Amani

Peace begins with… Susy @ Amani
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This weekend, we have the pleasure of being guided by our gorgeous Susy, at Gentle Yoga: Sunday Sādhana. 🩷

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For Susy, yoga is a practice of connection — to self, to others, and to the natural world.

Her teaching honours the roots of yoga while creating space for individuality, autonomy and exploration. Through āsana, prāṇāyāma and meditation, Susy invites each person to listen inwardly, cultivating their own sense of strength, stillness and calm.

But for Susy, yoga doesn’t end when we roll up our mats.

Guided by the Eight Limbs of Yoga, she carries its teachings into everyday life — particularly ahimsa, the practice of non-violence. Compassion, truthfulness, contentment and self-study become ways of meeting herself, others and the world with greater awareness and kindness.

There is something very Amani about Susy’s understanding of practice: that the peace we cultivate within ourselves can ripple outward into how we live, relate and move through the world.

We’re so grateful to have Susy sharing her practice, presence and wisdom with our Amani community.

Join her at the Heretaunga Women’s Centre, 9.30-10.30AM.

Book: https://amanibooking.as.me/gentle [link in bio]


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PEACEFUL WARRIORS 🕊️ | Eliza Hatch

For our first Peaceful Warrior, Amani teacher Susy has chosen British photographer and activist Eliza Hatch, founder of Cheer Up Luv — a platform challenging gender-based violence, misogyny and harassment through photography and storytelling.

The project began after a stranger told Eliza to “cheer up” in the street. When she spoke about the experience, she began questioning why behaviour that makes women feel uncomfortable or unsafe is so often dismissed as harmless.

So, in 2017, she picked up her camera.

Through Cheer Up Luv, Eliza photographs people in the public places where they have experienced harassment, giving them space to tell their stories and, symbolically, reclaim that space.

What began as a photography project has since grown into an international platform for activism, education and conversation.

And this is where Eliza’s work speaks so beautifully to our exploration of peace.

Because peace does not mean remaining quiet.

It does not mean accepting harm to avoid conflict.

Sometimes peace asks us to speak, listen, challenge and disrupt.

To believe people when they tell us they have been harmed.
To question what we have been taught to accept as normal.
To create communities where everyone can move through the world with dignity, freedom and safety.

Eliza reminds us that activism doesn’t always begin with a grand gesture.

Sometimes it begins with noticing something that isn’t right — and deciding not to look away.

A camera can become protest.
A story can reclaim power.
Listening can become solidarity.

And making space for another person’s voice can itself become an act of peace.

Thank you Susy, for introducing us to your Peaceful Warrior. 🕊️

May we imagine peace not simply as the absence of violence, but as the presence of safety, dignity, justice and freedom — for all.

What do we mean when we speak of peace? 🕊️

At Amani, peace is at the heart of our name — but we believe that it is more than the absence of war.
More than quiet.
More than harmony when all around us is already harmonious.

Often, peace is protest.

It is the courage to stand against violence, injustice and oppression while refusing to reproduce them ourselves. It is choosing compassion without complacency. It is recognising that there can be no meaningful peace while others are denied safety, dignity, freedom or belonging.

In the yogic tradition, we find this expressed through Ahimsa — often translated as non-violence or non-harming. Ahimsa asks us to consider not only our actions, but our words, our thoughts, our relationships, and the way we move through the world.

It asks us to widen our care.

Peace for one another.
Peace across cultures and borders.
Peace for the earth and all living beings.

And this mahi begins somewhere very close to home.

Within.

When we learn to meet ourselves with greater compassion, to listen inwardly, to soften the battles we carry inside ourselves, we create another possibility for how we meet the world.

Inner peace and collective peace are not separate conversations.

They belong to one another.

And peace does not mean that we never become angry, speak loudly, challenge injustice or disrupt. Throughout history, some of our greatest advocates for peace have been extraordinarily courageous agitators for change.

Peace can have a backbone.
Peace can resist.
Peace can be revolutionary.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing the stories of our favourite Peaceful Warriors — historical and contemporary people whose courage, wisdom, activism, spirituality and humanity have helped advance movements for peace, justice and non-violence.

Some names may be familiar. Others, less so. Their approaches will not all look the same — because peace has never had only one voice.

We hope their stories invite reflection, conversation, and a little inspiration for our own lives.

Because peace is not simply something we wish for.
It is something we practise.

For ourselves.
For each other.
For all beings.

Together. 🕊️

Peace begins with… Savannah @ Amani
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This weekend, Amani’s koha Sunday session, Gentle Yoga: Sunday Sādhana Heretaunga Women's Centre is hosted by our darling Savannah. 🌺

Savannah’s teaching is slow, intentional and deeply grounding, drawing on the foundations of Hatha Yoga while gently weaving in spiritual wisdom and practices from different cultures and traditions. Through mindful movement, breath, stillness and reflection, she creates space to soften, turn inward and become curious about what is arising within.

