Our Team
Our whānau here at AWHI Yoga & Wellbeing are intentional on delivering authentic, connecting and impactful classes. At AWHI, our instructors speak not only to the body, but also to the heart and mind. We take pride in the training and development of our team both on and off the mat so that our community feels held, challenged and nurtured as we grow together and support each other in our humanness. We hold ourselves and our team accountable to provide a world-class Yoga and development experience across all of our programmes.
Tom Brotherstone - Co-owner & Staff Manager
Tom (he/him) has completed 500hr YTT in Rishikesh, India. He has subsequently been teaching Yin and Vinyasa for the past 8 years. Tom has also been competing and teaching Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for last 10 years. His focus now is on building community through both practices, providing a supportive platform for the growth and self-discovery of others.
What does AWHI (support) mean to you?
Awhi to me is all about being part of a community. It is a safe and positive environment that allows for creative expression, without judgment or attachment for ideas. Being part of a community allows you to draw inspiration from people from all walks of life, enabling us to find our own voice and ways of thinking.
What are your top 3 values?
Being present, loyalty and authenticity.
Amelia Bardsley - Yoga
Amelia (she/her) has been practising yoga for the last 20 years, and completed 200hr Yoga Teacher Training in 2020. Since then she has been teaching both Vinyasa Flow and Yin. Her hope is that students leave each class with more space and joy in their mind, body and heart than when they entered the class.
What does AWHI (support) mean to you?
To me Awhi means to nurture, embrace and cherish - being connected to others & nature. Practising yoga supports me to Awhi my children and my students.
What are your top 3 values?
I live by many values but I ensure each day is filled with courage, compassion and self-respect.
James Mason-Redpath - Yoga
(They/them; he/him). I first discovered Yoga in 2002, during a rehabilitation program while in recovery from a serious car accident. Realizing the benefits to the body and mind led to the love of sharing the practice with others, resulting in classical Hatha YTT in 2015 with Evolation Yoga in Melbourne, Australia and Yin Yoga certification in 2016. I found Yin’s passive shapes and focus allowed a deep connection & exploration of internal landscapes, bringing a relaxing energy and a permission to ‘just be’ — the perfect balance to our active and engaging lifestyles! In 2018 I traveled to Malaga, Spain to study under the guidance of my teacher Tony Sanchez, diving deeper into the lineage of Hatha in the Ghosh tradition. I prefer a taking a functional approach to the body over aesthetic. My classes focus on simplicity of the postures and their benefits to the body and mind. I encourage an inward focus on your unique body and its needs, helping you create a practice that’s truly your own. Outside the studio I’m usually exploring the outdoors with my dogs or learning how to dance. My other passions are pole dancing and burlesque. Join me on the mat to challenge yourself, connect within and grow. Get to know yourself, truly see yourself in cultivating mindfulness and presence.
What does AWHI (support) mean to you?
Holding space to allow people to find their power and shine authentically.
What are your top 3 values?
Support, connection, aroha.
Mark Russell - Yoga
(He/him). I have been practicing yoga for almost 20 years. I first arrived on my yoga mat seeking to improve my flexibility . . . but stayed for the really important reasons! I have completed more than 600 hours of yoga teacher training; most recently a 300-hour Trauma Informed Movement Facilitator course, and I now assist with yin teacher training. I have a strong focus on offering trauma-informed yoga, creating brave spaces where everyone is welcomed and valued.
What does AWHI (support) mean to you?
For me, in a yoga sense, AWHI is removing all barriers so anyone with a wish to practice yoga can do so.
What are your top 3 values?
Compassion, inclusiveness and courage to change what must be changed.
Rosie Sievers - Yoga & Lead Facilitator
Rosie's teachings weave together her experience as a Yoga teacher, Craniosacral therapist, & group facilitator with the rich lessons from her own life, and a deep reverence for the human body. She believes that each of us is our own greatest teacher, which makes her a forever-student of her own body.
Rosie completed her first Vinyasa training in 2017 and has since completed further learning in Yin yoga, trauma-informed yoga, embryology and more. Her background includes many years of experience facilitating group environments, in both the worlds of yoga teacher training and retreats, and mental health peer-based education. Rosie is passionate about supporting people to release the imprints of stress and trauma from their bodies, access more of their internal felt sense, feelings of health, autonomy, creativity, joy, and an expanded capacity to move through life's challenges.
What does AWHI (support) mean to you?
I love the translation of awhi as an embrace, I think of it as an invisible warm force I can wrap around myself and others, in the good moments and the harder moments.
What are your top 3 values?
Connection, openness & self expression.
Peachy Fulford-Wierzbicki - Studio Manager
(she/her)
What does AWHI (support) mean to you?
To me, Awhi is about nurturing and connecting; creating space for community to come together, to support, uplift and inspire oneself and one another.
