Yummy Yoga is gentle yoga, suitable for everyone.
Overview: Yummy Yoga is for everyone:
Contrary to public opinion, you do not need to be flexible or skinny to join a yoga class! You just need to be open-minded and ready to give your body the nurture and care that it deserves. This 75 minute class will include gentle asana (poses), pranayama (breathing practice) and meditation (relaxation). The style of yoga is mostly Hatha, with variations in style depending on the fortnightly theme.
Following the Main Principal of Yoga - "Ahimsa" - (gentleness and kindness to ourselves and others):
The philosophy of all Yummy Yoga classes is "No pain, more gain!". The emphasis of each class is solely on stretching, strengthening, releasing and relaxing, all of which our bodies and minds enormously benefit from. Yoga is all about aging gracefully and feeling strong and comfortable in your body. It’s very important that you listen to your own body and ONLY do what feels good for you. Please remember that we all have very different bodies and varied natural flexibility. How boring would it be if we all looked the same? So please don’t even consider comparing yourself with others in a yoga class. The only measure you should use is how much YOU feel the stretch and how much better you feel in your body over time.
Location:
Most of the classes are held at the Theosophical Society Hall in Orewa, and some are held at The Connection in Silverdale, St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Orewa adn Wainui Golf Club.
For the addresses and maps to these yoga studios, please see above under "more".
Content:
Classes are either 75 mins or 60 mins long. They usually consist of about 5 minutes of active relaxation at the beginning (aimed at helping us transition from our day and become "present' to our mind/body connection). This is followed by about 60 minutes of gentle asana (poses) practice and then the class typically ends with about 10 minutes of breathing exercises and meditation. Ideally, you will leave the class feeling stretched, strengthened and thoroughly relaxed!
The content of the General Yummy Yoga Classes are the same, based on a transitional fortnightly theme. For example, the focus of classes over a two week period might be "Balance", while the next fortnight may focus on "Strength". The poses chosen for those classes will reflect the theme and there will sometimes be some theory/yoga tips also connected to this theme.
Different Levels in a General Class:
Because these classes are aimed at the General Public, anyone can come. However, there will be different levels in the class so it’s important that you make the right choices for your body. If you have been doing yoga or another class like this for a while, you may feel that you would like some more advanced options that may be offered. But it is important that those with injuries or those who are new to yoga, continue to respect their bodies and stay with the lower options to keep themselves safe.
Equipment:
We will be using a variety of equipment during the class. While we have some spare mats for people to use for their first class or two, it is important that you then start using your own mats for hygiene purposes (as well as the fact the at this may entice you to start doing a home practice too!). We will also be using blocks, straps, bands, eye pillows, blankets, rollers, pillows and in time, bolsters. If you would like to bring any of these for yourself, please feel free to do so.
Arriving on time:
To get the most out of your class, we would like to strongly encourage you to arrive 10 minutes early in order to get yourself set up with your mat and equipment and find a good space for yourself. Ideally if you could be relaxing and unwinding on your mat before the class begins, you will maximize your results!
General reminders and Etiquette in a yoga class:
1. Wear layers and leave off any clunky jewellery that may get in the way for you.
2. Light snack only before a class- no heavy meals or big drinks for 2 hours before a practice.
3. Shoes and bags left in the outside area to free up the space in the room.
4. Mobile phones switched off. If you need to keep it on silent in the room for emergency purposes, please let your teacher know.
5. Please do not wear any strong perfumes.
6. Please be respectful with the props and put them away tidily after class.
7. Please be gentle and respectful with yourself and those around you.
Thank you -See you on the mat! :)
Overview: Yummy Yoga is for everyone:
Contrary to public opinion, you do not need to be flexible or skinny to join a yoga class! You just need to be open-minded and ready to give your body the nurture and care that it deserves. This 75 minute class will include gentle asana (poses), pranayama (breathing practice) and meditation (relaxation). The style of yoga is mostly Hatha, with variations in style depending on the fortnightly theme.
