About our studio and Iyengar Yoga

Hamilton Yoga is the longest-operating yoga studio in Newcastle, NSW, Australia, offering Iyengar yoga classes at a variety of levels. Our yoga school is providing an encouraging, supportive and non-competitive environment for students of all ages and abilities.

Since 2000, the G.U.O.O.F. hall at Gregson Park has been home to this well-established Newcastle yoga studio previously known as Novocastrian School of Yoga, est. 1996 by David Morley, as Newcastle's first Iyengar yoga school.

Our classes are taught by an experienced and certified teacher who has a deep understanding of the practice and has gone through extensive training in their certification process.

Iyengar Yoga is a style of yoga that is known for its emphasis on thorough explanations for the proper alignment of the body, the use of props, and holding poses for extended periods, depending on the level of the class.

One of the unique aspects of Iyengar Yoga is the use of props such as blocks, straps, and blankets. These props are used to support the body in different poses and allow students to experience all aspects of a pose depending on their ability.

At Hamilton Yoga, these props are used with skill to guide students to achieve proper alignment and feel the benefits from this practice.

The classes offered at our yoga studio in Hamilton, near Gregson Park, are suitable for students from all age groups, all fitness levels, body shapes, and genders, from beginners to advanced practitioners.

In our Iyengar Yoga classes at Hamilton Yoga, the focus is on developing strength, flexibility, and balance in the body and mind.

In addition to our regular Iyengar Yoga classes, Hamilton Yoga also offers workshops and intensives that allow students to deepen the experience of their practice and explore new aspects.

The historic G.U.O.O.F. hall building in Hamilton has been home to our Newcastle yoga studio since the year 2000.

Only a few minutes walk from the vibrant Beaumont Street in Hamilton with shopping opportunities, cafes and restaurants, our yoga school faces the lush Gregson Park, centrally located in Newcastle and next to well-frequented bus routes along Tudor Street, Hamilton.

Parking is usually available in front of the yoga school along Steel Street. Alternatively, daytime parking is available along the Tudor Street side of Gregson Park or across the road in front of Hamilton Public School.

Our welcoming, well-ventilated studio space presents big and generously with timber flooring, natural light, natural airflow, split-system air conditioning, ceiling fans, and wheelchair access. 

Being a committed Iyengar yoga school, we are fitted out with specialised props such as wall ropes, back benders, head standers, yoga chairs, tressler, halasana boxes, setu bandha benches, and a demonstration stage. 

All standard props are supplied for beginners. Mats, blocks, and belts may also available for purchase. You are welcome to bring your own mat and props or, if preferred, store them at the studio (provided there is availability).

We have two external unisex toilets and a changeroom plus toilet inside. Our reception area has pigeonholes to store your belongings safely during your attendance.

An outdoor seating area offers some tranquil space before or after sessions. Our reception area opens 15 minutes before the start of each class.

David Morley, Owner and headteacher

David is a very caring and approachable teacher who marries precision, detailed explanations and challenges for his students with light-hearted humour. He succeeds in sensitising students to new details of asanas enabling them to enhance their lifestyle with a safe and stimulating yoga practice. 

Credentials

• Practicing yoga since the late 1980s.
• Has been teaching yoga in Newcastle continuously since 1994.
• Commenced his Iyengar Yoga Teacher Training in 1995 with Senior Iyengar yoga teacher Pixie Lillas of the Balmain Iyengar Yoga Studio, Sydney.
• Certificates in therapeutic and remedial massage, 1995.
• Founded this yoga school in 1996 as the very first Iyengar yoga studio in Newcastle, previously known as 'Novocastrian School of Yoga', now operating as 'Hamilton Yoga - Iyengar Yoga School'
• Iyengar Yoga Teacher Certification in 1999.
• Studied in India with B.K.S. Iyengar at his 80th birthday celebrations in 1998, and Geeta Iyengar and Prashant Iyengar in 1999 and 2006 at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune.
• Ongoing personal development and attendance at workshops with senior Iyengar yoga teachers and the Iyengar family.

Personal notes

• Loving father and husband in an Aussie/German household.
• Electrician by first trade.
• Co-founder of Cooks Hill United Football Club with continued active involvement in management.
• Time permitting, electric and double bass player.
• Speaks German, best when talking about his other love, Football.

Read more about David

Iyengar Yoga is a style of yoga developed by B.K.S. Iyengar, an Indian yoga teacher who is widely regarded as one of the most influential yoga teachers of the 20th century. Iyengar Yoga is a form of Hatha Yoga that emphasizes alignment, precision, and the use of props, such as blankets, blocks, and straps, to help students achieve proper alignment in the poses.

In Iyengar Yoga, the focus is on holding the poses for longer periods of time, which allows students to deepen their understanding of the poses and develop strength, flexibility, and balance. The practice also emphasizes the use of breath to help students deepen their awareness of their bodies and quiet their minds.

Iyengar Yoga is known for its systematic and progressive approach, which allows students to progress through a series of poses at their own pace, with the guidance of a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher. The method is also known for its therapeutic benefits and is often used to help people recover from injuries or manage chronic conditions.

Iyengar Yoga Australia is the official organisation representing Iyengar Yoga in Australia. IYA offers teacher training, workshops, and classes for students of all levels, and maintains the highest standard of teaching by requiring their teachers to undergo rigorous training and lengthy certification processes.

Iyengar Yoga teachers need to be licensed to use the Iyengar Certification Mark.

For more information visit the Iyengar Yoga Australia website.