top of page
IDY Wanaka.png

2022

From Sunday, 19th to Tuesday, 21st of June
Lake Wanaka Centre
89 Ardmore St - Wanaka

Due to the success of last edition of the International Day of Yoga (IDY) Wanaka, we have decided to extend the event for 2 more days.

The IDY's third edition will now run for 3 days, from Sunday 19th to Tuesday 21st, with more yoga teachers and guests involved, delivering to you a very special event.

​

Keeping the same main goals and our commitment to share our passion and knowledge of Yoga and correlated subjects to you, we are going to offer workshops during the three days. Subjects as Chakras & Bandhas, Yoga Therapy, Meditation, Ashtanga Vinyasa, Alignment are some examples of what our teachers are preparing for you.

​

We will also have a special participation of the Dr. Rebecca Bloore, psychologist to give her Positive Talk and Lauren Roxburgh, from Aligned Life, talking about Fascia and Movement. Check our full program below.

​

At the end of our event, we are going to draw winners for the following vouchers:

The Body Garage:

  • 1x unlimited month of Yoga & Pilates, valued $200

  • 3x 5 class session cards, valued $110 each

  • 1x manual release pack of different roll balls, yoga strap, valued $100

  • 50 single free class passes

Fearless Activewear

  • voucher on the value of $150.

​

The IDY Wanaka event is free and open to all, regardless of your yoga experience and level. At the reception, you will see donation boxes. All the money will be donated to St John and Precious Beginnings Wanaka. We would like to encourage you to help them. 

​

Please, bring your own yoga mat, blocks, blanket and water bottle.

Program

Reservation required for all sessions. This program is subject to change.

Program final.jpg

About our workshops

Sunday, 19th June

Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga (AVY)

AVY has been very popular ever since its introduction to the Western Yoga world. It is one of the original and purest forms of Yoga and one of the most vigorous physical yoga practices. Its flowing movement, synchronized with the breath, makes it a moving meditation. It energizes and purifies the body. It is ideal for active people to balance all their other physical activities, to harness their mind and to control their breath. 

We live in a time where the busyness of the mind negatively affects our physical and mental well-being. Hence the stilling of the mind is paramount for good health. This practice makes your body strong and subtle and your mind becomes clearer and calmer. It is one of the most amazing Yoga methods to stay fit, healthy and to be mindful. 

Join well experienced Yoga teachers Doris and Urs Blum for this session and them introduce you to this dynamic and transforming practice.

​

Flow with Mudras

What is a mudra? It's a hands gestures or poses that help the energy flows. We'll thread these poses throughout our practice and complement our flow allowing for a deeper connection to our practice. 

​

Meditation

Susan will demystify meditation and explain how we can bring the principles of meditation into our daily lives. Learning to operate less from the busy thinking mind and operate more from a stable, open awareness. In this session we will do several short meditations with crystal clear instructions so that you will have concise practice to take away with you.

​

Satsanga: Satya & Ahimsa

Satsanga is a discussion group. We are going to talk and discuss the two first Yamas by Patanjali in your book Yoga Sutras: Ahimsa (non violence) and Satya (truthfulness), how they affect our life and how we can apply them daily. Your participation is very important.

​

Alignment in Yoga

Why is well aligned body important when practicing yoga postures? How can we learn alignment?

Come and get answers to these questions in a practical way. Learn to feel energetic flow in your aligned body and feel the connections with your body and mind. 

This class will be taught by certified Iyengar yoga teachers Kasia Podgorni and Sirpa Gardner from Northlake yoga Wanaka.

​

Chakras & Bandhas

Within each of us is a rainbow of energy painted along the ley line of our spine, known as the Chakra system. Bandhas, our internal energy locks, have the ability to control the energy flow in and around a specific part of the body temporarily. In this session, Jess will invite the class to discuss and physically tune into how Bandhas stimulate the Chakras by locking the energy around them. 

​

Rendez-vous with your breath

The breath is one of the critical parts of being able to live. Nevertheless, we hardly think about it, nor do we exercise it. Join long-term Yoga teacher Urs Blum to learn about your breath and its important role in physical and mental well-being.

The session is a mix of theory and easy practice to get you (re)acquainted with your breath. Everybody is welcome to participate. The healing benefits of healthy breathing patterns are widely underestimated and only recently Western medicine has acknowledged its benefits for body and mind. Exercising the breath, regularly and appropriately, mitigates the negative effects of anxiety, depression, insomnia and many other health issues.

You will be lying on the floor. Please bring a blanket or mat and dress warmly. A half-full or empty stomach is better too.

