The Studio
1/67 George Street, Launceston
The Space
Come and practise yoga in Launceston’s newest bespoke studio. Located in the heart of Launceston’s CBD we have carefully renovated a historical building at level 1/67 George st. Practice on restored polished wooden floorboards in this open and inspiring space with lots of natural light and a fresh feel.
The space allows for generous spacing between a maximum of 12 students at each class, so you can be assured there will be no overcrowded rooms and small class sizes every time.
Please note we have a large flight of stairs leading up to our first-floor studio. If stairs present you with a challenge and you are interested in private therapeutic sessions, please contact the studio and we can easily arrange another location.
Facilities and Equipment
We provide everything that you will need to practise yoga at the studio, this includes free use of our yoga mats, blocks, bolsters, blankets and props.
We have secure storage for your personal items during class and offer new showers and toilet to freshen up afterwards.
We also have a modern Swedish sauna at the studio, heated to a balmy 70-80°C. If this interests you, head to our yoga classes page to read more and book a session!
Trauma Sensitive
All our classes are trauma informed and the yoga we share is sensitive to the many and varied nuances of trauma symptoms, meaning that all of you is welcome at Ujjayi.
You do not need to have a diagnosis or history of trauma to practice with us. Everyone can benefit from a regular yoga practise as it improves the strength, flexibility and resilience of mind, body and self.
Respect
We are an all-inclusive studio and welcome all genders, colours, costumes, sexuality and life cycles; we welcome and encourage gratitude for others, respect and equality in the yoga space.
Parking
Yes, there is plenty of free and paid parking near by the studio during scheduled class times. The closes paid parking with (almost) guaranteed space in the old Paterson St carpark.
Sustainability
At Ujjayi Yoga the environment is very important to us, we practise Ahimsa / non-violence in everything that we do. All of our cleaning products are plant based & cruelty free, our mats are sustainably resourced and made from Australian Jute and recycled plastics, we have salvaged and upcycled our furniture, we use Who Gives a Crap dunny roll, and do everything we can to look after our local and global community and environment on and off the yoga mat.
"The Studio is light and breezy, the ambience is welcoming, relaxed and safe"
About the Founder
Sarah Van Est
MA. Res/Human Rights
Sarah established Ujjayi Yoga Tasmania in 2018 in response to a lack of services in northern Tasmania offering body-based therapies for people healing from the grief and hurt of trauma. Combining 17 years of yoga experience, with her background of working with people impacted by trauma in the community sector, Sarah has authentically built Ujjayi Yoga into a centre for healing, growth, joy and empowerment, offering programs and a skill set unique to Tasmania.
Trained in Hatha Yoga and initiated into a linage of Kriya Yoga, Sarah has also practised extensively in Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Bikram, Yin, Bakhti, Hridraya (to name a few styles) and studied the history and philosophy of yoga, at schools across Australian, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Mexico and Nicaragua. Sarah hopes to bring the best of 20 years of yoga experience to Ujjayi and share her knowledge of what really works to help her student develop an authentic connection with their yoga practice.
As a trauma specialist, Sarah has developed various projects and programs to empower those in our community who have been impacted by trauma and has developed and delivered training for professionals in appropriate trauma informed care. She now delivers specialised trauma informed yoga and somatic, body-based therapies that aim to heal trauma, empower and create authenticity.
Qualifications and Training
- Master of Human Rights, Curtin University
- Bachelor of Arts, Utas, Major Philosophy and Entrepreneurship
- Certificate IV Population Health
- Somatic Experiencing™, Practitioner in Training
- Xian Yoga, 500hr YTT, Yoga Alliance
- Hidraya Yoga, 100h Module 1
- Trauma Aware Yoga Teacher Training, Trauma Sensitive Yoga Australia
- Yoga and the Traumatised Body, 14hr, Trauma Sensitive Yoga Australia
- Trauma Informed Yoga for Youth, 8 weeks, Yoga Ed
- Healing Trauma Through Yoga, 4.5hrs, David Emerson, Trauma Centre for Trauma Sensitive Yoga
- Trauma, Neuroscience and the Evolving therapy of Traumatised Children and Adults, 2-day workshops, Bessel van der Kolk, Byron Clinic
- Treating Trauma Master Series, The National Institute for the Application of Behavioural Medicine
"Sarah is a wonderful, generous and thoughtful instructor. A gift for my sore body!"
