Holistic wellness massage in Ōrākei. Wellness blogger, tangata tiriti, host of Teachers Can podcast.
12/07/2025
Met this beautiful wahine Whaea Ellina .t.o.rainbow last week at the St John Markets. She is a passionate full time kaiako who finds her joy and fills up her cup every week through her rainbow inspired pakihi.
I was completely inspired by her and wanted to share ❤️❤️❤️
We all know how demanding and taumaha (heavy) jobs like teaching, nursing and social work can be, so finding outlets like this can be absolutely game changing.
Ngā mihi nui ki a koe Ellina, haere tonu to mahi rangatira, and keep sharing the joy!
04/07/2025
Interrupting my baby hibernation to announce the healthy arrival of our darling son 5 weeks ago 🥰
While māmā wasn’t ready at all for the birth, our boy knew exactly when he was ready (2 weeks early) and once my waters broke there was no stopping him!
After a 6 hour labour at home we raced to the hospital ED where he was born 10 minutes later while pāpā was still parking the car!
We couldn’t be happier, and with the arrival of his Abuelita (grandma) from Colombia this morning we are full of joy 😊
We’ve chosen to respect our sons right to informed consent and will not be showing his full pics on social media. Ironic for a māmā who is used to over sharing! But having a pēpi has changed everything ❤️
Ngā mihi i tā koutou tautoko mai 🙏 Thank you for all your support
18/05/2025
Transition time…. ✨✨Had a precious pause in the hubbub of life to focus on our next chapter in this hapūtanga journey.
William and I spent a whole weekend in a deep dive into the process of natural birthing .nz with 12 other couples.
Some of the knowledge I felt I already knew in my bones and some of it was new.
But being able to share the learning with others all in different stages was just magical, and several tears were shed as we were filled up with the magic and inspiration of the birthing process.
Especially moving was seeing hapū mamas gently shift their fear and anxiety into curiosity and excitement through the process of relaxation, support and empowering education.
I was also hugely impressed with the amount of guided relaxations we got to experience, such a precious opportunity to rest and be calm in such a hectic time of prep and wrapping up loose ends.
He mihi nui- huge thanks to .nz for providing such wise, empowering and holistic education for New Zealanders parents to be 🙏❤️
26/04/2025
Musings from 2 and a bit days of silence…🧘🏼♀️
Tiredness speaks volumes when you let it.
Don’t push through the fatigue. Lean into it, surrender to it.
Allow yourself to crash and be unproductive for the rebound will be worth it.
Just because chi gong is apparently ‘gentle and accessible’ doesn’t mean you need to need to do all sessions.
If your body says no, listen to it’s innate wisdom. It’s looking out for you.
When the water pump breaks, forgoing your daily shower is a lesson in non-attachment.
Just notice how easily triggered you are by people trying to do sign language to you at a silent retreat. Thank them silently for encouraging equanimity.
Notice how attached you are to snacks, and how upset you become when there are none. Make a mental note to being own snacks next time.
Be reminded that giving myself love naturally flows on to loving everyone else around me. Be grateful for the abundant love and peace that fills me right now.
Ngā mihi nui ki a for taking such good care of pēpi and I, and for allowing a precious moment to pause and just be, in the midst of an incredibly busy life 🙏❤️
24/04/2025
I’m heading away on a silent retreat/digital detox for 3 days. Really need this space and solitude right now, given all the changes afoot.
See you on the other side 🙏
17/04/2025
Last massage for the year done and dusted 🥹🥳👏💪🤰
Feeling a little emotional today processing the closing of one chapter and the soon to be opening of another…
I feel pēpi is so ready for me to stop and embrace the more yin path.
And so am I. Have a silent meditation retreat booked for Anzac weekend to deeply go within and be with myself, away from all distractions.
Have a lovely Easter weekend everyone 😍
18/02/2025
Aura Wellbeing is expanding to include a wee Colombian-Kiwi baby 🇨🇴🥝🥰
After several years of trying and a few heartbreaks along the way, we’ve been blessed with a natural conception at age 42 ❤️
There is so much I want to say about what we’ve learned along our fertility journey, but for now life is full as we are in full nesting mode, so all of my ramblings need to come second place.
So… lots of changes are afoot as I prepare to wind up massage around the April school holidays 🥹
For now, I’m still feeling good and I’m massaging reduced hours around my teaching job:
I’ve got a few last minute spaces this week: Wed 19th 12.30pm & Sat 8am
Thank you to all of you for supporting our journey from afar. This online space can be weird, but I really do value the real people that you all are and any and all of your kind thoughts 🙏❤️
11/02/2025
When did you last go on a date with yourself? 😊
You give and give and give until there is nothing left to give and then you crash.