​

Stress Resiliency with Yoga Therapy 

Yoga therapy is a holistic practice of yoga, combining Asana (posture), breath and mindfulness with the yogic philosophies to restore and maintain health and wellbeing. Therapeutic yoga is usually practised one on one or in a small group so that it is personal and individualised.

This taster class is One hour? and look at ways to improve stress resiliency with the tools of yoga. All levels and bodies will be catered for in this class which will include both movement and discussion.

​

Slow Flow
Slow Flow yoga practice, an opportunity to be able to organise the body while moving through sequences and to cultivate a sense of being fully present, feeling your body moving in time with your breath.

​

Monday, 20th June

Winter Warmup Iyengar Yoga way

Bring some warmth and energy to your winter! Join us in a nourishing and energizing yoga practice on international yoga day on Monday morning. This warming up class will be taught by Sirpa Gardner and  Kasia Podgorni both Certified Iyengar yoga teachers currently teaching at Northlake yoga studio and The Body Garage.  

During today’s class we will concentrate on standing poses and  some seated twisting postures.  Standing postures activate and strengthen our bodies, teach us stability and stamina. Twisting postures teach us to rotate spinal column which increases the flexibility of the back and torso and help to build up and create length in the lateral muscles.

You do not need to be flexible to join. Anyone, stiff or flexible and any age, will benefit from this practice. 

Please bring your mat and  some blankets and if you have got yoga blocks and straps this could be helpful but not necessary.

 

Yoga for Teens

Get ready to move your bodies, lift your hearts and calm your minds. We'll explore how yoga can help us navigate through hectic times, allowing us to feel less stress and anxiety and more compassion for ourselves and one another.

​

Yin Yoga 

Yin Yoga was first established in 1970’s, based on the Chinese style Yoga called Taoist Yoga which combines ancient Indian traditions with Chinese theories of energy maps through the body.

Yin Yoga is an innovative synthesis of long held, mostly floor based yoga poses, mindfulness meditation and Eastern approaches to healing and well-being.

​

Positive Talk

With a special talk on performance psychology, Dr. Rebecca Bloore will be discussing and presenting psychological tips and techniques to enhance your overall performance, not only your yoga practice, but also for your daily wellbeing and mental performance.

​

Tuesday, 21st June

Power Yoga

Build some heat and gain strength in the body as we tap into our core. A chance to discover just how strong we really can be!

​

Chair Yoga

Chair Yoga is for everyone! 

It is especially good for anyone who struggles with mobility or balance. Maybe you have an injury, use a mobility aid, or even want to practice from your wheelchair. Using a chair for support, chair yoga will suit everyone

This chair yoga taster class will be 45 minutes long and focus on strength, balance and mobility in a breath based mindful practice.

The Miracle Matrix of Fascia Discussion + Mini Movement Class

Come and learn about this secret organ and the art of healing and restoring your fascia to rewire your nervous system and live with more mind-body freedom, joy and pleasure.

​

Singing Bowls

What to expect for a sound healing session?

Most people find the Sound Healing very relaxing – both physically and mentally. Many people say that it is like being in a state of lucid dreaming where you body is completely relax and you are still aware of your surroundings. You may experience stress relief, improved mental clarity and focus, restoration of inner balance and harmony, release of physical pain and/or emotional anxiety as well as deep relaxation. Each session is unique based on your individual needs. You are in charge how far and how deep your journey with sound will take you. Sometimes all you need is just to relax.

About our teachers

Amanda Richards - Yin Yoga is what I feel drawn to teach after decades of practicing many different styles of yoga and meditation.  It is a peaceful, mindful and revitalising practice. I currently teach small group classes at Mountain Spirit in Hawea Flat. (RYT200 + 200hours of Yin training)

​

Chrystal- Gifted from birth with a healing connection to the Divine realms, Chrystal was born in Holland but now travels the world to serve individuals, couples, and groups with her "healing touch" and Tibetan singing bowls.

The “healing touch” runs in Chrystal’s family, and as a child she could see Angels. At a young age, Chrystal was invited to join a Shamanic Sound Healing Circle, where she was introduced to the Tibetan Bowls. Following a series of prophetic dreams, a friend presented her with two master bowls made especially for her by a Lama in Tibet.

This gift provided the catalyst for a life-long love affair with Tibetan Bowls, which has evolved into her healing practice and training workshops for practitioners of this ancient sound healing tradition.

She is highly regarded in the healing work that she does.

​

Doris Blum - Doris moved from Switzerland to New Zealand in 1995 and soon after began her Yoga journey. In 2002 Doris enjoyed a three-month-long teacher training with Nicky Knoff in Cairns, where she was introduced to Nicky’s style of Yoga, a mixture of Ashtanga Vinyasa and Iyengar Yoga. Doris completed the training with a certification in Level I and Level II.

