What are the opening hours?

Monday 6:30pm - 7:45pm Tuesday 6:30pm - 7:45pm Wednesday 9:15am - 10:30am Thursday 9:15am - 10:30am Friday 9am - 10am

Sarah Shepard - Yoga for Body and Mind

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Thames
Sarah Shepard - Yoga for Body and Mind

I facilitate slow, mindful yoga classes and wellbeing retreats at RiverSong Retreat, Kauaeranga Valley.

Meet your mood, nourish your nervous system, feel more alive. It's all about the nervous system 🧠 After teaching many forms of yoga for 10 years (Hatha, Yin, Dynamic Flow) I now feel passionately about the benefits of slow mindful yoga. It's a game changing revolution in the world of yoga that I believe takes yoga out of the fitness box and puts it where it should really be. A mind/body/spirit pra

ctice that can change your brain, cultivate adaptability and resilience (so you bounce back from challenges with greater dexterity) and drop you into a beautiful, kind, loving relationship with your own body. We always focus on the breath and spend time at the end in relaxation. Come and see what you think...

CLASS TIMETABLE

**Titirangi Beach Hall, 1 Aydon Rd**

MON 6.30pm
Slow & Mindful

TUES 6.30pm
Embodied Flow

WEDS 9.15am
Slow & Mindful

THURS 9.15am
Embodied Flow

FRIDAY 9.00am
Zoom Online Yoga

10/08/2026

Take an hour out of your daily rhythm to move your body, notice your breath, and discover what lies within when external distractions fade away.

I have a couple of spaces available in our Tuesday 5.30pm slow mindful yoga class. Held at our gorgeous RiverSong Retreat yoga barn.

What a gift for your body and mind 🎁

DM for more info 🙌🏼

04/08/2026

🌷 Lighter & Brighter Spring Retreat

Ready to leave winter behind and feel lighter, brighter and more in tune with your body? This September we're hosting a relaxing two-night retreat at RiverSong, with yoga, delicious whole-food meals, time in nature, deep rest, sauna, meaningful connection and a new workshop exploring simple, sustainable habits to support lasting wellbeing.

If you've been craving a weekend to slow down, reset and reconnect, we'd love to welcome you.

🌿 18–20 September

Find out more via the Facebook event below, our website or the link in our bio.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1CsBjjbQLG/

21/07/2026

The Kauaeranga Valley has been home for a couple of years and I'm delighted to now offer weekly Wednesday evening community yoga classes in our beautiful, fully equipped yoga space at RiverSong Retreat.

If you're local to the Thames area you may have heard of RiverSong as a new retreat centre. We're also home to Thames' only dedicated yoga studio, and I'd love to welcome more locals into the space.

The Wednesday evening class is suitable for beginners through to experienced students. We focus on mindful movement, mobility, strength, balance, breath and relaxation, with plenty of options to suit different bodies and levels of experience.

🗓 Wednesdays
🕠 5.30-6.30pm
📍 RiverSong Retreat, Kauaeranga Valley
💲 $12 casual or concession cards available

Our weekly Wednesday class started up a few weeks ago and I've loved seeing everyone settle in so quickly and leave so relaxed.

Spaces are limited to 8 people, and I have a few available.

If you've been thinking about trying yoga, or getting back into it, you're welcome to come along. Feel free to send me a message if you'd like to know more, or to book your space.

07/07/2026

Morning practice in Queensland with the noisy birds!

Australia turns up the volume with its incredible wildlife.

Love how yoga is such a portable practice 🙏🏼

01/06/2026

After many years of teaching yoga in West Auckland, this week feels like a significant milestone.

On Wednesday I'll be offering the very first weekly yoga class in The Yoga Barn at RiverSong Retreat.

What began as a dream a couple of years ago has gradually become reality. We have created RiverSong as a peaceful retreat space nestled in the Kauaeranga Valley, where the only sounds you hear are birdsong and the river below.

The yoga classes will be slow, mindful and suitable for all levels of experience. A chance to let go of the day, stretch, breathe and relax.

I'm feeling excited and grateful as this new chapter begins 🌿

11/05/2026

With the recent addition of a riverside sauna to RiverSong, I'm delighted to share our upcoming Winter Wellbeing Retreat this July.

During the colder months, when we feel the call to hibernate, doing less can be an opportunity to retreat within and tend to our own inner needs.

This retreat is designed to feel grounding and nourishing, as well as providing a balance of quiet reflection and shared experience.

You can find all the details here:
https://www.facebook.com/share/1EiJyNhBT8/

01/01/2026

Sunrise on the first day of 2026 at Pauanui Beach. Instead of making the night before the “main course”, we got up early today and drove across to the eastern side of the peninsula. It was beautiful to welcome the warmth and light of the new year. Then plunge into the surf.

2025 felt like a massive year with so many shifts, twists and turns. I am grateful for all the lessons learned, the integration, the connections, the laughter and the tears, the hard moments and the highs. All woven together as life’s rich tapestry.

This year heralds the opening of our incredible co-creation and offering RiverSong Retreat It is beyond exciting to see this dream become a reality.

Wishing you a year of peace, joy and presence 🙏🏼

24/11/2025

Many of you have journeyed with me for years - on the yoga mat, through different seasons of life and into the deeper parts of ourselves.

Pete and I have been putting our energies into creating RiverSong Retreat, a sanctuary in the Kauaeranga Valley for rest, nature, yoga, stillness and coming home to yourself.

I can’t wait to share this space with you.
RiverSong Retreat opens February 2026.
If you’d like retreat details when they’re released, you can join the newsletter via the link in my bio.
🌿💜

23/10/2025

Morning light.
Slow mindful movement.
Remembering body and breath before the day begins.

Discover your rhythm again at RiverSong.

06/10/2025

The time has come to make an announcement, one that has naturally arisen since my move to Thames last year.

After 12 wonderful years of teaching yoga in Titirangi, it’s time to welcome a new chapter.

This coming Term 4 (from 7th October 2025) will be my final yoga term in West Auckland. I'm calling time on this part of my yoga journey with mixed emotions. I have loved teaching yoga in this incredible community, and the connections have meant so much to me. With our move to Thames and the creation of our peaceful sanctuary RiverSong Retreat (opening early 2026), it’s time to focus fully on this new direction.

Pete & I will continue to pour our love and energy into creating a welcoming haven in the Kauaeranga Valley, where you can step away from routine, land softly, reconnect, and rediscover the simple joy of being.

To all of you who have attended classes over the years, thank you so much for your presence, your support, your trust, and for co-creating each class just by being there. I’ll miss the sweet rhythm we’ve shared in our beloved bush-clad Titirangi.

If you’d like to join me for this final term, classes begin tomorrow Tuesday 7th October 2025. I'd love to share these last weeks of practice with you 🧡

🌿 Follow RiverSong Retreat to watch RiverSong come to life - opening February 2026.

Address

Kauaeranga Valley
Thames
3577

Opening Hours

Monday	6:30pm - 7:45pm
Tuesday	6:30pm - 7:45pm
Wednesday	9:15am - 10:30am
Thursday	9:15am - 10:30am
Friday	9am - 10am

Telephone

+64211284444

Website

http://www.yogabodymind.co.nz/, https://www.riversongretreat.nz/

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