You put your own needs last because everything else seems more urgent, and you are surviving right?
Your work, kids and/or partner demand so much of your energy, that you can’t even imagine where you would find the time for a date with self, let alone a date with your partner!
What if, instead of the usual predictable cycles of crash and burn, you actually scheduled in something special just for you?
That way, it will actually happen.
We are also much more likely to follow through with something if we have invested a little $$ in it.
It doesn’t need to be as expensive as a massage, it could be a yoga or exercise class. It could be getting your eyebrows threaded or having a sauna.
Or it could be as simple as a yummy coffee or smoothie in your favourite cafe while you write in your journal.
I encourage you to book in a date with yourself today 🙏
P.s. I have a few slots available this week: Wed 12th 9am & 6pm, and Sat 15th 9am, 10.30am and 12pm
09/02/2025
Amigas en los negocios… hoa pakihi…. Friends in business ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
This is my friend Mariana .wellness.nz
You could say she is my massage rival given we massage in the same area, but actually she is my loyal friend, cold swimming buddy, massage colleague, business coach at times, and emotional support.
I am so grateful for your friendship and business support Mari, we are stronger together and have everything to gain through sharing what we know 👏
Te amo ❤️
P.s. if you haven’t been to in Glen Innes you are missing out!
07/02/2025
I actually have some massage availability next week! ❤️
Wed 12th: 9am & 6pm
Sat 16th: 9am, 10.30 & 12pm
I would love to see you!
02/02/2025
Really didn’t feel like practising yoga this morning but glad I did 😊
I’ve come up with a good hack: I charge my phone overnight in my massage tent, so I have to go get it in the morning.
Then when I get there I think ok I may as well do something cause I’m already here.
I start with a few Sun salutations then let the body guide.
After that sitting to meditate becomes easy and a natural close to my morning practice.
What helps you do your morning practice?
31/01/2025
I am absolutely loving the start to our kura year… we had a great rā hākinakina - sports day yesterday and the whare pride was palpable!
Our whare are: Matariki (the best 😆) Ruapōtaka, Wai o Taiki, and Maungarei.
Two of our little ones forgot their yellow kākahu so I gave them a Colombian top for the day - represent!
My absolute highlight was the pao battle when our tauira (and kaiako) displayed their insane creativity and high energy 👏👏👏
I am so proud to be part of this kura that prioritises whakawhanaungatanga- relationship building right from the get go ❤️❤️❤️
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Aura Wellbeing posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
I went all the way to India to learn to relax. Well, thats not entirely true, I went to learn how to teach yoga, but what I really got was a profound sense of peace and relaxation that hasn’t quite left me. And has become one of my number one driving passions in life.
You see, stress used to be my middle name. Laura Stress-Bucket Alpe. Mum always told me that teaching is stressful, so I put off entering the profession for a good 10 years. But once I’d learned and fallen in love with Te Reo Māori, there was no going back and Education seemed like the natural next step. In fact, it was a wero (challenge) laid down by my second reo teacher that led me into teaching; “What are you going to do to ensure that our language survives Laura?”
After three years of pouring my heart and soul into my job, my classroom and my gorgeous tamariki, I ended up getting sick. What started as a fairly constant low-level anxiety led to mental exhaustion, physical sickness and ultimately, burn-out from the job I loved. I felt like I wasn’t alone. Many teachers, nurses, social workers and other professionals shared with me their struggles to ‘manage’ their stress and to find balance in their lives. Something had to shift.
I made the heart wrenching decision to leave teaching for a year to pursue my own wellbeing. What felt like a selfish choice at first, became the best thing I’ve ever done. I studied relaxation massage at Wellpark College of Natural Therapies and there I discovered my gift of touch. I loved being able to help bring relaxation and wellbeing to others, which in turn brought relaxation and wellbeing to myself. Life, for the first time, started to resume some sort of natural rhythm with periods of busy time interspersed with down-time. Balance!
India allowed me to experience a culture where everything was bustling and alive, yet no-one seemed stressed or anxious. People stopped to smile, look into my eyes and say “namaste”, acknowledging the light within. People were present. Yoga added a deeper element of grounding through connecting movements to the breath. Massage, yoga and breathing have become my preventative first aid kit. My wellbeing 101 that keeps me mentally and physically balanced and able to return to my teaching job that I love.