A few years later she was introduced to John & Lucy Scott’s Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and was instantly mesmerized by their teachings. Doris had practiced Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga before, but under Lucy and John’s wings she started to understand the complexity and beauty of this practice and the importance of working from the heart. Since then Doris has worked with John & Lucy on a regular basis and due to their guidance her practice and her understanding of Yoga has deepened and changed. Doris has completed their teacher trainings Level I and Level II. Since 2009 she is a certified Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga teacher with the International Yoga Alliance and teaches on a regular basis. Doris and her husband Urs ran a Yoga studio in Havelock North for 10 years before moving to Wanaka in 2021.

To Doris, Yoga is a way of living. It is about letting the heart guide and about connecting with all that is around us. She sees Yoga as the path of connecting to oneself, the magic of discovering who we truly are. The focus of her teachings is on synchronizing movement with breath, the uninterrupted and easy flow of the breath in each posture. 

​

Dr. Rebecca Bloore - For the last 13 years Dr Rebecca Bloore has worked extensively within Psychology both in the UK and New Zealand. Predominately her background is in conducting and publishing research within social, cross-cultural and clinical psychology. She has worked for companies such as The Royal Academy of Dance, Victoria University of Wellington and Umbrella Wellbeing Ltd, before more recently setting up her private clinic offering support to workplace environments, sports clubs and individuals here in Wanaka and online. Rebecca has led and managed projects investigating happiness, depression, emotion regulation, mindfulness, anxiety, resilience what motivates us, positive/negative emotions and a range of psychological theories on behaviour and personality.

​

Emmilee Fendallis a Level two Yoga New Zealand registered yoga teacher with training in therapeutic yoga who believes firmly in the power of yoga to create a full, rich life with the ability to move well, breath well and be well.

She has been practising yoga for many years having discovered the practice, like many others, in a noisy university gym and was instantly hooked. She undertook her first 200hr yoga teacher training over 6 years ago in Thailand, which sent her on a journey of self-discovery and learning. Emmilee moved to Wanaka 4 years ago and settled in Luggate. She has been teaching in Cromwell for the last three years. She was the owner of Central Yoga Studio and is the co-founder of The Central Yoga Collaboration. Emmilee has since undertaken extra training in Yoga Therapy for the body, the breath and mental health. She is also a certified Yin yoga and Pre & Post-natal yoga teacher. As well as group classes Emmilee works functionally and therapeutically privately or with small groups to help restore and maintain function in health and wellbeing across the lifespan, including working with injuries and illness.

​

Jess Garret - Jess is a RYT 200Hr yoga teacher, qualified Pilates Instructor, and has been involved in a range of fitness instruction from strength & conditioning to CrossFit, pre and post-natal wellness as well as coaching endurance athletes. I am constantly amazed by yoga philosophy and spirituality to feel purpose, meaning, and joy every day, no matter what life brings. Originally from Australia, I moved to New Zealand in 2017 and feel grateful to call Wanaka home. 

​

Kasi Podgorni - I’ve been practicing Iyengar Yoga since 2006. I come from Poland, where I got certified and was teaching since 2009. From 2015 I started training and assessing other teachers. Throughout the years I attended countless workshops with European and American Senior Iyengar Yoga teachers and I visited  Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, RIMYI in Pune twice. I appreciate the variety and beauty of Iyengar method. I believe that everyone can find in Iyengar a way of practice that will bring joy, tranquillity and light into their lives. In my own practice I combine dynamic sequencing and precise, intricate technical work. Although this reflects in my teaching, I remain considerate of my students’ needs. I have vast experience in teaching yoga therapy (from structural injuries to organic and mental problems), and yoga for athletes (specifically for runners and climbers, also trained a Paralympian long jumper).

​

Kate Wolfe - Kate moved to Wanaka when she was 16yrs, she fall in love with the mountains and all the outdoor activities. She went on to train in outdoor leadership and work in the outdoors. Currently she works as a guide on Wildwire Wanaka and is the founder of Dome Yoga, Meditation, Birth based in Hawea Flat. At Dome, she teaches yoga / meditation classes and offers pregnancy and birth support/mentoring and a Birth Doula service. Kate has been studying and practicing yoga for over 25 years. She started following the teaching and trainings of Satyananda Yoga with Swami Karma Karuna and Swami Multidhharma at Anahata Retreat centre in Golden Bay, NZ. Completing a certificate in  yoga studies at the Bihar school of Yoga in India and lived in the Satyananda  Ashram for 5 months. She went on and attended Satyananda yoga retreats in NZ and Australia and then completed a distance learning with the Satyananda Yoga School in Australia. In 2015 Kate trained with Susan Allen, owner of Yoga Ground Studio, where she taught for the last 7 years, assisting Susan in two of her retreats.
Kate has trained with Bliss Baby as a pregnancy yoga teacher and has been teaching pregnancy yoga for the past six years. For the last 4 years, Kate has been practicing and studying Mahamudra meditation with Dan Brown in the Pointing Out Tibetan Buddhist tradition. She has attended four retreats and regular training in this lineage. Kate is a facilitator on woman's W.E.E retreats where she facilitates resting workshops.

