Yoga, Breath Meditation, & Mindfulness

Yoga & meditation classes Darwin online & in-studio.

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Meditation in Darwin: the short answer

Flametree Yoga Studio runs four breath meditation classes a week in Darwin. Two are at Woolner (19B Bishop St, near Parap) on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 6.30am, and also run LIVE online. Two are at Coolalinga (Coolalinga Central) on Tuesday at 7.30am and Sunday at 7.45am. The meditation is pranayama (slow, guided yoga breathing), done sitting on a chair or a folded blanket, or lying down. It is a practical way into meditation for people who find it hard to sit still and “empty the mind”.

New to Flametree? Your first class is free, and 12 classes for $59.50 (10 at half price plus 2 free) is the best way to start. See the class times.

• Where: Woolner and Coolalinga, plus LIVE online.
• When: Tuesday 6.30am and Thursday 6.30am (Woolner), Tuesday 7.30am and Sunday 7.45am (Coolalinga).
• What: slow breathing and attention, guided step by step.
• Who: the Woolner classes suit people with some yoga behind them; the Coolalinga classes are on the beginner timetable.
• Research: meditation and slow breathing have been studied for stress, focus and blood pressure (see below).

Are you looking for any of yoga, meditation and mindfulness classes near me? Here’s how Flametree’s breath meditation and yoga, or both, increase your mindfulness, emotional control, attention and self awareness. They can also ease anxiety, fear, and other things you may want less of. So read on to see why to try Flametree Darwin meditation, yoga & mindfulness. It’s the best free yoga and meditation classes Darwin online or in-studio. Don’t take our word for it, use Flametree’s free yoga or meditation options to get started right away. See why and how breath meditation Darwin NT and online works so well.

These days, I don’t have many upsets. Most of the time, I am also less fearful.

In addition, I can focus on something for a long period. In other words, my attention span, focus, and energy, is much better.

I couldn’t always do these things. They are learnt skills.

I’ve acquired the skills as part of my practice of yoga and pranayama (also known as breath meditation).

I realised this when I recently read a book called “Science Of Yoga” *.

HALF Price Breath Meditation 10 Pack, Including 4 FREE classes

2 Free Beginner Yoga Classes & 10 Half Off

Mindfulness via yoga and meditation

First, studies show that yoga produces mindfulness.

Mindfulness is a simple and popular type of meditation state.

It also refers to a mindset that you can bring into the rest of your life.

One definition of mindfulness is to deliberately pay attention to the present moment, without any judgment.

It often involves observing breath, thoughts, sounds, or physical sensations. This can be done in yoga or breath meditation practice, or both.

In addition, yoga classes encourage mindfulness through moment-to-moment awareness. For example, it’s done during yoga asanas (or postures).

As a result, you may then notice this mindset spilling into your daily life, even in menial tasks.

In terms of evidence, anatomical MRI scans have shown that mindfulness changes the brain. For example, it happened after they participated in an eight-week mindfulness programme.

This suggests that it affects areas of the brain involved in learning and memory processes, emotion regulation, self-awareness, and new perspective taking.

HALF Price Breath Meditation 10 Pack, Including 4 FREE classes

2 Free Beginner Yoga Classes & 10 Half Off

Focus and “flow”

Another study showed that even brief training in mindfulness reduced fatigue and anxiety.* As well as that, longer training seems to particularly improve attention and focus.

Extreme focus, such as while playing an instrument, has been also connected with meditation.

Psychologists call this a “flow state”.

In both meditation and “flow”, your brain waves change from the so-called Beta state. This state is associated with thinking and conversing.

As a result of mindfulness and meditation, your brain state changes to a so-called Alpha and Theta state. Those states are associated with relaxation and creative problem solving.

More evidences is in a review of two decades of research. It found that specific areas of the brain are commonly affected by the yoga-based practice of mindfulness.

It showed that key areas of the frontal cortex [of the brain] are strengthened. In turn, that helps you effectively see and regulate emotions.

In addition, in 2018, brain scans were reported in a different research article. It also demonstrated that yoga asanas and meditation, reduced amygdala volume on the right-hand side of the brain. This is more associated with negative emotions and fear.

As well as all that, researchers have found that 8 weeks of mindfulness meditation helped people reduce fear related amygdala activity. This seems to work largely as a result of participants being mindful of sensations and emotions. In turn, it avoids pushing down such sensations.

Summary of impact of yoga and meditation classes Darwin & beyond

In summary. all of these useful things happen due to mindfulness via yoga and meditation. For example, brain research shows these findings.

• Emotional regulation is strengthened.
• The striatum part of the brain, associated with attention control, is strengthened.
• Self-awareness is strengthened.
• The amygdala, which is a very ancient part of our brains, and which is associated with fear, is reduced.

Somatic practices are also useful for helping people to process trauma. This is achieved via movement practices that emphasise perception, such as yoga postures.

In turn, they can do this without so-called “re-triggering”. That’s because the postures help to release tension held in the body.

So, if you’re searching for any of yoga, meditation and mindfulness classes “near me”,  and you’re a non-beginner at yoga, then get started with our pranayama breathwork Introduction. 

