I’ve only recently returned to my physical yoga practice properly following almost half a year off. After 17 weeks of bed rest due to a high risk pregnancy, six weeks of stand-down time after giving birth and another few weeks of just being plain shellshocked and trying to find a moment to myself just to go to the toilet – let alone practice yoga!
So when I was offered a double pass to the New Zealand International Yoga Festival I was crazy excited at the opportunity to ‘reset’ and find my practice again. And then reality hit me and I declined as I have two children under 3 years old with one of them breastfeeding every few hours who happens to hate the buggy so I have to carry/wear her all the time. Luckily the organisers convinced me there would still be plenty for us to see and do, so I rounded up the husband and two kids, and we headed to three out of the four days at the beautiful Kawai Purapura Event Centre in Albany, Auckland.
The event
The New Zealand International Yoga Festival is a yearly celebration of . The 2018 event ran from 22-25 February at Kawai Purapura; my husband, toddler and I had already been to the venue as part of a mini-retreat on my 200-hr yoga teacher’s training so had already seen a glimpse of what we were in for. The venue is a stunning location that is typically a beautiful place for reflection and quiet meditation so it was awesome to see it bustling with life for this huge event. This year’s theme was ‘Embrace Your Inner Mastery’.
In a previous life before kids I would have tried to make it to as many classes and workshops as possible from the beginning of the day right through to the end, but with a new baby and a toddler in tow along with the venue being on the other side of the city, I only made it to two classes; a postnatal women’s session and SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard) yoga in the pool. I would have loved to give aerial and acroyoga a go but it was just too difficult to get the family sorted and keep everyone entertained, fed and out of the heat with minimal tantrums.
The husband went to a class focused on men’s yoga, and the toddler made it to a children’s class that encouraged mindfulness through imagination and creativity (it was supposed to be held in the massive teepee but unfortunately it had blown down in stormy weather the day before the event started!).
We were treated to delicious vegan food for nourishment and restoration at the Prema Kitchen and Cafe each day which was amazing. In between classes and meals there was a huge range of natural food and health stalls to check out along with more than 100 yoga workshops, concerts and dance events.
The VLOG
To see more of what I did, check out my VLOG here (first ever attempt! Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel):
The pics
Here are some highlights from the event:
Event tickets and food provided courtesy of the New Zealand International Yoga Festival and Kawai Purapura Retreat Centre for this review
Images / NZ Real Health