 

​

Keity Garcia - Yoga practitioner since 2007, I decided to get my teacher training in 2018, in India, where I completed two of my certifications. Before that, I was already studying meditation and Buddhism, lived in a monastery in Nepal and participated in a silent vipassana meditation retreat in Myanmar.
After the first teacher training, I have studied deeply about yoga philosophy, bandhas, biomechanics and the connection between pranayama and the nervous system. I taught yoga classes in Turkey and Brazil before moving to New Zealand, in 2019, when I created the Soul Yoga and have been teaching yoga since then. I have also been organizing the International Yoga Day event in Wanaka since 2020. I'm registered with Yoga Alliance
and Yoga New Zealand organisations.

​

Lauren Roxburgh - Lauren Roxburgh, dubbed the Body Whisperer, is an internationally recognized educator, author, speaker and thought leader in the world of Fascia, Alignment and Holistic Health.

​

Shannon Turner - Shannon is a RYT 200Hr yoga teacher who has been teaching for nearly two decades. Her love of yoga started when pregnant and as her children got old enough, she trained at Karma Kids Yoga in New York City to teach the little ones and then teenagers. No matter what your age, it's never too early or too late to start up your yoga practice :)

​

Sirpa Gardner - I have practiced Iyengar Yoga since 2006 and started teaching as a certified Iyengar yoga teacher on 2016.  For the last 6 years as a yoga teacher  in Wanaka I have been able to share my constantly developing knowledge of the  yoga practice with the students who come to my yoga class. Yoga and teaching yoga is a journey, learning never ends it just deepens.  I continue studying  yoga with senior Iyengar yoga teachers in New Zealand and recently also with a teacher in Australia. To inspire and to be inspired by others is my goal when teaching yoga. I will always continue being a student of yoga and wish my students to become students of this beautiful art as well. 

​

Susan Allen - Susan has been practicing meditation for 30 years and teaching for the last 20yrs. She sees meditation as one of the big answers as to how we can flourish in our mental and physical health. Susan has run yoga and meditation schools in Ireland and NZ and at present is focusing on her business Yoga Retreats NZ. Her passion is conveying the nuances of a skillful meditation practice to her clients. A practice that is intertwined in our everyday life as opposed to separate from it. With a background in engineering Susan teaches in a methodical way so students understand why they are practicing meditation and have a clear understanding as to how to practice intelligently. A demystified practice that is inspiring and transformational. If you are interested in joining her for a meditation retreat you can read more here: https://yogaretreats.co.nz/paradise-meditation-retreat/

​

Urs Blum - Urs was a late starter, at 45, and only came to Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga because of the dedication and transformation he witnessed in his wife Doris, who had been practicing it. He enjoys the synchronicity of slow breath and movement in the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga practice; the combination of physicality, spirituality, and meditation; challenging and rewarding at the same time. He started his Yoga journey under the guidance of Doris. His main teacher is John Scott. Urs has experienced first-hand the many benefits a regular practice has had on his stiff and injury riddled body; his busy mind; his well-being in general; as well as the positive changes it brought forth in his everyday life.

It is his desire to introduce students of any level to the finer details of the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga practice and to enable them to start experiencing the many benefits of this beautiful practice. He also helps long time practitioners with fine-tuning and adapting their practice and their breath to their unique body and mind.

After five years, in August 2018, Urs completed his 300 hours of studying Krishnamacharya Yoga Therapy with Ganesh Mohan, the son of Indra and A.G. Mohan. Since a few years Urs offers personalised One-on-One sessions involving postures (from soft to challenging), breath work, meditation, mindfulness, and lifestyle advice.

Follow us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Sponsors

the body garage.webp
Fairless.png
Freshlink Grocer_Stacked_Transparent.png
DB_Wholefoods-01.png
curls & cake.png
Print It LOGO_400x150px.jpg
QLDC_logo.jpg

Organisation

Unikum logo.jpg
logo_color_3000x3000.jpg
bottom of page