Yoga Teacher
Sarah Woodcock-Davis
My wish is simple: to inspire glorious potential. My classes encompass strong foundations, gentle challenge, inspiration and nurture to help students to create a safe and sustainable practice. Be ready to laugh, breathe, and flow!
Yoga has been a part of my life for nearly twenty years; however, consistency had greatly varied! Moving to Australia from the UK, raising two children and working as a teacher and school leader meant that I fell into the habit of not prioritising my own wellbeing. A few years ago, after burning out, I returned to yoga and fell in love with the strength, confidence, and calm that it gave me, long after I’d had rolled up my mat. In 2021, I completed 200hr yoga teacher training with Yoga Space, and in 2022, Yin Training with The Yin Space.
Over the years, my own practice has included Vinyasa, Yin, Bikram, Meditation and Yoga Nidra. As a lifelong student of Yoga, I have a deep interest in Ayurveda, trauma-informed practice and supporting those in care-giving roles. I now teach adolescents and adults in a variety of settings and am so thrilled to be teaching with the wonderful team at Ujjayi.
Sarah teaches Yin every Friday at 6pm
Yoga Teacher
Louise White
I am originally from the North of England but over the last 20 years I have lived in Victoria and outback WA, but now call Tasmania home.
I first started practicing Yoga in 2005 to help me recover from a serious injury which left me unable to walk unaided for 4 years. Despite having limited movement I was immediately hooked on yoga and could feel the benefits very quickly. The transformative effects of slow movement, meditation, and taking time to listen to the body were life changing.
After 16 years of being a student I finally had the opportunity to attend yoga teacher training and completed my Vinyasa training (200hr) in 2021, and Yin training (50hr) in 2022. Over time I have become aware that yoga is more than just asanas and I began to study the yogic teachings, including Patanjalis 8 limbs of yoga. As I implemented these teaching I found a new sense of balance and calmness within and I look forward to guiding you on your yogic travels.
I am excited to share the journey with you as we practice yoga, the union of mind, body and spirit.
Louise teaches Serene and still every Saturday morning at 8:30am
Yoga Teacher
Sharon Johnson
Hi, I’m Sharon and I’ve been teaching yoga and organising yoga and meditation retreats since 2002. Having been trained in the South Indian yoga tradition of renowned guru T Krishnamacharya and his son TKV Desikachar, I furthered my yoga knowledge by completing a Diploma of Yoga Studies in the North Indian yoga tradition of Swami Satyananda.
My teaching method utilises Hatha yoga practices of mindful movement, breath awareness and meditation to further develop a sense of presence, insight, and ease.
I continues to enhance and expand my own yoga practice by regularly attending silent retreats and residential courses in Australia and India, and most recently began Somatic Experiencing training to expand my skills in working with people impacted by trauma in the yoga studio.
About Our Yoga
Hatha Yoga
Hatha, translated to 'force', is an ancient branch of yoga that begins by preparing the body for life with physical activities such as yoga postures and breath work. This physical practise helps us to develop a strong platform for our inner mental, emotional and spiritual selves and outward relationships and actions to thrive. Hatha Yoga teaches that when our body is strong, resilient and unburdened by disturbances, we can truly begin to relish and explore the other aspect of living to the fullest. Hatha Yoga is all about cultivating your force (yes kind of like Star Wars) to live radically and victoriously!
