Yoga in Newcastle: Eight instructors share their secrets, tips and insights

Richard Kelly recalls that 38 years ago, there wasn't much yoga in Newcastle other than Mrs. Lester and Rigpa Tibetan Buddhist meditation in Cooks Hill. He remembers these practices being balanced with hardly any alignment cues, dialogue or commentary.

"The practices were very similar if not the same as doing yoga in India, firm and peaceful," he says.

Josh Pryor noticed a shift in the yoga community about five years ago. "Lots of people started to ask me about breathing and meditation techniques and some of the philosophy of yoga. It was a dream come true! I've been enjoying teaching the full spectrum yogic techniques ever since," Pryor says.

Francesca Davy agrees. She said "Chair Yoga" is becoming increasingly popular, and her colleagues offer weekly classes for residents at aged care facilities. "Yoga used to be seen as something young, stretchy people did. People used to say to me, 'I'd love to do Yoga, but I am not flexible enough!' Now older, less flexible men and women can try different classes to suit them, Davy says.

Cristina Smith recalls the "yoga boom of 2009 in Newcastle that resulted in more and more studios opening."

Tamara Coughlan finds that people are more receptive to yoga compared to six or seven years ago. "There is a broader acknowledgement for yoga in Newcastle," Tess Hynes says.

Eight local yoga teachers shared stories, explained poses and told tips for newbies wanting to get their feet ... stretched.

Jaya Ramachandran, 46, and her husband moved to Newcastle to set up The Bhakti Tree - a vegetarian/vegan cafe and charity, also known as Hare Krishna Food for Life Hunter Valley Inc.

"Growing up in India, yoga was part of our school physical training. However, my interest in yoga grew about 12 years ago when I suddenly had serious health problems," she says. "Yoga helped me build strength not only within my body but also in my mind, allowing me to come out of the mire of depression."

She teaches Hatha and a bit of Vinyasa. "Hatha is my favourite as it really allows the participants to focus and understand their bodies while doing the poses," she says.

For a nice relaxation especially of the lower back, she recommends Bidalasana or Cat/Cow, a pose on hands and knees requiring the slow arch and curve of the spine. "Easy to do and at the same time relieves a lot of stress," she says.

"I can't really buy into the oogah-boogah approach to yoga, mine is more science, musculoskeletal and physiology based meditation, yoga posture and movement. This is to achieve better mental and emotional wellbeing, longevity of the body and better overall health on a physiological level," Kelly says.

The 56-year-old was born in Newcastle. At age four he remembers observing his uncle practicing yoga postures and later learning his techniques. In his teens while living in Hawaiian surfhouse, Kelly met a man who taught him yoga postures, meditation and different forms of breathing control.

Since then he's practiced and trained in various yoga systems. For years he's been teaching in Newcastle and is familiar with its scientifically-backed benefits.

"Randomised control trials of yoga show that yoga is effective in increasing joint flexibility, management of coronary artery disease, coping with exam stress, work stress, management of hypertension, management of stress of epilepsy, relief in hand osteoarthritis, the ability to perform complex tasks for a long term management of bronchial asthma and reduction of medication for asthma," Kelly says.

He believes most people can do it if they practice intelligently within their own capabilities. "Yoga is a journey of one little step at a time, but often we want to practice with the western tendency to take big steps in a competitive way instead of doing something calmly and firm at 30-60 per cent effort," he says.

"Anyone can do yoga. The only requirement is the willingness to be open minded. That's it. No dangers. The only danger would be a reliance on people (teachers) as gurus. We are all gurus of our own life journey and yoga helps us connect to exactly what that is," Breeze says.

Breeze is 38 and originally from the UK. She moved to Newcastle for a simpler way of life after many years of living in in Melbourne and Sydney. In 2012 she made yoga a more disciplined practice, and in 2013 she trained in India and continued to train. She predominantly teaches Forrest yoga.

"Forrest Yoga is a dynamic practice that works with injuries on a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level. It relies heavily on breathwork and long holds in poses to help us connect deeper into feeling all the feels. It was a pivotal part of my healing in addiction," Breeze says.

She also teaches yin yoga and recommends everyone try everything and everyone, as Newcastle offers quite the range.

"Go to the people/styles you resonate with and get even more curious about the ones you don't. I hated Yin Yoga in the beginning because it was 'too soft and boring' and it was the very thing that helped me soften. We don't often know what is good for us," she says.

"My mother was into yoga in the 1970's. She used to watch Swami Sarasvati on TV. My Mum would have my sisters and I doing downward facing dog and shoulder stands etc. in the lounge room with her," Davy says.

She's been practicing yoga ever since.

In her 50s, Davy has lived in Newcastle for 25 years. She became a teacher shortly after her 50th birthday and an inspirational vision boarding workshop. She completed her 12-month diploma with Yogic Wisdom and began teaching four years ago. Her style of teaching is a mix of Vinyasa (flowing Yoga poses) Hatha (traditional holding poses and breathing into them) and Pranayama (breathing techniques on the yoga mat).

She loves her Wednesday morning class in Mayfield, where the average age of attendees is probably 70.

