Wellbeing by Design

24/02/2026

The programme for the Nelson Yoga Festival is out and early birds are almost sold out! Join me, Jo Monaghan, this Anzac weekend for a morning Hatha class to build strength and stability and open your heart…with some fun balance challenges thrown in!❤️ Thanks to Yoga Festival Tribe for putting on this awesome event!

NELSON Yoga FestivalApril 25th & 26th | 2025Founders Park, Nelson, NZ Get TicketsMeet the tribe. Linda WysockaJanuary 30, 2026 Jo MonaghanJanuary 30, 2026 JonelleJanuary 30, 2026 Mary Rose DiasMay 20, 2025 Briana BowleyMay 12, 2025 Debora O’CallaghanFebruary 25, 2025 Ale MarchisioFebruary 17, 2025...

18/02/2026

Had a lot of fun reconnecting with Jae almost 8 years after we first met at a yoga teacher training in Vancouver Island. Fast forward to now and she doing amazing things, so I was honoured to be asked to be part of her podcast series, sharing what lights me up and inspires me. Warning….lots of hand waving occurs as I get excited about what I am talking about!!! 😂

What does it mean to truly step into your flow and live with courage?In this episode of Igniting Inspired Inquiry, I sit down with Jo Monaghan, founder of Th...

13/02/2026

With everything going on personally for me at the end of last year, this lovely article from Resene slipped under the radar! Home of the week no less, thanks Habitat by Resene!

Discover Waraki House on the Waimea Estuary - a serene, sustainable home by architect Jo Monaghan where Resene paint colours and natural materials blend beautifully with nature.

11/02/2026

https://manaretreat.com/event/pause-rest-renew/
Stoked to be holding another retreat at Mana Retreat Centre this year….giving you an opportunity to take time to pause, reconnect and go with the flow, whether that’s doing everything or nothing as we explore yoga, breathwork and meditation practices to help you feel grounded, balanced and renewed.

Join Jo Monaghan for a relaxed retreat where you can slow down, centre yourself, and simply be

21/01/2026

Whether your ideal retreat experience is dynamic or peaceful, I have designed my Pause | Rest | Renew Wellness Retreat 27-29 March 2026 to be a bit of both so you get to choose what you need to leave you feeling balanced, grounded and renewed.
Head to www.jomonaghan.com/mana2026 for more info or message me.

19/01/2026

As someone who likes to schedule the **** out of everything, I am busy planning what 2026 looks like for me, personally and professionally.
I find I look after my wellbeing best when I carve out time for it, so here is a heads up for my March retreat in case you like to do the same.
Head to www.jomonaghan.com/mana2026 for more info

19/12/2025

My final Hatha Yoga Class before Christmas…luckily it wasn’t a heated class or I would have melted! Thanks to everyone who shows up for these classes, such great energy every time!
Merry Christmas ❤️

09/12/2025

Sometimes you need big things to happen to appreciate the small things.

My Mam died in late October.

I listened to my brother, and went “home” to see her, not that we knew then that the time would be so short, or so precious.

Not being a natural carer, I was thrown in the deep end and it’s doubtful I would have been able to swim at all, if not for her quiet grace, strength and humour.

I can’t describe what that month meant to me, with its highs and lows, its laughter and tears, its challenges and successes.

Living day by day, fully present, is something I have struggled with all my life (I tend to live in the past or the future), and she embodied it effortlessly.

Coming home to NZ, I find myself grateful for the little things, seeing the bigger picture of life and death allows me to see the joy in the minutiae that is living.

Now, more than ever I am letting go of things that don’t light me up and reveling in things that do. Simple pleasures like listening to the birds, or playing with the puppy, or even just sitting looking at the view.

I am giving myself time to grieve and to live, being kind to myself and creating space to see what unfolds.

I am drawn to redefining my priorities, shedding people and things that haven’t resonated for some time, embracing flexibility and creativity.

I feel that Mam’s passing is allowing me to do this without guilt, I feel more vibrant and alive and look forward to more passion projects in both the design and yoga worlds next year.

Now, more than ever, I realize the importance of taking time to nurture myself—this insight inspired me to create my Pause. Rest. Renew. Retreat where you can also take time to reconnect with yourself and Nature.

This is your invitation to join me in March 2026 at Mana Retreat Centre for three days of yoga, breathwork, and soul-deep rest.
Step away from the detail to see the bigger picture and leave feeling grounded, balanced and renewed.

To reserve your spot or learn more about the Pause. Rest. Renew. Retreat, head to https://manaretreat.com/event/pause-rest-renew/ or message me direct.

27/10/2025

“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it” said Maya Angelou.
I am a work in progress on the first one, have nailed the second one and based on feedback and how I feel in my design or yoga work, am certainly on track with the third one.
Retreats are one of my fave things to create and run and the next one is at in March 2026.
Take some time for yourself and join me. X