During a Hatha Yoga session at Ujjayi you can expect to move through a gentle warm up of the whole body, proceed to make a series of strange shapes with your body on a yoga mat, whilst breathing with intention, and then led through to a gentle relaxation at the end of the practise. All the while you will be encouraged to notice what you feel in your body and connect to the present moment with helpful hints and tips along the way.
Our yoga typically moves at a slow pace so that you can experience what each posture has to offer before rushing on to the next. Expect to be clearly led through the movements with verbal directions and visual cues. Your teacher will not do any physical assists or adjustments, but will offer lots of useful tips to make your practise more rewarding. For a full description please see our yoga classes page.
Trauma Sensitive Yoga
Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TSY) is a practice of embodiment to assist people recover from the complex symptoms of trauma felt and held in the body. TSY aims to build awareness of the mind body connections and develop the personal tools to address and relieve trauma held in the body. Practicing yoga in a trauma sensitive setting allows people to build tolerance for feeling their physical and emotional bodily sensations and allows space to practise how to respond appropriately. Go to our Therapy page to learn more about TSY.
You do not need to have a diagnosis or history of trauma to practice yoga across any of our group yoga sessions. There are a variety benefits that come from practising yoga, being trauma sensitive means that you will be empowered to connect with your body and explore the benefits of yoga for yourself.
The Benefits of Yoga
The benefits of a regular yoga practice can be innumerable and the benefits for the traumatised body profound. The benefits of a regular yoga practice include:
- Increased fitness, strength and endurance
- Improved flexibility and balance
- Weight loss/management
- De-stressing, relaxing and calming the nervous system
- Improved bone strength and density
- Improved gut health and digestion
Yoga can also help you to understand and manage the very natural, but highly dis-regulating and distressing somatic symptoms that result from trauma, and can help:
- Release anxiety, intrusive memories, panic attacks and flashbacks
- Tolerate physical and emotional sensations felt in the body
- Manage hyper-vigilance or hypo-vigilance or other nervous system dis-regulations
- Make positive behavioural changes and manage impulse controls, addictions, sleeping or eating issues
- Relieve intolerable body sensations and somatic body complaints such as pain, tensions, headaches, tremors or other uncomfortable sensations trapped in the body
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm a Beginner to Yoga, Where do I Begin?
Come along with an open mind, lots of curiosity and few expectations of yourself. Yoga is about tuning into your sensory intelligence. At your first session you will be welcomed by your teacher and introduced to the space, they will let you know what to expect during the class and offer you helpful tips. If you arrive 15 minutes early you can also ask your teacher questions or explain your situation.
When you start practising Yoga, begin with paying attention to what you notice about your body and how yoga makes you feel. Strength, flexibility, balance & so much more will come.
We recommend starting with our Foundations classes and then progress to a Rejuvenate or Relax sessions.
We can also organise a private introductory session before you begin group work, so that you can see the studio, meet the teacher and get an experience for what to expect with this style of yoga.
Is there Yoga Etiquette?
Disconnect to reconnect; turn your phone onto silent and leave it outside the studio.
Refrain from chatting in the studio before and after class.
Limit your use of strong deodorants and perfumes.
Arrive 10 minutes early to settle into the space.
Oh and leave your shoes at the door!
What do I need to bring?
Just yourself! We provide everything that you will need, a yoga mat, blocks, chairs, props and water. You are welcome to bring your own mat and props. We are not a hot yoga studio, so you don’t need a towel.
Wear something comfortable that you can easily move in, tights, trackies or shorts and a loose-fitting T-Shirt are great!
Can I eat before Class?
We recommend that you don’t eat a large meal 2-4 hours before practice and no snacking 1 hour before class. However, yoga is a process of getting to know your body, these are the recommendations, listen to your gut, and do what works for you.
Do I need to Book?
Yes, space is limited to 12 people and some classes do sell out, so we do recommend you contact the studio to book your class before arriving.
To find out more or to make a booking contact Sarah at Ujjayi Yoga Tasmania:
0478 279 943 | ujjayiyogatas@gmail.com
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