Yoga Studio Near Me: Angie’s Menopause Story (Video)
Short answer: if you are looking for a yoga studio near me in Darwin, Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga at Woolner (near Parap) and Coolalinga (near Palmerston and Humpty Doo), and live online anywhere in Australia. If you are new, your first class is free. Below, Flametree student and Darwin singer Angie Sublime tells, in her own words, how she went looking for a yoga studio near her during menopause, and what changed for her. Her results are her own; everyone’s experience is different.
I tried everything. Only yoga worked. See my video.
It was a few years ago that I (Angie Sublime) first started noticing the menopausal symptoms of hot flushes. I was also feeling more fragile and anxious. It was similar to the experience of premenstrual tension. Here’s how I got to checking out yoga studios near me, and my story on the way… including a tiny yoga video!
The weight gain I experienced was gradual. But I gained about 12 kilos (or 26 pounds), over about a five year period.
Meanwhile, I was on a natural hormone replacement treatment, and doing aerobic fitness in the form of walking.
Still, the same waistline issue remained. It seemed to be out of control!
I had a group of three or four friends that used to walk with me every morning. But despite the exercise, I was still putting on kilos.
Beginners: first class free, then 10 at HALF price plus 2 FREE, $59.50.
Already do yoga? Non-beginners: HALF price 10 pass plus 2 FREE, $104.50
When nothing else worked, I (Angie) looked for yoga studios near me
Nothing else worked!
Then my group of friends decided we needed a personal trainer to work with us.
So we organised personal training three mornings a week and walked for an hour every other morning.
However, despite the effort and exercise, there was still no change to my gradual weight gain.
Even worse, the personal training was definitely not fun. I found myself waking up angry at the thought of doing it.
Of course I’d tried dieting. I also consulted a dietician, and ate a lot less food. But that also had no impact!
Below, you can see a picture of me when I was walking and doing personal training …before I started yoga. I’m in the red dress.
That’s me on the left, before I started yoga
I eventually said to my exercise group of friends … “no offence, but I don’t like this personal training. What do we do”?
My yoga studios near me search begins
In the past, I had ‘played’ with yoga postures using an instructional yoga video. (I now realise it was coincidentally from an Iyengar Yoga video, like Flametree Studio).
I had tried to learn the ‘video class’ as a routine. I knew yoga was something I wanted to try again. But I felt I needed guidance.
I mentioned the Flametree Yoga advertisement I had seen on Flametree’s Facebook. I suggested to my friends that we give it a go.
Several of us enrolled.
I found the number of class type options and the extensive timetable was great. This meant there was no excuse for not being able to attend classes many times a week. There was at least a class time, if not many, that worked for everyone!
Video of me at a gig. Plus my yoga story!
Me, Angie, at a local Darwin gig
Beginners: first class free, then 10 at HALF price plus 2 FREE, $59.50.
Already do yoga? Non-beginners: HALF price 10 pass plus 2 FREE, $104.50
Kilos gone!
Over several months, I lost all that waist that had come with menopause … without even trying.
I’m told that it is at least partly due to the fact that yoga reduces stress. In the process, it also leads you to eat more mindfully.
Whatever the reason, it certainly has worked for me in both weight loss and stress management.
I also say yoga has kept me “sane”. I mean that I notice a greater sense of calm and a lightness of mind. It’s an unexpected benefit of practising yoga.
In addition, it has definitely helped me cope through recent stressful and trying times. So that is now also a big part of why I choose to continue to practise yoga.
I have also noticed a ‘sense of physical lightness’. It appears to come from my greater awareness of my ‘physical self’, and of where and how ‘my’ body moves and works in space and time.
Many impacts, including no pain
Over the years, I have watched many of my friends suffer physical pain and limitations due to their bodies. I’m incredibly grateful that I now have no pain anywhere in my body.
Yoga has also improved my flexibility and core strength.
