Bendy Buddha - Hyrox Coaching, Acupuncture & Mental Health

21/08/2025

Hi all, some of you may know that I've thrown myself headfirst into the sport of Hyrox. I started coaching athletes and competing in this sport last year and NZ had its first ever race in February. It's been an amazing journey so far and at the Sydney race earlier this year, ma and my race buddy Becs managed to qualify to represent NZ at the world champs in 2026! We are running a fundraiser to help get us there so if you can make the movie night it would be great to have your support. There is also an epic raffle running...all the details are here, but get in touch if you have any questions. Very excited and proud to have this opportunity!
https://events.humanitix.com/hyrox-world-champs-fundraiser-good-fortune?fbclid=IwY2xjawMTZt1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFhWXpiZGo3b1RPQXdwVk5NAR4Vv4k3QX9OQdpyoZa7f2zpCaw_diD4SLHByHC6dk5MJJobyCF9zfi0PbLFmA_aem_JofRui6AirbTsTLjteBncA

🎬 Movie night fundraiser! Help us get to Hyrox Worlds 🌍💪 Watch Good Fortune 🍿 and win epic raffle prizes 🎟️🎁

07/08/2025

Three big days at Red Bull Coaches Camp wrapped up. Trained hard, learned heaps, and I got to meet some seriously inspiring people.
Also pulled an 800kg F1 car…

I’m heading home feeling really lucky — not just for the experience, but for the chance to bring all of this back to the NZ and the people i am lucky enough to coach. . Mums, first-timers, athletes of all levels and ages — anyone who wants to give Hyrox a go and see what they’re capable of.

The long flight back to Aotearoa will give me time to think about where I want to go from here.
Feeling tired, grateful, and excited for what comes next. Thanks 🙏

26/07/2025

As you guys have heard, after a massive year of early mornings, brutal training, and epic teamwork, Me and .maresca are proud to say we’ve qualified to represent Aotearoa at the Hyrox World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden next year!
We’re absolutely stoked for the opportunity—but racing internationally isn’t cheap. To help make this dream a reality, we’re running a few fundraising initiatives. If you’re keen to support, we’d be very grateful 💛
Here’s how you can help:
✅ Donate here: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/help-get-kate-and-becs-to-hyrox-worlds
✅ Sponsor or donate a raffle prize – Awesome exposure for your biz! Just get in touch if you have any ideas.
✨ Coming soon:
✅ Raffle & movie night tickets up for grabs
✅ Shop Salt & Oil in November – Use our code and we’ll earn up to 35%
We’re so thankful for every bit of support so far—whether it’s donations, kind words, or just cheering us on from afar. Feeling very supported by our communities.
Thanks for helping us chase this epic goal. Let’s get to Sweden 🇳🇿💪

17/07/2025

HYROX World Champs, here we come!

At almost 49, being able to represent country in sport on the international stage feels utterly surreal. If you’d known me in my late teens, you’d be laughing — my mum definitely is (she’s nodding along as we speak!).

It might sound cliché, but Hyrox has genuinely taken my life down a whole new path. It reignited confidence in myself and delivered the purest joy as I coached and watched others crush goals they never thought possible.

This journey is now taking me across the globe — soon to be heading to coaches training at the Red Bull Athletic Performance Centre in the UK, and then off to Sweden next year to compete. ...Again...surreal!

I wouldn’t be here without my powerhouse race partner, the legend that is .maresca . She puts up with plenty (😂), but she always shows up and smashes it. I feel incredibly lucky to have found such a fierce friendship along the way.
To my gym whānau at and , thank you for being my hype crew, training squad, and unwavering communities. And to my friends and family who’ve survived endless Hyrox rants — often bemused (aka bored!) but always supportive — I appreciate you more than words can say.
Let’s do this! 🙌 👉

06/07/2025

HYROX Sydney ✅
Still buzzing after an epic day of racing — 8 workouts, 8 runs, and a whole lot of grit.

🥈 2nd in age group
🎯 Qualified for World Champs
👯‍♀️ Powered through with the absolute legend .maresca — couldn’t have asked for a better race partner!

Massive thanks to my training crew at and — you pushed me to show up, dig deep, and back myself.

Next stop: Stockholm 🇸🇪
Let’s go 💥

19/05/2025

Recovery is not optional.
I’m big on walking the dogs on the bush, mobility, sleep, and checking in with my nervous system.
It’s not soft—it’s smart.
If you want to train like an athlete, you’ve got to recover like one.

26/04/2025

Such a wonderful weekend spending time with a bunch of very very special people 😍

05/01/2025

After a great break away with my family to recharge I am back in clinic today. Looking forward to seeing you all again this year to offer support and treatment to make sure 2025 is awesome 🤩

15/11/2024

Hi everyone. I am currently booked out until next year but bookings for 2025 are open and available from January the 6th. I can also add you to my cancellation list, just dm me.

12/11/2024

Great to see studies like this come out. With Chinese medicine now being a regulated profession it would be great to see the utilisation of this workforce in places that could really benefit.

A randomized, controlled clinical trial conducted in the Duke University Hospital emergency department shows that providing acupuncture to treat acute musculoskeletal pain in addition to usual care is feasible even in this busy setting, and can reduce pain better than usual care alone.

24/09/2024

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and it's an subject close to my heart. I Chair the AMH (Acupuncture for mental health team) in Wellington. We are a team of Wellington based acupuncturists with a special clinical interest in mental health. AMH team members have completed the Blueprint MH101® training and have access to professional peer supervision and support to ensure safe practice within their scope of practice.

Acupuncture can be a useful tool for managing stress and improving mental health by helping to regulate cortisol, which is the body’s primary stress hormone. It does this by helping to regulate the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, reducing excessive cortisol production. This brings the body out of the "fight-or-flight" mode (sympathetic nervous system) and into the much more awesome "rest and digest" mode (parasympathetic nervous system) promoting relaxation and calming the nervous system. Acupuncture can help to lower cortisol levels, reducing stress, anxiety, and inflammation, while improving a sense of well-being.

11/09/2024

My first delivery of spring flowers! Thank you they are simply beautiful