Following the Main Principal of Yoga - "Ahimsa" - (gentleness and kindness to ourselves and others):
The philosophy of all Yummy Yoga classes is "No pain, more gain!". The emphasis of each class is solely on stretching, strengthening, releasing and relaxing, all of which our bodies and minds enormously benefit from. Yoga is all about aging gracefully and feeling strong and comfortable in your body. It’s very important that you listen to your own body and ONLY do what feels good for you. Please remember that we all have very different bodies and varied natural flexibility. How boring would it be if we all looked the same? So please don’t even consider comparing yourself with others in a yoga class. The only measure you should use is how much YOU feel the stretch and how much better you feel in your body over time.
Location:
Most of the classes are held at the Theosophical Society Hall in Orewa, and some are held at The Connection in Silverdale, St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Orewa adn Wainui Golf Club.
For the addresses and maps to these yoga studios, please see above under "more".
Content:
Classes are either 75 mins or 60 mins long. They usually consist of about 5 minutes of active relaxation at the beginning (aimed at helping us transition from our day and become "present' to our mind/body connection). This is followed by about 60 minutes of gentle asana (poses) practice and then the class typically ends with about 10 minutes of breathing exercises and meditation. Ideally, you will leave the class feeling stretched, strengthened and thoroughly relaxed!
The content of the General Yummy Yoga Classes are the same, based on a transitional fortnightly theme. For example, the focus of classes over a two week period might be "Balance", while the next fortnight may focus on "Strength". The poses chosen for those classes will reflect the theme and there will sometimes be some theory/yoga tips also connected to this theme.
Different Levels in a General Class:
Because these classes are aimed at the General Public, anyone can come. However, there will be different levels in the class so it’s important that you make the right choices for your body. If you have been doing yoga or another class like this for a while, you may feel that you would like some more advanced options that may be offered. But it is important that those with injuries or those who are new to yoga, continue to respect their bodies and stay with the lower options to keep themselves safe.
Equipment:
We will be using a variety of equipment during the class. While we have some spare mats for people to use for their first class or two, it is important that you then start using your own mats for hygiene purposes (as well as the fact the at this may entice you to start doing a home practice too!). We will also be using blocks, straps, bands, eye pillows, blankets, rollers, pillows and in time, bolsters. If you would like to bring any of these for yourself, please feel free to do so.
Arriving on time:
To get the most out of your class, we would like to strongly encourage you to arrive 10 minutes early in order to get yourself set up with your mat and equipment and find a good space for yourself. Ideally if you could be relaxing and unwinding on your mat before the class begins, you will maximize your results!
General reminders and Etiquette in a yoga class:
1. Wear layers and leave off any clunky jewellery that may get in the way for you.
2. Light snack only before a class- no heavy meals or big drinks for 2 hours before a practice.
3. Shoes and bags left in the outside area to free up the space in the room.
4. Mobile phones switched off. If you need to keep it on silent in the room for emergency purposes, please let your teacher know.
5. Please do not wear any strong perfumes.
6. Please be respectful with the props and put them away tidily after class.
7. Please be gentle and respectful with yourself and those around you.
Thank you -See you on the mat! :)
ABOUT US.....
Caroline:
My name is Caroline and I was born in Ireland. My husband and I moved here in 2002, following the footsteps of my family, most of whom now live in Auckland. So for me, New Zealand is like a home away from home. In fact, it’s a lot like Ireland, but the climate is a lot nicer here!
I live in Orewa with my husband and our two young children. Although I’m relatively new to yoga and only started "Yummy Yoga" in September 2013, I’m not new to teaching. I'm a qualified Secondary School Teacher and I have been teaching since 1998. I’ve taught Physical Education and English to Secondary School students, and I also spent many years teaching English at University level.
Throughout the years, I always liked the idea of doing yoga myself and I'd done it on and off for years, but never consistently. However, in 2007, I gave birth to our miracle daughter. She was born with a very rare genetic condition, which has affected her physically. It became immediately clear that a lifetime of stretching and strengthening would help reduce her aches and pains and help provide her with the ability to function as normally as possible.