I have a very physical job, part of which requires me to lift heavy sound equipment. For me, lifting 30 kilo equipment now feels like nothing… despite it being half my body weight.
That’s because in my yoga practice I’m often lifting my entire body weight!
There’s also the physical benefit of improved stamina. I noticed over time the ease with which I am now able to do some of the yoga postures has greatly improved.
A good example of this for me is my learning of the headstand. I used to breathe heavily. I couldn’t sustain this posture for any length of time.
However I am now able to maintain the headstand position easily, and with much less effort. That’s me in headstand, below.
Over several months of beginner preparation poses, I learnt the headstand, and much more
My friends thought it was too easy!
I find it interesting that comments from some of my work colleagues about yoga include “that it looks like you aren’t putting in any effort.”
Others say things like: “It looks too easy. It isn’t physically challenging enough for me”.
So I challenge them to come and join in on a yoga class. I say if it appears to be that easy, then anyone can in fact do it… so give it a try.
The truth of the matter is that anyone can in fact do it!
But it is of course physically challenging at times, depending on the posture or style of class.
And remember, if someone makes something look easy, it’s usually because they are very accomplished at it!
Yoga definitely builds physical stamina and strength…while looking like you are relaxing!
Good teachers at Flametree
I have found the teachers at Flametree Yoga to be second to none.
I’ve been learning not only about the physical side of yoga but more importantly the inner game of yoga. It’s about observing yourself and your attitudes on a daily basis.
Observe the sensations within your body while doing your yoga practice. They are messages to you about your physical body. Notice also the mental resistance or willingness to do certain poses, or be ‘with’ the sensations.
Don’t get involved in the drama you tell yourself about the sensations such as ‘ I can’t do this’ or ‘it’s painful’.
Most importantly, just be kind to yourself in your yoga practice.
Over the years, I have enjoyed every class at Flametree Yoga that I have attended. Every teacher has been a pleasure to be taught by.
Beginners: first class free, then 10 at HALF price plus 2 FREE, $59.50.
Already do yoga? Non-beginners: HALF price 10 pass plus 2 FREE, $104.50
Private yoga class options
New friends from yoga
Yoga has also created a new network of friends. That’s been another unexpected, wonderful outcome.
As a professional singer, I also noticed many similarities between the study of music, and the study of yoga.
First, yoga is about a little bit every day. It’s about the benefits of long term practice, and less about instant gratification.
In fact, yoga is all about the word “practice” in every sense of the meaning of the word. It’s about the verb of ‘doing’ practise every day, as well as the noun of having ‘a practice’ as a part of your life.
So, in this sense too, yoga and music are also the same.
I still enjoy music lessons as there is always much to learn. Music is a life-long learning journey.
Again, doing yoga is a similar experience. The discipline of attending lessons requires you to continue to practise and learn.
In addition, you also need to make sure you practise even the bits you don’t like!
To master music, or just to get lots from it, you need to make it part of your everyday world. You need to use the same approach with yoga.
Helps my singing, and my breathing, and more
Yoga also helps with singing.
For example, “Mountain pose”, is one of the first yoga postures taught in the beginner classes or beginner course. This pose is also the perfect posture for singing.
For a start, singing requires good posture. In order to sing well, the large muscles of the body need to support the small muscles of the vocal anatomy.
More importantly, the muscles need to be able to move freely for both singing and speaking. We call it ‘anchoring the voice’.
So yoga quickly helps you to improve your singing, and become more aware of good posture. That’s useful for many aspect of your life and health, including for your breath.
I cannot say enough about the positive impact Yoga has had to my life.
Because of all this, I say to everybody, give yoga a go.
With both music & yoga, you still need to practise even the bits you don’t like!
What other students have found
Other Flametree students have also told us about their results from a mix of yoga, mindfulness, stress reduction and, for some, intermittent fasting. These are their own experiences, and results vary.
For example, you can hear from Flametree students about their successes.
For a start, Miriam says: “I trimmed 13 of the big K’s in the first half of the year I started yoga. Yes, 13!”
