Despite her extensive yoga knowledge, and experience from training courses in India and New Zealand, she has not forgotten what it feels like to be a first-timer.
“It’s scary going to your first yoga class; it’s like anything when you’re trying something new.
“But just like how you don’t go to a soccer field and kick a ball then suddenly you’re really good, it’s the same with yoga; you don’t come here and suddenly do splits or a handstand.”
What people got out of a yoga class was a lot more than just flexibility.
“It’s that mind-body connection. I often would have little bits of anxiety on a Sunday night before work, and I feel that yoga really helps with mental health and well-being.”
She would like to see more males trying out yoga classes.
“We do get a lot of guys coming to yoga, but it is a lot more women.
“Especially for tradies - like, say, for builders who are working all day, yoga would be so good for them.”
But she understands the worry that can come with being the only male in a class, and the fear of appearing “pervy” for showing up to yoga.
“That’s a really hard thing for men to have to be thinking in their minds.
“I’ve talked to a lot of men who say ‘I just feel weird because it’s going to be mostly women’, but I think they need to know that no one truly cares.”
Coneybeer wants her studio to be a safe space where everyone feels welcome.
“The coolest thing is the more you start to practice yoga the less you become attached to how you think you should look.
“You’re turning up for yourself.”
- Beginner classes at Yogabee studio are on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9.15am with a free 45-minute session on the first visit.
Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.