Although my daughter was also benefiting from other therapies outside the home, I started doing some yoga therapy with her at home, researching and studying stretching options that seemed do-able for her. She immediately responded to the therapy. But more importantly, she enjoyed the fun element as well as the stretching and relaxing at the end. It has now become something which we consistently do together
and she looks forward to it.
So I guess I could say that my new passion or love – that of yoga – has grown more from a need, rather than me following a particular dream. However, it has turned out to be something which I’m now extremely passionate about and something which I really want to share with others. Since embarking on this yogic journey, I have studied a lot and have successfully completed many Yoga and other related courses. These have included:
1. Byron Bay Yoga Teacher Training
2. Rainbow Kids Teacher Training
3. Yoga Therapy Teacher Training (Including Special Needs )
4. Restorative Yoga Teacher Training 1 and 2
5. Swedish Massage Course and a short Thai Massage Course
6. The Art of Breathing Course and an introduction to Buteyko Breathing
7. Child Connection Course - "Children Massaging Children"
8. Brain Gym 101 for Brain Integration
9. Currently training to be a Butekyo Practitioner
10. Mindfulness Courses
All of this learning has been incredibly useful in my day to day life and has become something which I find easily applicable and valuable in our own family life.
In fact, it’s taken me a long time to fully understand the benefits of yoga and I still discover more benefits all the time! But for our family, it has helped us enormously in many ways, and this is why I would like to bring more yoga into people’s lives. Since I started teaching Yummy Yoga in 2013, I have had numerous people tell me of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefits that they experience every time they get on their mat. I feel incredibly blessed to be part of this amazing journey to self discovery and true happiness.
For me, yoga teaches me to take time for my body because otherwise, I live my whole day in my busy mind, which is mentally exhausting. It also helps me to feel less achy, more flexible and it really amplifies my emotional well-being. I feel calmer and I have learned to breathe more slowly and more correctly since I started doing yoga regularly. In fact, I’ve retrained my breathing pattern from being a full time mouth breather (which has chronic affects on health) to a nose breather. I’m currently encouraging this with my asthmatic daughter through the help of the wonderful Buteyko Breathing Courses available. After all, correct breathing is as crucial to our lives, as movement is to our bodies.
My next goal in fact, is to become a fully qualified Buteyko Instructor and so I started this training this year and hope to qualified by Christmas 2019.
Yoga is often defined as the integration of body, mind and breath. And for me, it is exactly that. One of my more senior teachers once defined yoga practice as a means of growing old gracefully. I love this description too because we often forget that the basic movements we need – keeping our core stable, maintaining good pelvic floor stability, having correct posture etc, are all paramount to our on-going and future health.
With all that in mind, I hope you can find yoga somewhere - you can join us in any of the weekly classes that are available to you. Alternatively, there is plenty of Yoga also available in gyms, other studios or even just following a Yoga DVD at home works really well. Whenever you decide to place you mat, I wish you peace and ease!
My name is Caroline and I was born in Ireland. My husband and I moved here in 2002, following the footsteps of my family, most of whom now live in Auckland. So for me, New Zealand is like a home away from home. In fact, it’s a lot like Ireland, but the climate is a lot nicer here!
I live in Orewa with my husband and our two young children. Although I’m relatively new to yoga and only started "Yummy Yoga" in September 2013, I’m not new to teaching. I'm a qualified Secondary School Teacher and I have been teaching since 1998. I’ve taught Physical Education and English to Secondary School students, and I also spent many years teaching English at University level.
Throughout the years, I always liked the idea of doing yoga myself and I'd done it on and off for years, but never consistently. However, in 2007, I gave birth to our miracle daughter. She was born with a very rare genetic condition, which has affected her physically. It became immediately clear that a lifetime of stretching and strengthening would help reduce her aches and pains and help provide her with the ability to function as normally as possible.
