roles.

Some of the benefits from meditation

meditation benefits and ability to teach it are essential for a personal trainer and yoga instructor

Breath or sound meditation, or both, make you more creative, & innovative, in whatever field you’re in. Especially essential for a personal trainer and yoga instructor.

Starting Iyengar Yoga

In my late 20’s, while a lawyer at the Department of Justice in Papua New Guinea, I learnt Iyengar yoga from an American lawyer who taught regular classes to a group of us after work.

He was one of the first Iyengar yoga teachers trained in Australia. He was a lecturer at the University of Papua New Guinea, who became a lifelong friend.

Among other things, he gave me my first copy of Mr BKS Iyengar’s Light On Yoga.

As a middle distance runner, I was fit, active, and strong. But, I was surprised at the areas of inflexibility that showed up, like forward bends.

Then, when in New York studying for my PhD in economics, I continued yoga with an Indian teacher in New York. In those days, he was as close to an Iyengar Yoga teacher that I could find.

Inner peace, better sleep, & more

Pranayama benefits training & practice are also important for a personal trainer and yoga instructor

Theta waves, such as you get more of with pranayama meditation, give you better sleep, inner peace, and a range of other benefits.

Stuart McGill rediscovers Iyengar benefits!

On returning to Australia, I then began almost daily lap swimming for fitness.

I was already convinced of the benefits of fitness.

But, it was only after my father’s death from heart disease (due a lot to stress and poor quality food), that I also started looking at the many additional benefits of yoga.

By luck, I found myself living near a well-known Sydney Iyengar Yoga studio. So, eventually, I again started Iyengar Yoga.

However, I was once more surprised at how inflexible and moderately overweight I’d become, even though I was doing very regular lap swimming.

So, I also started evolving my eating habits. (As a result, I also now work closely with Senior Yoga Instructor, Chris Lalor, on Flametree’s Recipe Page).

I continued with Iyengar Yoga at other Melbourne and Sydney studios. I also did some initial yoga teacher training, and work as a yoga instructor.

It opened my eyes to a whole range of additional yoga benefits, such as living more in the present moment, better sleep, and getting over upsets quickly.

Being a personal trainer and yoga instructor

I then returned to Darwin NT (Australia), and started Iyengar Yoga with Chris Lalor, at Flametree Yoga Studio.

I enjoyed the more compassionate style of teaching, including the varied levels, and many alternative poses.

So, I commenced Iyengar teaching training at Flametree Yoga, and expanded the pranayama meditation I was doing.

I also work regularly with people coaching and advising students on a one-to-one basis.

So, like Flametree’s other yoga instructors, via private classes & other classes, I’m essentially both a personal trainer and yoga instructor.

Aspects of being both a personal trainer and yoga instructor.

I like teaching yoga in the Darwin region. Plus, I also find that it builds on some of the teaching skills and experience I have from many years of teaching economics or digital marketing at various Australian universities.

I also well aware of the largely avoidable heart disease, and ultimately a simple fall, that killed my father far earlier than he should have departed.

So, for instance, I work with Chris Lalor to write Flametree’s blog posts, such as the discussion of yoga for bones, for the reduction of tragic falls.

So, I’ve also co-developed the many presentations on yogic matters that have now been delivered at Flametree Yoga retreats. (See more below).

Learning more about teaching yoga, and yogic approaches, is of course an ongoing major project.

But again, I like the focus on high quality Iyengar yoga teaching, and the emphasis on the importance of good teaching, that I get by working closely with the Senior Yoga Teacher at Flametree Yoga.

I also enjoy learning and applying the yogic life skills available from Mr Iyengar’s insightful books such as Light On Life.

I enjoy doing Flametree Yoga presentations

Because I’ve spent many years working in the corporate world, I’m also an experienced public speaker.

So, nowadays, I enjoy the opportunity to make presentations to groups about yoga, or breath meditation, and their many yogic benefits.

For instance, see this blog post and slides from my presentation on introductory yoga for the Rotary Club Darwin, Australia.

When, I do these presentations, I also get plenty of interested questions. People also find them motivating. As a result, they sometimes then start their own yogic journey.

I find people are keen on improving their health via appropriate movement, getting calmer, or having more of the other benefits I outlined in the Rotary Darwin slides.

Personally, I feel sad when I see people suffering with conditions that could be helped a lot by simple yoga or meditative approaches, and / or the mindful eating approaches that they will engender.

But, newcomers to yoga or meditation often don’t know where or how to start. So, yogic education is an important task.

Easy to start getting yogic benefits

With yoga, people often don’t realise that it’s very possible to get started, and get many immediate benefits, with simple, easy poses that anyone can do.

For instance, the above slides, that I delivered at the Rotary Club show examples of the easy yoga asanas (poses) I’m talking about.)

Plus, some of the poses with this profile show some of the many yoga props we use to make yoga poses much more accessible to all.

For particular, I mean the type of yoga taught in Flametree’s Gentle Yoga, or Yoga For Backs, Male Yoga, and Beginner Yoga, as in the Flametree Beginner Timetable.

I’ve also worked extensively with Senior Teacher, Chris Lalor, on the various and extensive presentations on yogic matters that have been delivered at Flametree Yoga Bali retreats.

I, Stuart McGill, am responsible for my own happiness & wellness!

As I’ve mentioned, Chris and I also cook, use, and write about the many recipes for highly nutritious and low-sugar food that are on Flametree’s recipes book (online).

We treat food as one important part of the overall wellness and yogic journey.

Many of these wellness recipes have been learned, and then developed further, from the free cooking classes included in the Flametree Yoga retreats.

So, if you know of an organisation, of any type, that would also be interested in having us give them a presentation, I’d be grateful if you’d encourage them to contact us.

Among other things, if you’re involved with young people, you may be interested to learn more about recent classes we delivered for local government and a youth drop-in centre.

By the way, Flametree’s presentations can be either LIVE online, or at your venue in the greater Darwin NT region.

I’ll close with a quote from Gandhi. It sums up my thinking about personal change and growth.

In addition, it shows that how it also helps make useful, tiny differences in the world.

“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change.

As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him….

A wonderful thing it is, and the source of our happiness.

We need not wait to see what others do.”

On mobile? See Stuart McGill, personal trainer and yoga instructor, below.