Guy says: “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.”
A young mum, Wayan, says: “Suddenly, 8 of those Kilos were gone! And I maintained it.”
Plus, Chris, the Senior Yoga Teacher at Flametree, also successfully manages her weight.
Chris says: “…the mindfulness that I get from yoga makes it easier to control my eating.”
By the way, there are also many other very positive reviews of Flametree Yoga.
Flametree’s beginner class times
Beginner classes run in the studio at Woolner and Coolalinga, and many are also LIVE online, on Darwin time (ACST, 9.5 hours ahead of UTC). There are 17 beginner level classes a week, in the morning, evening and at weekends.
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 teach introductory Iyengar yoga poses, with props to help.
There’s also special focus options, including Gentle Yoga (Friday 10.15am), Yoga For Backs (and neck and shoulders, Wednesday 7.15pm at Woolner), and Restorative Yoga (Saturday 4pm).
Yoga studios near me in Darwin: Woolner and Coolalinga, plus online
Beginner level yoga can be started at any time.
If you are new to Flametree, your first class is free. In the studio, just come along; online, click the class time you want and we email you the link to join.
Then the beginner deal gives you 10 classes at half price plus 2 free, $59.50, with a 14-day money-back guarantee.
In the Darwin region, Flametree’s studios are at Woolner (19B Bishop Street, about 3 km from the CBD) and Coolalinga (Shop T31, Coolalinga Central, about 15 minutes from Palmerston).
Details are on the beginner timetable, and non-beginner timetable.
Try a class at a Flametree studio near you
- New to Flametree? Your first class is free. In Darwin, just come along to the studio. Online, click the class time you want and we email you the link to join (get your link to join here). See the beginner timetable.
- Keep going at half price. The beginner deal is 10 classes at half price plus 2 more free, $59.50 in total, in the studio, online or both. No discount code, and a 14-day money-back guarantee. For newcomers and anyone away three months or more.
- Already practising yoga? The non-beginner half price 10 pass with 2 free is $104.50, no code needed. See the non-beginner timetable.
Yoga studio near me: common questions
How do I find a good yoga studio near me?
Look for qualified teachers who can see you and correct your poses, beginner classes at times that suit you, and a way to try a class before you pay. Iyengar yoga teachers train for a minimum of three years, and use props so beginners can do the poses safely.
Where are Flametree’s yoga studios in Darwin?
Flametree has two studios: Woolner, at 19B Bishop Street near Parap, about 3 km from the Darwin CBD, and Coolalinga, at Shop T31, Coolalinga Central, about 15 minutes from Palmerston. Many classes are also live online.
What if there is no yoga studio near me?
You can join Flametree’s live online classes from anywhere in Australia. They are taught in real time from the Darwin studio, with a teacher who can see you and help you. Your first online class is free if you are new.
Can yoga help with weight gain during menopause?
Some women, like Angie, find it does. A 2024 review of 24 trials in menopausal women found yoga improved menopausal symptoms and sleep, and was linked with a lower body mass index, though the authors called for larger studies. Yoga works best alongside mindful eating and other activity.
Can I do yoga if I have not exercised for years?
Yes. Flametree’s Beginner 1 classes are for any age, size or fitness level, and props like blocks, belts and chairs make the poses easier. Tell your teacher about any injuries or health conditions before class.
Can yoga help my singing voice?
Many singers find it does. Mountain pose teaches upright posture, and yoga breathing builds awareness of the breath. Angie, a professional singer, says yoga helps her support her voice with the larger muscles of her body.
Do I need to book a class at a Flametree studio?
No. For a studio class, just come along about 10 minutes early and tell the teacher it is your first class. For an online class, click the class time you want and we email you the link to join.
How much do classes at Flametree cost?
If you are new, your first class is free. Then beginners can get 12 classes for $59.50 (10 at half price plus 2 free) with the beginner deal, no code needed, with a 14-day money-back guarantee.