Although my daughter was also benefiting from other therapies outside the home, I started doing some yoga therapy with her at home, researching and studying stretching options that seemed do-able for her. She immediately responded to the therapy. But more importantly, she enjoyed the fun element as well as the stretching and relaxing at the end. It has now become something which we consistently do together
and she looks forward to it.
So I guess I could say that my new passion or love – that of yoga – has grown more from a need, rather than me following a particular dream. However, it has turned out to be something which I’m now extremely passionate about and something which I really want to share with others. Since embarking on this yogic journey, I have studied a lot and have successfully completed many Yoga and other related courses. These have included:
1. Byron Bay Yoga Teacher Training
2. Rainbow Kids Teacher Training
3. Yoga Therapy Teacher Training (Including Special Needs )
4. Restorative Yoga Teacher Training 1 and 2
5. Swedish Massage Course and a short Thai Massage Course
6. The Art of Breathing Course and an introduction to Buteyko Breathing
7. Child Connection Course - "Children Massaging Children"
8. Brain Gym 101 for Brain Integration
9. Currently training to be a Butekyo Practitioner
10. Mindfulness Courses
All of this learning has been incredibly useful in my day to day life and has become something which I find easily applicable and valuable in our own family life.
In fact, it’s taken me a long time to fully understand the benefits of yoga and I still discover more benefits all the time! But for our family, it has helped us enormously in many ways, and this is why I would like to bring more yoga into people’s lives. Since I started teaching Yummy Yoga in 2013, I have had numerous people tell me of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefits that they experience every time they get on their mat. I feel incredibly blessed to be part of this amazing journey to self discovery and true happiness.
For me, yoga teaches me to take time for my body because otherwise, I live my whole day in my busy mind, which is mentally exhausting. It also helps me to feel less achy, more flexible and it really amplifies my emotional well-being. I feel calmer and I have learned to breathe more slowly and more correctly since I started doing yoga regularly. In fact, I’ve retrained my breathing pattern from being a full time mouth breather (which has chronic affects on health) to a nose breather. I’m currently encouraging this with my asthmatic daughter through the help of the wonderful Buteyko Breathing Courses available. After all, correct breathing is as crucial to our lives, as movement is to our bodies.
My next goal in fact, is to become a fully qualified Buteyko Instructor and so I started this training this year and hope to qualified by Christmas 2019.
Yoga is often defined as the integration of body, mind and breath. And for me, it is exactly that. One of my more senior teachers once defined yoga practice as a means of growing old gracefully. I love this description too because we often forget that the basic movements we need – keeping our core stable, maintaining good pelvic floor stability, having correct posture etc, are all paramount to our on-going and future health.
With all that in mind, I hope you can find yoga somewhere - you can join us in any of the weekly classes that are available to you. Alternatively, there is plenty of Yoga also available in gyms, other studios or even just following a Yoga DVD at home works really well. Whenever you decide to place you mat, I wish you peace and ease!
This is me with my two yoginis, Ashling and Jamie :)
Our Awesome Yummy Yoga Team includes-
Machel, Coral, Nicki, Brendon and Katherine
Machel, Coral, Nicki, Brendon and Katherine
Machel:
Hi my name is Machel Hiskens and I am very excited about having the opportunity to teach Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga at Yummy Yoga. I have been practising Yoga since 2007 and in 2008 I completed my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training in South India in Ashtanga Yoga. I have also practised other styles of yoga since such as Iyengar and Sivananda yoga. In 2017 I completed a certificate specialising in Women's yoga and health with Bliss Baby Yoga in Australia as well as completing training in Postnatal and Prenatal yoga. I also am a qualified massage therapist through the New Zealand College of Massage.
I am passionate about women's health and bringing yoga into their daily lives to support and nurture women through the various stages that we move through in life. For me yoga is a joy, it nourishes my body and soul and brings peace and calm to my mind and emotions. It helps to keep me grounded, to live more in the moment and above all, to have compassion for self and others. I am very much looking forward to sharing yoga with you and to support those women through their pregnancy and post pregnancy with ease and grace. Namaste.
