Presence through art and breath
Art yoga and mental health
I call myself a creative well-being practitioner, even if there’s no official title for it. That’s because what I do sits at the intersection of disciplines. I’m a Yoga and Meditation facilitator, a Pilates instructor, and a former graphic designer.
I’ve pulled all that knowledge together to co-found Art Yoga—a holistic project that blends creativity with yoga philosophy and meditation to support people’s mental well-being.
Pensioners & prisoners
Right now, I run five regular groups around Auckland. Most of them are central, and a couple on the North Shore. Three are “Art and Tea” sessions for seniors. Two others are Meditative Art classes for adults—one of which takes place at Auckland Prison in Paremoremo, a maximum security facility. I’ve been running sessions there for over a year, working in a unit I understand to be low-risk. Still, it’s a prison, and the intensity of that space only deepens my belief in the value of what we do.
Why I do it
At first, Art Yoga began as a casual experiment. My friend and I lived at Kawai Purapura, a yoga retreat centre, and we offered workshops to the small community there. But the idea took off during lockdown, when my friend Giulia and I were invited to deliver online sessions through Changing Minds funded by the Ministry of Health. That changed everything. We saw, suddenly and clearly, how much this practice connected to broader needs: community, creativity, mental health, and emotional resilience.
Everyone's carrying something
Everyone, really. I now work mainly with seniors, but I’ve seen people from all walks of life. Some come because they’re stressed, others because they’re lonely, or grieving. Even if they don’t speak openly about what’s going on, you can feel the weight they carry. In the prison, that’s even more apparent. People arrive carrying their lives on their backs—and they leave lighter.
Here's what goes on
Funding is my anxiety
Some of my work is funded—by Auckland Council, Creative New Zealand through the Creative Communities Scheme, and, in one case, Honohono Tātou Katoa by Mercy Hospice in collaboration with Kainga Ora.But not all of it. Some classes are paid by participants because I’m employed as a tutor through the host organisation. The rest depends on short-term grants—seven-week blocks at best. There’s a constant stress in waiting on decisions, applying again, and hoping to keep something going that already proves itself every single week.
What would I do with real support?
If I had proper funding—ongoing, not piecemeal—I would do three things.
- I’d train others to facilitate these sessions across Aotearoa. There’s no reason this work should stay confined to me and Giulia, the other co-founder.
- I’d make the sessions free everywhere. Removing the cost barrier would mean more people can access this support—especially those who need it most.
- I’d turn seven-week courses into long-term community anchors. Weekly spaces, across the country, that don’t end just as someone starts to open up.
This is work that changes lives. I see it every day. If mental health is a priority in this country, support for community-based, preventive, creative work needs to be more than symbolic.
What keeps me going
Three things. First, watching the shift in participants—from tense or heavy when they arrive, to calm and connected by the end. That transformation is real, and it happens through creativity and presence. Second, the sharing. People who might not think they have anything to offer speak with such wisdom. It’s an honour to witness that.Third, quite simply—I get to practise too. I heal alongside them. I create with them. I ground myself as they ground themselves. That’s a gift I don’t take lightly.
Art Yoga is not therapy, but it is deeply therapeutic.it connects people to something bigger than themselves. And it’s not just art or just yoga—it’s the alchemy that happens when the two meet.