"There are men and women, some who are new to yoga, some who have been practicing for years. They arrive early to class, greet and hug each other, bring in excess produce from their gardens or other things to share. For the next 75 minutes they are totally in the moment, with their yoga practice and meditation. After class they collectively pack away the bolsters, blocks etc, then head off to a nearby cafe for their favourite part of the class," she says.

She suggested a pose to try at home.

"A go-to for me is Viparita Karini - legs up the wall - perfect when you are fatigued. Try it for 10 minutes, taking some nice slow, deep breaths to restore you," she says. "This is a great alternative to reaching for the bottle of wine on arrival home from a stressful day at work!"

The mother to four adult children, Smith has lived in Newcastle since she was four years old. She became interested in yoga in 2010 at the "ripe old age of 45" when her community began talking about a new thing called "hot yoga." She finally tried and was hooked from the first class.

Eighteen months after daily yoga practices, she decided to get her teacher training and enrolled into the Baron Baptiste training course in Newcastle at what is now YogaBodyWorks.

"This style is an adaptation of the classical Ashtanga yoga method which (physically) is quite athletic in nature, which is why it appealed to me at the time. As my practice grew the philosophy woven within the practice ignited a spiritual aspect within me that resonated deeply, although I had no idea why at the time," she says.

She has since participated in additional teacher trainings and studied a variety of styles.

"The style I resonate with most is Vinyasa (flow). The postures are linked together via a Sun Salutation where the physical practice feels seamless and can become quite meditative in nature therefore drawing the participant into a deeper sense of embodiment and breath awareness," she says.

Smith also teaches and enjoys the mental benefits of Yin yoga.

"Holding postures for minutes at a time can become very therapeutic where the practitioner can learn to slow down and harness the benefits of being in a state of rest and digest of the nervous system," she says.

"The benefits of yoga are endless. After 10 years of practice, I have had profound personal healing from a neurological disorder as well as immeasurable changes of letting go of so many internal and external emotional and mental patterns of judgement of self. I found yoga brings a deeper contentment with what is. Getting out of my own way," says Coughlan, age 32, who is now 24 weeks pregnant.

Originally from the Central Coast, Coughlan started doing yoga in 2010 when she was searching for an enjoyable movement practice as she found exercise quite tedious. As soon as she tried yoga, it ignited something in her. She pursued the practice further in India for six months in 2012. From there she went to the Hridaya yoga school in Mexico and completed my original 500-hour training.

"I teach mainly Hridaya yoga. Hridaya is a meditative form of yoga. Holding postures for 5-10 minutes. Its foundation emphasises both awareness and energy, and connects to the subtle aspects of the posture including the mental patterns, subtle energy and quieting of the mind. Hridaya is a word that means Heart in the oriental language of yoga (Sanskrit), and so ultimately the contemplation and self-inquiry is how to meet yourself with love and compassion," she says.

She recommends child's pose, a resting posture where your knees are spread wide on the mat, your belly is between your thighs, your arms outstretched and your forehead down.

Pryor, 42, grew up in the Hunter Valley countryside. He did a bit of yoga as a teen but was more interested in philosophy and not very sporty.

"I studied computer science at uni and then worked in the industry. I found myself at age 30 being chubby and unfit. Realising that I was much more interested in living a long life than I had been in my 20s, I lost 25 kilos and immersed myself in conventional fitness training," he says.

He became superfit, energetic and somewhat hyperactive. Injuries crept in and eventually he had a fractured rib and debilitating sore knees.

"At that time I heard about the new yoga studios in town and resumed my practice after 25 years. It was a beautiful time for me, getting right into the physical side of things and realising it can all be blended, the spiritual and the physical," he says.

Since then he's done study trips to India and many other courses.

He offers Ashtanga yoga at his studio and also teach at Genesis gyms.

"This style of yoga is absolutely perfect, the class model is self-paced rather than led," he says. "Mysore style yoga, the kind we offer, is ideal for beginners in this way. You won't be thrown into any unsafe situations and there's no heat and no pressure to go fast. Self-paced is the way to go. Our teachers have 10-plus years' experience and that's really important. They tailor the way you practice to be sustainable. We will be practicing until age 100 and beyond!"

Hynes, 37, encourages people to think about why they are coming to yoga and what they seek from the practice.

"You may come to yoga for one thing but soon realise there's a big ocean of things you can discover for yourself," she says.

Hynes first moved to Newcastle in 2013, but she became interested in yoga while attending university in Orange.

There wasn't much yoga around then, particularly in regional areas. She vividly remembers her first class at the age of 22.

"I rocked up to this little hall connected to an old nun's convent (The Sisters of Mercy) in Murrurundi. I wore my joggers thinking it might be like a gym class, but I soon discovered I needed to leave my shoes at the door," she says.

Her first training was in 2011. She's trained in Hatha yoga, Yin yoga and Oki-do yoga, a Japanese style. She teaches both dynamic and still practices, like Yin (her favourite) and Restorative.

She says it's important to recognise that not every student needs to practice everything the teacher offers.

"It's so important to listen to your inner voice and your body. This can be hard in the beginning but it's something you will discover and refine with practice. Each time you come to the mat, honour yourself in that moment, that day," she says. "I have heard some stories of teachers adjusting students and causing them injury. If you don't feel comfortable being adjusted then try to be brave and say 'no thank you'."

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