Workshops
See our past workshops galleries below…
7 April 2026 : Metta Breathwork Workshop : Janesh Vaidya + Malin Barrling
It was with great excitement and curiosity that we welcomed Janesh Vaidya from Kerala, India, and Malin Barrling from Sweden, to The Yoga Gem to take us for a workshop that was not yoga asana or pranayama based. Instead we got to experience a heart-centred, Ayurvedically rooted breathwork experience that felt both profound and accessible.
Janesh Vaidya’s family have an Ayurveda Clinic in Kerala, India and Janesh has written several books on the subject with metta breathwork part of his work.
In the 2.5 hours we got to understand a little more about the ancient Ayurvedic life forces - Vata (air), Pitta (fire), Kapha (earth) as well as which of these life forces/doshas we were and then integrating that learning with conscious breathing tailored to our own doshas. It was heartfelt, compassionate and well received.
27 – 28 March 2026 : Jo Peden (L3)
What a fabulous, fun, explorative workshop was had at The Yoga Gem with Jo (here for the 2nd time) over the last weekend of March. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the studio’s 5th year in the Wairarapa.
Jo teaches with clarity, direction, dynamism, humour and copious amounts of energy. Students could really engage in the practice and find their optimal point without being pressed to go beyond what was in the tank that day – exploring balance, alignment and awareness!
Jo covered extensive hip work on Friday evening and then on Saturday prepared them with many asanas to open the chest and legs working sequentially towards more demanding backbend asanas finishing with Natarjasana (Dancers Pose) as the peak pose done several ways…….a good savasana was required after that!
We shared a lovely communal lunch and a very sociable break before going back to our mats for some inversion practice followed by hand balancing asanas – Bakasana (Crow pose) and Tittibasana (Firefly pose) with some reaching the final asana and some enjoying the journey with support of the props.
A great investment for the students – time to really deepen the practice in a more relaxed way and as BKS Iyengar said “Through disciplined practice, the body becomes steady, the breath becomes quiet, and the mind learns to observe with clarity.”
11 – 12 April 2025 – Melodie Batchelor
We welcomed Senior Iyengar Teacher Melodie Batchelor back to the studio in April 2025 (she opened our very first Workshop in March 2023). Melodie was thrilled to be back with us and to see the progress of both the students and studio.
Melodie had spent December 2024 at the Institute in Pune, India so came with fresh teachings and approaches from the source itself.
We had a Friday evening 2 hour session and then on Saturday two sessions with a shared lunch between the sessions.
Melodie praised the conscientious approach of all students, the discipline and the willingness to do, to penetrate and explore. Workshops are invaluable as they are more relaxed than a structured class and there is time to “pull the asanas apart” and re-work them in various ways to teach different approaches to get to the final asana. Partner work was included and this always brings a lightness and some fun but also incredible learning as students appreciate how others work in poses, possible limitations and how to work with them and share.
22 – 23 March 2024 – Michelle Robinson (L3)
It was a joy to welcome Michelle to The Yoga Gem for our 3 rd workshop. Michelle has been practicing yoga since the 1990’s and began teaching back in 2002. She has been to RIMYI (Iyengar Institute in Pune) three times…..such a bonus for us to have that wisdom and teaching.
Our workshop included a Friday evening practice from 6-8pm. This was hugely popular and the room full. Michelle taught Forward Bends and Twists for the evening session with great patience, clarity and humour. It certainly left us all looking forward to Saturday.
On Saturday morning Michelle worked our hips rigorously ensuring we all understood the different concepts she was teaching. We ended the morning with a bit of hilarity, frustration, determination and grit trying out some hand balancing poses. We were all more than ready for lunch after that!
Saturday afternoon was a beautiful restorative and pranayama session.
Workshops certainly give one the opportunity to deepen ones practice and spend longer on asanas, dissecting them and trialling different ways of practicing them.
14 October 2023 – Jo Peden
14 October 2023 saw The Yoga Gem welcoming Jo Peden (L3) to teach our 2nd full day Workshop. It was a great day with a wonderful energy in the room. Jo’s teaching was clear, concise and dynamic delivered with a good serving of humour keeping the students attentive and fully engaged.
The focus of the morning was the Upper Back (and arm extensions). Jo took the students through various asanas to open and awaken the body and then into the baby backbends with variations for each using either the elasticated strap or blocks or bolster or a mix of props culminating in urdhva dhanurasana (repeated a few times), after which students were more than ready for a much needed and deserved savasana.
We all enjoyed a shared lunch and some fun social time. In the afternoon session Jo did a series of preparatory asanas for Inversion work as well as actually including Sirsasana (for those who could) and Sarvangasana with variations (and alternatives for both) and pranayama.
Workshops are indeed invaluable to help deepen and strengthen ones practice.
4 March 2023 — Melodie Batchelor
Our first workshop was held at The Yoga Gem. Melodie Batchelor, Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher came down from Auckland to teach. The morning session 9:30am – 12 noon was Asana and towards the end Pranayama and after lunch, from 1:30pm - 4pm Melodie covered yoga for ankle, knee, hip, back, neck problems and finished with a restorative sequence.
