11/09/2026
10 years ago this week, I arrived in Aotearoa/NZ.
In my early 20s, with no real plan but full of curiosity. I spent a few months up in the North Island, went on a roadie and ended up in Tāhuna/Queenstown, where I met some of the most wonderful people and somehow ended up staying for a while.
Working long hours in hospo and cleaning left me pretty disconnected from my body. I spent a lot of time criticising what I saw in the mirror and treating my body as just a vessel that needed to function. I’d get frustrated when it didn’t work the way I wanted it to.
I didn’t yet understand the incredible, magical work my body does every day to keep me alive. I didn’t understand it needs and more importantly, deserves, to be cared for.
I’d tried yoga before, but it was during that time, and through some very special teachers, that yoga became a welcomed presence in my life.
Somewhere amongst the trails and mountains, I found my strength. I found awe and gratitude for this body that could carry me and everything I needed up steep hills and across rivers.
And through yoga, I learned to listen to and befriend my body, and to meet myself with a little more kindness.
I’m so grateful for the people I met, the conversations I had and the lessons I learned along the way (even the painful ones).
And now I’m by the ocean in dreamy Ōtepoti/Dunedin. I never imagined this would be my life, but I’m very happy it is.
Thank you for being here 🎈