Hi my name is Machel Hiskens and I am very excited about having the opportunity to teach Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga at Yummy Yoga. I have been practising Yoga since 2007 and in 2008 I completed my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training in South India in Ashtanga Yoga. I have also practised other styles of yoga since such as Iyengar and Sivananda yoga. In 2017 I completed a certificate specialising in Women's yoga and health with Bliss Baby Yoga in Australia as well as completing training in Postnatal and Prenatal yoga. I also am a qualified massage therapist through the New Zealand College of Massage.
I am passionate about women's health and bringing yoga into their daily lives to support and nurture women through the various stages that we move through in life. For me yoga is a joy, it nourishes my body and soul and brings peace and calm to my mind and emotions. It helps to keep me grounded, to live more in the moment and above all, to have compassion for self and others. I am very much looking forward to sharing yoga with you and to support those women through their pregnancy and post pregnancy with ease and grace. Namaste.
Brendon:
Brendon is an accredited yoga teacher living on the Hibiscus Coast. He practices and teaches a traditional and integrated form of yoga while remaining open to today’s modern and evolving world of yoga. Brendon has experience teaching yoga in the community, including teaching on workshops, retreats and yoga teacher training. He has also taught yoga in drug and alcohol rehabilitation and palliative care and currently teaches yoga in prison. Brendon teaches yoga with mindfulness as a foundation and believes that through deep presence and stillness we can create a space for healing and transformation to occur. Yoga brings peace and harmony to the world one breath at a time. Brendon is also a NZ registered social worker, currently working in palliative care.
Brendon is a nature lover and enjoys playing guitar and singing to his neighbours alpacas. He also plays harmonium and enjoys the practice of kirtan.
Brendon is an accredited yoga teacher living on the Hibiscus Coast. He practices and teaches a traditional and integrated form of yoga while remaining open to today’s modern and evolving world of yoga. Brendon has experience teaching yoga in the community, including teaching on workshops, retreats and yoga teacher training. He has also taught yoga in drug and alcohol rehabilitation and palliative care and currently teaches yoga in prison. Brendon teaches yoga with mindfulness as a foundation and believes that through deep presence and stillness we can create a space for healing and transformation to occur. Yoga brings peace and harmony to the world one breath at a time. Brendon is also a NZ registered social worker, currently working in palliative care.
Brendon is a nature lover and enjoys playing guitar and singing to his neighbours alpacas. He also plays harmonium and enjoys the practice of kirtan.
Nicki:
Hi, my name is Nicki. I am originally from South Africa but have lived in this beautiful country for 15 years now. We lived in Dubai, Ireland and England before settling in New Zealand.
I first started going to yoga classes with my Mom and my Gran when I was about 14 years old. However, I have memories of looking at a picture book of yoga asana that my Gran had, when I was just a little girl, and being fascinated with a picture of someone doing Lion pose (with their tongue sticking out as they “roared”) Even today, Simhasana is probably one of my favourite poses because it reminds me of my Gran.
Although I have been practicing yoga on and off for many years, I decided to dive deeper into it,(inspired by Caroline) and I completed my Yoga Teacher Training this year at Kawai Pura-Pura . It has been such a wonderful journey and I cannot wait to share the beauty of yoga with as many people as I can.
“Yoga is like music. The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul creates the symphony of life” BKS Iyengar
Hi, my name is Nicki. I am originally from South Africa but have lived in this beautiful country for 15 years now. We lived in Dubai, Ireland and England before settling in New Zealand.
I first started going to yoga classes with my Mom and my Gran when I was about 14 years old. However, I have memories of looking at a picture book of yoga asana that my Gran had, when I was just a little girl, and being fascinated with a picture of someone doing Lion pose (with their tongue sticking out as they “roared”) Even today, Simhasana is probably one of my favourite poses because it reminds me of my Gran.