What are your top 3 values?
Aroha, curiosity and connection.
Jase Te Patu - Co-founder & Lead Facilitator
Jase Te Patu (Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Ruanui) (he/him) is a popular TED Talk speaker, Edmund Hillary Fellow, award-winning teacher of yoga and mindfulness, and co-founder of AWHI Yoga & Wellbeing. He is a master of facilitating people of all ages. Jase spent years as a professional performer in Australian touring shows such as The Lion King, Jersey Boys, and Miss Saigon, and has over 30 years experience teaching in the wellbeing industry. Jase is CEO and Founder of M3 Mindfulness, and co-creator of Te Reo Yoga Cards. His students include Hollywood Director James Cameron, the All Blacks, Hurricanes, Silver Ferns, Pulse, NZ School of Dance and many other high-performance athletes. Jase is the recipient of various awards for his work in the mental health and wellbeing space, including the NZ Exercise Industry’s 2018 Body/Mind Teacher of the Year; Lifekeepers' Award for Suicide Prevention; Regional Local Hero medal (New Zealander of the Year Awards 2018), and Absolutely Positively Wellington Award 2019.
What does AWHI (support) mean to you?
The word 'awhi' carries great mana for me. It's the ability and responsibility to awhi and support myself in a way that I can hold space and be of utmost support to everyone I come into contact with. That's children and adults alike. It's important and special work.
What are your top 3 values?
To lead, to love and to connect.
Megan Edwards - Yoga
(She/her) Megan is a RYT-500 teacher from Southern California who is passionate about the healing capacity of yoga. Her background in trauma-informed somatic practices, Reiki energy healing, modern dance, creative writing, and bhakti mantra singing coalesce in her classes to create a rich, restful practice that encourages you to befriend your body, heart, and spirit.
What does AWHI (support) mean to you?
To me, Awhi is that glowing, golden feeling you get after spending the day with beloved friends where you laugh and talk for hours. It's that feeling of total acceptance and the enjoyment of being in community with others, and the joy that comes from being fully witnessed by the people you love.
What are your top 3 values?
Authentic connection, curiosity, and commitment to joy
Kathleen Kuehn - Co-owner & Business Manager
KK (she/her) is a recovering academic-turned-studio owner with over 300hrs YTT in Vinyasa (Power Living NZ) and Yin/Yoga Nidra (Earth Yoga Village, Goa). Her teaching approach is purposeful and alignment-based, influenced by a range of yoga styles. Often delivered with a cheeky sense of humour, Kathleen sets an approachable environment designed to advance self-learning and personal growth. She’s currently working towards 300-hour certification with Jason Crandell (US).
What does AWHI (support) mean to you?
To awhi is to support and serve others openly and without judgement. It’s an active offering of faith, a confident embrace that says: ‘I know you've got this.’
What are your top 3 values?
Community, continuous learning and service.
Charlotte Cook - Yoga
Charlotte (she/her) is a broadcast journalist by trade which started through her love of connecting to people from all different ages and stages. Through yoga she’s found other ways to connect with people and share stories of strength, bravery and self discovery. Charlotte started yoga for the physical benefits but stayed for the mental hauora it provides. Her teaching style is fun, daring and about embracing whatever shows up on the mat. She trained through Awhi's 200 hour teacher training and looks forward to upskilling further.
What does AWHI (support) mean to you?
Awhi as a word and a studio for me is about showing up for yourself and holding space for others. It’s about standing in your mana, connecting with yourself and offering that vulnerability and strength to others.
What are your top 3 values?
Kotahitanga, aroha and honesty
Maya Castrejon - Pilates
Maya (she/her) has been teaching Pilates since 2020. She completed her training course with AWHI’s Zuri Brudenell through her Pilates Teacher Training Course in Kāpiti. Maya loves Pilates and the whole body connection you gain through the exercise — you really get to see how your core is truly the powerhouse of the body. Originally from California, Maya’s been living in NZ since 2015 and has been a student at AWHI since 2018.
What does AWHI (support) mean to you?
Awhi means community to me, somewhere I can go to be reminded of my growth and the growth I want. Somewhere I can be grounded but also flourish.
What are your top 3 values?
Growth, community, understanding.
Melissa Rivard - Yoga
Melissa (she/her) is an educator, registered clinical naturopath (BNatMed), and movement enthusiast. Melissa was introduced to yoga in 2005 as tool for improving recovery from a range of sports. She soon realised that yoga was much more than that; it was a practice that healed but also encouraged a deeper awareness through integration of body and mind. She completed her 200 hrs YTT in 2014 with Tribe Yoga School in Goa and has been facilitating both Vinyasa and Yin classes ever since. Melissa is passionate about supporting others to cultivate a greater sense of intuition and agency over their holistic health and wellbeing. Weaving other complementary practices into her classes such as Traditional Chinese Medicine and myofascial release, her teaching style is intentional, evidence-based, and integrated. She aims for students to leave her class feeling nourished, inspired, and informed.
