Yoga Essentials
May 14 @ 7:15 am - May 31 @ 5:00 pm
Yoga Essentials for Strength and Mobility.
Whether you are a Beginner or Experienced, what each of us wants from exercise may vary, but one thing I hear consistently, especially as we age, is the desire for functional, pain-free movement.
You might be seeking more strength or perhaps greater flexibility. But ultimately, the ability to move with ease, feel strong, and approach everyday activities with confidence is foundational.
No matter the goal, it all begins with the same thing: a solid foundation
Your teacher Tanya Zappala has been practising yoga since 1990, and over the years her goals have shifted depending on where life going. What she is most grateful for is the teachers who have taught her how to prepare her body for stronger practices. Looking back, this approach has helped Tanya avoid major injuries and stay consistent on her path.
What Are Your Exercise Goals?
Are you aiming for quick results, or are you working toward long-term, sustainable strength and mobility?
These questions matter because they guide how you train. Strength is essential, but true, functional strength comes more easily and safely when your body first has a healthy range of motion. No matter your ultimate goal, your movement practice should always include refining the fundamentals—restoring mobility, alignment, and joint function—so you can build lasting strength in a body that moves freely and without pain.
Your Whole Body Needs Your Attention
“Listen to your body when it whispers, or be forced to hear it when it screams.”
– B.K.S. Iyengar
It’s wise advice. Those small aches and niggles? Pay attention to them now, or you’ll be forced to later—when they become injuries.
There are many reasons we lose range of motion as we age—and it’s not just from sitting too long, a lot of students are on their feet all day. Even the ones that exercise regularly find their bodies still aren’t functioning optimally (overly tight pelvic floor issues are common in ‘fit’ people).
Ignoring the whispers can lead to common issues: back pain, frozen shoulders, wrist or knee pain, foot inflammation, weak pelvic floors, constipation—the list goes on. These are just a few of the reasons people are forced to stop exercising altogether.
Beginner’s Mind — Use It or Lose It
Coming back to a beginner’s mindset means relearning how to prepare the body for deeper, stronger practices. Movement isn’t just about muscles and bones—it’s also about your nervous system.
Returning to simple movements helps increase circulation and warmth. A fresh start, a willingness to approach your body with curiosity and care.
Returning to simple movements helps increase circulation and warmth. Even just 10 minutes a day—something to get you going—is better than nothing. Our bodies stiffen quickly from repetitive activities like sitting, gardening, cycling, or hiking. Gentle movement reawakens the parts of us that have gone a little dormant.
Your brain is smart: it gives more attention to the areas you use most, like your hands and mouth. The areas you neglect—such as your hips or spine—start losing connection and function. (Look up homunculus to see how your brain maps this out!)
These Workshops Will Focus On:
- Improving your overall range of movement
- Building confidence
- Helping you feel steady and stable
- Strengthening your pelvic floor to support
- hip and core stability
- Moving from your core and spine—not just your limbs
- Gentle knee therapy exercises
- Strengthening and mobilising your feet
- Getting up off the floor with ease
- Lifting shopping bags or precious beings without throwing your back out
These Foundations Will Support Your Yoga Practice By:
- Preparing you mentally and physically for stronger variations
- Helping you move deeper using your spine and core instead of relying on arms and hands
- Flowing with greater ease between postures, rather than muscling your way through
- Feeling steadier and grounded in standing poses
Join one, or for the fastest improvements, come as often as you can. Depending on popular timeslots, more dates and times will be added; suggestions for alternate times are welcome.
Each Session is 2 hours to give you time to practice new skills. Click on the class to book in directly.
Saturdays @ 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM:
Thursdays @ 7:15 AM – 9:15 AM:
Wednesdays @ 2:15 PM – 4:15 PM:
Payment Options:
- Concession rates available on request.
- 30% Off For Existing Members – the code has already been emailed to you.
Single Class: $45 (Non-Members)
3-Class Pack: $120 (Non-Members)
All sessions are held at Clayfield Yoga Studio in Brisbane’s North.
Corner of Vine Street and Wagner Rds, Clayfield.
Contact Tanya on 0410 601 773 or tanya@clayfieldyoga.com.au
Your Teacher
Tanya Zappala is on a mission to help people of all ages rediscover the confidence and ease that comes from moving freely in everyday life. With a lifelong love of movement—from an active childhood to becoming a yoga teacher in 2004—Tanya has developed a deep connection with her body and a strong sense of spatial awareness. This connection brings her a sense of calm, confidence, and vitality that she’s committed to sharing with others.
Over the years, Tanya has seen how much stress and struggle can come from not feeling steady or at home in one’s own body. That’s why she created these workshops—to offer supportive, practical tools that she has gathered over the years to that help people rebuild trust in their bodies and move with greater confidence and control.