Although I have been practicing yoga on and off for many years, I decided to dive deeper into it,(inspired by Caroline) and I completed my Yoga Teacher Training this year at Kawai Pura-Pura . It has been such a wonderful journey and I cannot wait to share the beauty of yoga with as many people as I can.
“Yoga is like music. The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul creates the symphony of life” BKS Iyengar
Kia ora, I'm Coral.
I love nature, wild life, snowboarding, surfing, food, gardening and practicing yoga. I’m originally from UK and moved to New Zealand in 2011 after meeting my kiwi husband in Austria.
I now live in Torbay and share our home with our fur baby Archie.
A passion for travel, love and yoga has led me to be an international flight attendant for Air New Zealand, a wedding celebrant and a yoga teacher.
I fell in love with yoga in Queenstown after diving in deep up to an unlimited month of yoga, I found myself there often twice a day and won a pair of socks for my attendance!
Yoga changed my life, it taught me gratitude, presence and peace which is believe is essential to live our best life. It’s a wonderful journey to be on, and I will forever be learning along the way.
I did my 200-hour yoga teacher training at Kawai Pura Pura after wanting to immerse myself deeper into the ancient practice. I find teaching yoga extremely rewarding, to see people move their bodies in ways they didn't know was possible and to see and feel the peace which you've helped create will never get old.
I believe that all we need is love, that less is more, and we can learn something from everyone that we meet.
With love and gratitude,
Namaste x
I love nature, wild life, snowboarding, surfing, food, gardening and practicing yoga. I’m originally from UK and moved to New Zealand in 2011 after meeting my kiwi husband in Austria.
I now live in Torbay and share our home with our fur baby Archie.
A passion for travel, love and yoga has led me to be an international flight attendant for Air New Zealand, a wedding celebrant and a yoga teacher.
I fell in love with yoga in Queenstown after diving in deep up to an unlimited month of yoga, I found myself there often twice a day and won a pair of socks for my attendance!
Yoga changed my life, it taught me gratitude, presence and peace which is believe is essential to live our best life. It’s a wonderful journey to be on, and I will forever be learning along the way.
I did my 200-hour yoga teacher training at Kawai Pura Pura after wanting to immerse myself deeper into the ancient practice. I find teaching yoga extremely rewarding, to see people move their bodies in ways they didn't know was possible and to see and feel the peace which you've helped create will never get old.
I believe that all we need is love, that less is more, and we can learn something from everyone that we meet.
With love and gratitude,
Namaste x
Katherine, also known as Capsicum to the young yogis!
Passionate traveller, adventurer, photographer and kid’s yoga teacher - that's me! Three years ago I decided on Kid’s yoga as a volunteer service to complete my gold Duke of Edinburgh award. Because I loved working with kids, my passion for yoga grew, so I took on Cosmic Kids, and Rainbow Kids yoga teacher training. Also as a qualified nanny, I loved the fact that I could take my passion for teaching, and spend my time sharing and growing with my students!
Working with kids I am inspired each day to continue finding and doing what I love. Often more energetic and crazy than my personal practice, the classes allow me to teach kids to look after their own physical and emotional health. Along with regular mixed classes, I teach at a Montessori primary, where the children are encouraged to find their own love for learning. This challenges me to constantly adapt to extend their learning, while ensuring they have heaps of fun!
Teaching yoga is so rewarding and I love when children regularly share stories, where they have used mindfulness, poses or breathing. This helps them to regulate their emotions, find calm or become more confident in their day to day life.
Working with kids I am inspired each day to continue finding and doing what I love. Often more energetic and crazy than my personal practice, the classes allow me to teach kids to look after their own physical and emotional health. Along with regular mixed classes, I teach at a Montessori primary, where the children are encouraged to find their own love for learning. This challenges me to constantly adapt to extend their learning, while ensuring they have heaps of fun!
Teaching yoga is so rewarding and I love when children regularly share stories, where they have used mindfulness, poses or breathing. This helps them to regulate their emotions, find calm or become more confident in their day to day life.