Yoga Insights & Information

Light Bladder Leakage: Why A Laugh, Cough, Sneeze Or Jump Lets A Few Drops Out

Chris Lalor in Virabhadrasana 2, Warrior 2, on a timber deck beside a wetland, captioned legs strong, chest open

By Chris Lalor, Certified Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher and Certified Yoga Therapist, and Dr Stuart McGill, Yoga Teacher, Flametree Yoga Darwin Light bladder leakage: the short answer Light bladder leakage is when a few drops escape as you laugh, cough, sneeze or jump. It happens because the pressure pushes down on the bladder faster than […]

Pelvic Floor: What It Is, Where It Is, And Why Too Tight Matters As Much As Too Weak

Chris Lalor smiling in Mountain Pose (Tadasana) with a yoga block between her thighs, caption: "If only my mother could see me now!"

By Chris Lalor, Certified Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher and Certified Yoga Therapist, and Dr Stuart McGill, Yoga Teacher, Flametree Yoga Darwin Pelvic floor: the short answer The pelvic floor is a hammock of muscles at the base of your pelvis. It holds up your bladder, womb and bowel, and it helps you choose when to […]

Perimenopause Insomnia: Why Sleep Breaks In Your Forties, And What The Research Says About Yoga

Yoga for perimenopause: Chris Lalor resting in a supported reclining pose on bolsters on a rock by water

By Chris Lalor, Certified Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher and Certified Yoga Therapist, and Dr Stuart McGill, Yoga Teacher, Flametree Yoga Darwin Perimenopause insomnia: the short answer Perimenopause insomnia is trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or getting back to sleep during the years before your periods stop. It is common, and it has real causes. Your […]

Balance Classes For Seniors Near Me: Which Yoga Class To Start With In Darwin, And What Happens In It

Over 60s exercise Darwin class: Chris Lalor standing tall in a sandstone gorge with one hand on the back of a chair for support

By Chris Lalor, Certified Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher and Certified Yoga Therapist, and Dr Stuart McGill, Yoga Teacher, Flametree Yoga Darwin Balance classes for seniors near me: the short answer If you live in Darwin and want a class to improve your balance, start with Beginner 1 or Gentle Yoga at Flametree Yoga Studio. Both […]

Weight Bearing Exercises For Osteoporosis: The Four Bones To Reach, And The Yoga Poses That Reach Them

Osteopenia exercises that load bone: Chris Lalor in Half Moon Pose among the rock towers of the Lost City, Litchfield, standing leg straight

By Chris Lalor, Certified Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher and Certified Yoga Therapist, and Dr Stuart McGill, Yoga Teacher, Flametree Yoga Darwin Weight bearing exercises for osteoporosis: the short answer A weight bearing exercise is any movement where your bones carry your weight against gravity. For osteoporosis, the useful question is not “am I weight bearing?” […]

Wolff’s Law: Why Bone Builds Where You Load It, And What That Means For Your Yoga

Chris Lalor in Ardha Chandrasana, Half Moon Pose, on rock in the Northern Territory, captioned bone grows where you load it

By Chris Lalor, Certified Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher and Certified Yoga Therapist, and Dr Stuart McGill, Yoga Teacher, Flametree Yoga Darwin Wolff’s law: the short answer Wolff’s law says that bone adapts to the loads put through it. Load a bone in the right way and it lays down more material. Stop loading it and […]

Breathwork For Beginners: Where To Start With Yoga Breathing

By Chris Lalor, Certified Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher and Certified Yoga Therapist, and Dr Stuart McGill, Yoga Teacher, Flametree Yoga Darwin Breathwork for beginners: the short answer If you are new to breathwork, start lying down, with slow, quiet breathing, and add the other breaths one at a time. In Iyengar yoga, breathwork is called […]

Breathing Exercises For Sleep: Calm The Busy Brain

By Chris Lalor, Certified Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher and Certified Yoga Therapist, and Dr Stuart McGill, Yoga Teacher, Flametree Yoga Darwin Breathing exercises for sleep: the short answer The best breathing exercises for sleep are slow, soft and calm: lying down, watching a quiet ujjayi breath (the ocean breath), letting the out-breath lengthen without force, […]

Cyclic Sighing: The Long Out-Breath Tested At Stanford

By Chris Lalor, Certified Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher and Certified Yoga Therapist, and Dr Stuart McGill, Yoga Teacher, Flametree Yoga Darwin Cyclic sighing: the short answer Cyclic sighing is a breathing exercise with two sips of air in through the nose, one on top of the other, followed by one long, slow breath out. In […]

Bhastrika Pranayama: Why The Bellows Breath Comes Last

By Chris Lalor, Certified Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher and Certified Yoga Therapist, and Dr Stuart McGill, Yoga Teacher, Flametree Yoga Darwin Bhastrika pranayama: the short answer Bhastrika pranayama (bhastrika means bellows) is a strong yoga breath where both the in-breath and the out-breath are quick and forceful, a few rounds at a time. It wakes […]

Menopause Joint Pain: Why Joints Ache, And How Yoga Helps Them Move

Menopause joint pain diagram: oestrogen falls, joints feel dry and achy, we move less, joints stiffen more, and gentle movement breaks the circle

By Chris Lalor, Certified Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher and Certified Yoga Therapist, and Dr Stuart McGill, Yoga Teacher, Flametree Yoga Darwin Menopause joint pain: the short answer Menopause joint pain is very common, and it is rarely talked about. A 2024 review in the journal Climacteric estimated that more than 70% of women have muscle […]

Uneven Shoulders: Why One Shoulder Sits Higher, And What Evens It Out

Uneven shoulders diagram: six one-sided habits, a bag on the same side, phone and mouse in the same hand, sleeping on one side, standing on one leg and driving with one hand

By Chris Lalor, Certified Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher and Certified Yoga Therapist, and Dr Stuart McGill, Yoga Teacher, Flametree Yoga Darwin Uneven shoulders: the short answer Uneven shoulders, where one shoulder sits higher than the other, are very common. Most of us are a little lopsided, because the body does the same job on one […]