What does AWHI (support) mean to you?
Awhi is, with integrity and authenticity, holding space for oneself and others with unconditional positive regard, curiosity, and presence.
What are your top 3 values?
Compassion, curiosity, service.
Lachlan Broughton - Yoga
Lachlan (he/him) is originally from Melbourne. He moved to Wellington to study contemporary dance with the New Zealand School of dance, graduating in 2018 with a diploma in elite performance. Here he found his love for yoga and completed 200hr YTT with Awhi Yoga & Wellbeing in 2019, followed by a Meditation & Mindfulness Teacher Training with Moksha Yoga.
Lachlan’s teaching style has a focus in the experiential and feeling based side of yoga, stemming from the Embodied Flow Teacher Training he completed in 2022.
Lachlan has an interest in somatic and movement practices, how we connect with the world around us on the outside, to self on the inside, and the practical application of yoga to everyday life. He believes that yoga shapes don’t have to be perfect (safe, of course), but should be practiced to elicit felt experience so we can connect into the unfolding that’s happening on the outside and in.
Lachlan teaches vinyasa and meditation, and you’ll see him in Heated Flow, Align, Yin and Meditation.
What does AWHI (support) mean to you?
To me, AWHI has the quality of embodiment. The surreal feeling of a warm, full-body hug with a loved one or with the earth. Being held, cradled, embraced and supported. A surrendering. A vibrational aligning. Our beautiful studio is a great manifestation of awhi.
What are your top 3 values?
Kindness, aroha, authenticity.
Hana Buchanan - Yoga
Hana (Taranaki iwi, Te Ātiawa, Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o te Ika) has been developing her own yoga / pū āio practice for over 25 years. Hana loves exploring the synergies between mātauranga Māori and yoga philosophies and practice - centuries old indigenous wisdoms supporting contemporary holistic wellbeing! She completed her 200-hour Vinyasa, and 100-hour Yin teacher training with Awhi Yoga & Wellbeing and through teaching, hopes to share the love, joy and challenge of yoga / pū āio with others. Nau mai, haere mai e hoa mā!
What does AWHI mean to you?
Awhi mai, awhi atu. Awhi is a warm, dynamic radiance that encircles, holds, supports and celebrates - me, you, us.
What are your top 3 values?
Hononga (Connection), Aroha (Love), Manawanui (Dedication)
Satvika Iyer - Yoga
(They/them). I completed my 200hr YTT certification at AWHI Yoga & Wellbeing and have been teaching since the start of 2022. I was raised in India, Tāmaki Makaurau and Canada. My path in life has been winding and bumpy but through the practice of yoga, I have supported myself through many challenges. Practicing yoga feels like accepting myself and alchemizing the energy within and around me. My yoga mat is a safe space where I can unlearn what no longer serves me and embrace key things that do. With a focus on stilling the mind through intentional breath and flowing movement, I intend for my classes to be an inclusive space where you can feel comfortable in your truth.
What does AWHI (support) mean to you?
To me, Awhi means tuning into my inner wisdom, what I know to be true, so that I may then connect with all beings. It also means choosing to accept myself unconditionally and treating this Earth like one cherished community.
What are your top 3 values?
Lifelong learning, free self-expression, and leading with my heart.
Mark Pascall - Co-owner & Business Development
Mark (he/him) is a recovering computer nerd who spent the last 8 years working in the crazy world of cryptocurrencies, blockchain and decentralisation. This has led to a deep passion for creating radically different purpose-driven organisational structures designed to make the world a better place for his four (sometimes unappreciative) teenagers. Mark runs The Wellbeing Protocol. When he’s not trying to wrestle phones away from his kids, he’s happiest helping AWHI flourish or being towed by a big kite, slightly out of control in Lyall Bay.
What does AWHI (support) mean to you?
Awhi is an amazing opportunity to build a beautiful, supportive community committed to holistic wellbeing.
What are your top 3 values?
Altruism, humility and integrity.
George Lake - Yoga
George/Hōri (Ngāti Maniapoto, Te Āti Awa ki Whakarongotai, me Ngāti Pikiao) (he/him/ia) gained his 200hr Yoga Teacher Training Certificate in 2020 and his 50hr yin certificate in 2022 from AWHI Yoga & Wellbeing. He has also been a secondary teacher since 2012 and has taught in Aotearoa and Australia. A volunteer trip in Africa for 3 months coaching touch rugby and rugby opened his eyes up to the spirit of whakawhanaungatanga (strengthening relationships) and how a united community creates a special bond to support one another through life’s challenges.
What does AWHI (support) mean to you?