At the heart of Savannah’s teaching is a belief that the way we meet ourselves on the mat can shape the way we meet life beyond it. By slowing down and learning to listen inwardly — to the body, breath and quieter parts of ourselves — we cultivate a deeper connection to our own inner wisdom.

And as she beautifully shares, “When I listen inward on my mat, it helps me to listen with my heart when I step off it.” Her classes are an invitation to practise with presence and intention, nurturing a sense of connection that can be carried from the mat and into the world…

Book: https://amanibooking.as.me/gentle [link in bio]


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Peace begins with… Paula @ Amani
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Sunday REST with Paula 💛

Sunday REST Keirunga Gardens carries a simple invitation: slow down, soften, and hold yourself with deep compassion.

Together, we begin with the unhurried peacefulness of a restorative practice, exploring each shape with curiosity as we sense, reflect, and respond to the body’s needs. From there, we settle into the meditative practice of Yoga Nidra, resting deeply as we reconnect with our true nature and an inner sense of peace.

Wrapped warmly in blankets and supported by props, you’ll be invited to release effort, soothe the nervous system, and simply receive. Our wish is that you leave feeling grounded, peaceful, replenished, restored, and ready to meet the week ahead.

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Paula’s teaching is rooted in compassion, curiosity, and deep listening. Through her invitational approach, she encourages exploration through the senses, empowering each participant to trust their own experience and honour the wisdom of their body. Rather than striving for a particular shape, you’ll be supported to sense, feel, and choose what is right for you in each moment. Her classes cultivate a welcoming, inclusive space where every body is valued, and where peace, rest, connection, and self-discovery can naturally unfold.

Book: https://amanibooking.as.me/rest [link in bio]




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Peace begins with… Ariane @ Amani
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Gentle Yoga: Sunday Sādhana with Ariane 💚 Heretaunga Women's Centre

Our Ariane’s teaching is guided by intuition, holistic principles, and mindful contemplation, creating space to reconnect with yourself and cultivate meaningful connection with others. She shares a gentle, heart-centred practice that invites you to slow down, listen deeply, and move with intention. Through gentle movement, conscious breath, and moments of stillness, this Sunday Sādhana offers an opportunity to restore balance and return to your true nature.

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At Amani, we believe yoga is for everyone. That’s why our community classes are offered for koha, making it easier for all wāhine to access practices that nurture wellbeing and connection.

Our Sunday sessions are hosted by a different member of the Amani whānau each week, so be sure to catch us all - we can’t wait to yoga with you!

Whether you’re seeking gentle movement, a moment to breathe, or a place to simply be, you’ll be welcomed into our supportive and inclusive community.

Book: https://amanibooking.as.me/gentle [link in bio]





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Peace begins with… Zara @ Amani
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This is your gentle reminder to return to stillness, connection, and the wisdom held within. 💕

We are honoured to have Zara as our Yin Yoga teacher, holding space for wāhine to slow down, soften, and reconnect with themselves, each other, and the grounding embrace of Papatūānuku.

The Slow Down Heretaunga Women's Centre offers a sacred pause in the rhythm of life—a place to breathe, restore, and nurture the connection between body, mind, wairua, and whenua.

Through gentle movement, softening and rest, Zara’s suggestions allow you to experience what it feels like to come home to yourself.

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Amani community classes are offered for koha, reflecting our kaupapa that wellbeing, connection, and healing should be accessible to all wāhine.

This is a welcoming space for every body and every level of experience. Whether you’re stepping onto the mat for the first time or returning to your practice, know that you are welcome and valued, just as you are

Book: https://amanibooking.as.me/yin [link in bio]






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July ✨

We gather in winter with peace in our souls, and the hope that closeness will rekindle love.
~ Angie Weiland Crosby

Our weekly gatherings for our beautiful whānau:

Sundays
Gentle Yoga: Sunday Sādhana with Shayla, Ariane & Susy (no class Matariki weekend)
9.30AM

Tuesdays
The Slow Down - Tuesday Yin with Zara
9.30AM

Both @ the Heretaunga Women’s Centre

Plus:
Sunday REST with Paula
26th July
4 - 5.30PM

@ The Homestead, Keirunga Gardens

Book: https://amanibooking.as.me/ [link in bio]

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Our offerings are shared for koha and designed with all beings in heart and mind.

Peace begins with you and me.

Aroha nui 💚



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Ever get the feeling you’ve spent so long searching for peace that you’ve forgotten how to feel it?

That the seeking, searching and holding on have distracted you from sensation of settled and trusting.

Peace may be your sanctuary or perhaps it shows up as your protest, your reaction, your resistance, or all of the above.

However you connect to your peace on this day, love, immerse yourself in its source, revel in its presence within you and linger on the edge of remembering…