If you have not yet tried yoga, then start with beginner yoga, like the deal below.

HALF Price Breath Meditation 10 Pack, Including 4 FREE classes

2 Free Beginner Yoga Classes & 10 Half Off

Breathwork and pranayama in Darwin

If you searched for breathwork in Darwin, this is the same practice. Flametree teaches pranayama (the traditional yoga breathing), which is slow, controlled and calm. It is not the fast, forceful modern breathwork styles. There is more on the types of breathing we teach on our breathwork classes page, and a full explainer in What is pranayama?.

Common practices you learn in class include Ujjayi (Victorious Breath, AKA Ocean Breath), Viloma (Interrupted Breath, AKA Staircase breathing), Bhramari (Humming Bee Breath) and, later, Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing).

What research has found so far: a 2023 review of 15 randomised trials (studies that compare people given a practice with people who are not) found breathing exercises lowered systolic blood pressure (the top number) by about 7 points on average (Garg and colleagues, International Journal of Cardiology Cardiovascular Risk and Prevention, doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcrp.2023.200232). The authors note the studies were not free of bias. Much of what pranayama offers is known from long practice rather than tested by modern research, and students commonly tell us they feel calmer and sleep better.

Flametree’s beginner yoga times online or in-studio

Each beginner class at Flametree is online or in-studio (in Darwin, Australia). Classes are at the local time of Darwin, Australia (+9.30GMT).

At the beginner timetable, there is also a time zone converter which shows the times in your local time zone. (Look immediately under the timetable grid to see the local time zones.)

The classes are all standard, introductory hatha yoga poses.

In addition, there’s also special focus options. They include Gentle Yoga, Yoga for Back (& Neck & Shoulders), and Easy Restorative Yoga.

Yoga classes, and / or breath meditation classes, or both

If you started out looking for meditation and mindfulness classes near me, and you have not done beginner yoga, then please first do a couple of months of beginner level yoga. It will give you the strength and lung capacity that helps breath mediation.

Beginner yoga can be started at any time, online or in-studio.

Some start yoga by getting a third off the Yoga Beginners Introduction. Others use a half price beginner 10 class pass, and start beginner level classes immediately.

Follow the relevant links to learn more about Flametree’s various other beginner yoga deals.

If you are in the Darwin region, the weekly yoga classes are at Woolner and Coolalinga, plus LIVE online.

Flametree also runs dedicated pranayama (breath meditation) classes four times a week: two at Woolner and two at Coolalinga. So wherever you are in Darwin, there’s a breathwork class within easy reach. These are genuine, ongoing classes, not one-off workshops, taught by Senior Iyengar Teacher Chris Lalor.

Details are on the beginner timetable, and non-beginner timetable.

As mentioned, if you are searching for any of yoga, meditation and mindfulness classes near me, and you’re a non-beginner at yoga, then get started with the pranayama breath meditation Introduction.

In addition, depending on where you are in your yoga journey, include breath meditation Darwin NT classes, online or in-studio.

HALF Price Breath Meditation 10 Pack, Including 4 FREE classes

2 Free Beginner Yoga Classes & 10 Half Off

 

 

Meditation and mindfulness: questions people ask

How do I meditate if I cannot sit still?

Start with the breath rather than with stillness. Following a slow out breath gives the mind something to hold on to, and the stillness follows.

That is why Flametree teaches breath based meditation. Sitting in silence and hoping is the hardest possible entry point.

What is the difference between mindfulness and meditation?

Meditation is the formal practice, where you sit down and do it for a set time. Mindfulness is the same attention carried into the rest of the day.

One trains the skill and the other spends it.

How long should a beginner meditate?

Five to ten minutes. Doing it every day matters far more than doing it for a long time.

Most people who quit did so because they started at thirty minutes.

What happens in a meditation class?

You sit comfortably, usually propped so your back is not working hard, and you are guided through slow breathing and attention.

Nobody chants at you, nobody asks you to believe anything, and nobody minds if your mind wanders. Wandering is the practice.

What should I wear to a meditation class?

Whatever you can sit comfortably in. Nothing tight around the waist.

No special gear needed, and the studio has the props.

Is breath meditation the same as breathwork?

Not quite. Flametree teaches pranayama, the traditional yoga breathing, which is slow, controlled and done sitting or lying.

It is not the fast, forceful modern styles such as Wim Hof, holotropic or 9D breathwork. Those are not taught here.

Do I have to do yoga as well?

No. You can do the breath and meditation classes on their own.

That said, most people find the sitting easier after the body has been worked, which is why many students do both.

How often should I practise?

Every day if you can, even briefly. Twice a week in a class plus a few minutes at home most days is a realistic and effective pattern.

Where are the meditation classes in Darwin?

At Woolner (19B Bishop St, near Parap) on Tuesday and Thursday at 6.30am, also LIVE online, and at Coolalinga (Coolalinga Central) on Tuesday at 7.30am and Sunday at 7.45am. See the class times here.

 

[* Source of the mindfulness information: adapted from Swanson, Ann. “Science Of Yoga” 2018 Kindle Edition. ]