The kupu (word) “awhi” means to embrace and acknowledge all the parts that make you “you.” As a kaiako (teacher) it’s an honour to guide people in their practice by creating a takiwā (space) that allows them to show up on their mat exactly as they are in any moment. Tuta kurehe, poho kererū – A creased back of the neck, a proud kererū – remember to hold your head high with mana in order to give permission to those around you to do the same.
What are your top 3 values?
Ngākau aroha (compassion), māia (courage), and whakakata (humour).
Marcelly Ribeiro - Yoga
Marcelly (she/her; they/them) has a degree in Physical Education. and 200-hour Vinyasa Yoga and 200-hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training, Childbirth & Doula and Active Birth Centre certificates. An experienced Hatha, Vinyasa and pregnancy yoga teacher and personal trainer, Marcelly teaches an alignment-based practice aimed at improving physical functionality and relieving stress from everyday life. Originally from Brazil, her experience as a doula and passion for pregnancy yoga blends asana (postures) and pranayama (breathwork) with birth education to empower women preparing their bodies and mind for labour.
What does AWHI (support) mean to you?
Awhi is about care for the community embracing the sense of togetherness and nurturing the love and respect.
What are your top 3 values?
Openness, connection, honesty.
Shirley McLeod - Yoga
Shirley (she/her) first stumbled upon yoga while on holiday in December 2013. She began practicing everyday, and after three weeks decided to begin a yoga journey that would ultimately lead her to complete a 200-hour teacher training in 2015, and Level 1 iRest Yoga Nidra certification and Mindfulness Based Stillness Meditation teacher training in 2018. Shirley is currently studying towards her 500hr Registered Yoga Teacher certification. In 2016 Shirley developed and self-published the Yoga Deck – a set of 41 instructional yoga pose cards and 16 sample sequences – to share the practice of yoga with more people across Aotearoa and the world. In 2019 she created the Te Reo Yoga Cards with fellow Awhi teacher Jase Te Patu. Off the mat Shirley works full time as a self-employed project manager. She has two gorgeous, energetic boys.
What does AWHI (support) mean to you?
Awhi is the support and care we can offer ourselves and each other, both on and off the mat. It is the collective holding of space within a community, and the offer of love and care to those who need it.
What are your top 3 values?
Compassion, love and gratitude.
Susie Kwon - Hot HIIT Pilates
I’m Susie (she/her) and I teach Hot HIIT Pilates! It’s a fantastic class if you’re looking to tone up, strengthen your core, sweat, while boppping to some groovy tunes- we love a bit of house and DnB here. Haere mai all fitness levels as YOU choose YOUR own pace. My teacher training was completed at my favourite Hot Pilates/yoga studio in Auckland- Sweat Yoga.
What does AWHI (support) mean to you?
To me, the word ‘Awhi’ feels like a big warm embrace. A hug saying: good on ya for eating something green today, ka pai for making it onto the yoga mat, or it’s okay to be a potato and watch Netflix - you deserve it, babe. Give Awhi to yourself, and show Awhi to others. Oh, and come to AWHI!
What are your top 3 values?
Kindness, manaakitanga, and honesty
*Susie prefers not to have her face shown online so to come meet her IRL!
Martine Matapo - Yoga
Martine (she/her) completed her 200hr Teacher Training with AWHI in 2022 and fell in love with AWHI’s kaupapa. She loves sharing the gift of movement, stillness and connecting people with their well-being. Martine’s approach to teaching is inclusive, safe and grounding. To her, yoga is less about being ‘bendy’ and more about arriving to your yoga practice exactly as you are.
What does AWHI mean to you?
Awhi means looking out for each other! One of the most important things we have control over is how we treat others. To stand in the essence of awhi, is to support, uplift, love and be kind to all those we connect with.
What are your top 3 values?
Aroha, humour and connection
Lisa Baker - Yoga
I completed 200hr YTT with AWHI in 2021, and 50hr YIN training in 2022. In 2023, I am undertaking YTT focused on meditation, pranayama and yoga nidra. I am a qualified Primary and ECE teacher but now work in the tertiary sector, lecturing in the Bachelor of teaching (ECE) degree programme. I am also a 2nd dan blackbelt in Kyokushin karate and continue to instruct in this martial art. My life journey has included significant trauma. The long, often emotionally intense healing journey I am on led me to AWHI 6 years ago. Through the physical practice I discovered the true meaning of yoga; union of mind, body, and wairua and yoking of individual consciousness to universal consciousness. Through the practice of yoga, I have found healing, awareness, understanding and authentic connection (self and others). I look forward to sharing the beauty of this holistic practice with my AWHI community.
What does AWHI (support). mean to you?
To care deeply, to nurture and nourish, to love; self and others…always xx
What are your top 3 values?
Compassion, connectedness, authenticity I Ngākau aroha, kotahitanga, pono