NILAMANI
Nilamani is dedicated to teaching yoga for those seeking abundant health, personal wellbeing and all who wish to uplift their contribution to the wellbeing of others. Her caring nature, grounded playfulness and positivity allow her to bestow much energy and inspiration to many.
She has been practicing and teaching Yoga disciplines for 30yrs. Her Yoga training comes from Hatha Yoga Teachers Training 1, 2 & 3 with Ashram Yoga NZ from 2002 to 2009, Naam Yoga and Shakti Naam Yoga Teacher Training in California USA from 2009 till present. Nilamani has taught an array of classes and workshops in corporate settings, health conferences, Yoga dance celebrations, festivals and retreats in Auckland, Whangarei, Kerikeri, Hawkes Bay and Rotorua since 2002.
Nilamani met Dr Joseph Michael Levry, the founder of Naam in England in the 90’s. Through his unwavering love, support and profound teachings, so much joy, love, light and wellness has been brought into her life. After completing the Naam Yoga Teachers training in 2009 Nilamani continued teaching Naam throughout the North Island and guiding many inspired students to become teachers. With the growing number of students and teachers in New Zealand Nilamani and fellow Naam teacher Cindy Aikman decided to come together to form Naam Aotearoa New Zealand so as to better support the growth of these wonderful teachers and teachings in New Zealand. In Oct 2014 Naam Aotearoa New Zealand had the profound privilege of welcoming Dr Levry and his team to teach a very special Masters Class and Weekend Workshop that let many more experience the power of Naam.
Nilamani has worked in the Health Industry for the last 28 years in England and New Zealand, in both management and representing leading Health Companies. This work also informed her vast knowledge of health and wellness.
Nilamani now resides in her home town Rotorua where she runs a successful wholistic organic Air bnb, and her amazing array of classes and workshops – private, group, corporate. She is also teaching at Yoga Rotorua.
“I enjoy uplifting students through powerful breathing techniques (pranayama), movement (asana) and mantra (prayer/karakia). I have found when working with sound vibration it cuts through all illusions to bring self- healing, self-discovery and profound joy! ” @@SoulShineYoga with Nilamani
CINDY AIKMAN
Cindy is a warm, approachable holistic teacher, therapist, and practitioner with over 20 years of experience in dance, healing modalities, and client-centered care. Her journey began in small-town New Zealand with a passion for movement, which led her to study dance and perform in companies like AHIWAI & CURVE, as well as study Klein Technique in NYC and travel extensively in Circus Arts, Kundalini Yoga, Naam Yoga, and other healing arts.
Based in Auckland with an international reach, Cindy combines her diverse background to guide individuals through yoga, breathwork, somatic movement, sacred sound, and energy healing. Her approach emphasizes developing a healthy relationship with the body and nervous system—listening, moving, and breathing as pathways to self-discovery, confidence, and love.
Through classes, workshops, and retreats under her E L E V A T E umbrella, she fosters a safe, inspiring space for inner growth, emphasizing self-care, emotional balance, and authentic living. Her work encourages trusting your power, connecting deeply with nature, and embodying love in action. Cindy’s mission is to support you in expanding your capacity to love more fully, live authentically, and express your inner radiance.
CONTACT Cindy +64 (0) 27 247 2249 cindyaikman@gmail.com
ELLY GRACE NUMIA
I have been loving the business of empowering people to be really well, ( not just getting by with their health) for 35 years. To date, I’ve treated 26,000 clients in my clinic successfully, plus abundant patients in various hospital environments while nursing & being a naturopathic healer.
I am a high energy person, and I’m also a natural sponge for knowledge, so I’ve built a wealth of experience and skills in both orthodox and complementary medicine.
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20 years Nursing
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Naturopath & Medical Herbalist 25 years
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Kinesiologist- ICPKP & NIS
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Network Fitness leader Personal Trainer
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Adult Educator, coach & mentor.
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A large variety of Body-work modalities including Massage
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Naam & Kundalini Yoga Therapist & teacher & Shaman
My labrador-like passion for health and healing over most of my life, has manifested in me being a very busy & sought after natural health practitioner.
Though I’m generally based in Auckland, for those not living near me, I also offer Video clinics, with skype, messenger or whatsapp video platforms. I find out what’s going on this way working quickly with your energy field & my intuition.
EMILY SPENCE
Nursing in Australia and New Zealand for more than ten years in neurosurgical intensive care units has exposed Emily to high stress environments, heavy manual lifting and the grief of mental impairment and death on an almost daily basis. The practice of yoga has enabled Emily to find calmness, mindfulness and strength in incredible stressful situations. With an acute awareness of how yoga has helped her and an of how neuroscience is starting to validate the powerful effects of traditional yoga practices, she loves sharing the techniques she has developed with medical colleagues, patients, family and friends and yoga students.
Naam combines movement, postures, sound, breath work, mantras and meditation. Emily loves the fact that anyone can benefit from Naam yoga, you don’t have to be super skinny or flexible- just a willingness to try something new and have fun!
Yoga and Meditation Qualifications Yoga Training: 200h RYT Naam Yoga Therapies, 200h RYT Dip Yoga, Baby Bliss certified prenatal yoga teacher
One Yoga Therapy
DOROTHY WAETFORD
Anna loves Naam. She went to her first Naam class in 2011 in Auckland where Cindy and Nilamani were teaching and was moved to tears the whole way through and knew it was the yoga she needed in her life! She became one of teacher Nilamani Wright’s most loyal students and felt the call to do the Shakti Naam teachers training in Cabo, Mexico in 2016.
She now teaches community classes and has a regular class at Auckland’s beautiful yoga studio True Food and Yoga and feels blessed to be able to teach her students such a healing, joyful, heart opening yoga
ANNEMARIE YANNAGHAS
My name is Annemarie Yannaghas.
I am a proud mix of Greek and English descent and grew up in England before moving to NZ in 1995 having earlier fallen in love with the country and a Kiwi man!
I have a love for the outdoors, beautiful countryside and nature and New Zealand offered me a magical playground where I could pursue my love of sports, such as snow and water skiing, hiking, tennis, swimming and dancing.
Before leaving London, I worked in advertising and event management for 11 years which helped secure my first job in NZ being part of a small team creating and establishing the first Ellerslie Flower Show. From this I went on to set up my own event management company, Yannaghas Hall Ltd.
I have 3 daughters and when my second daughter was two the stress of my business, two small children and husband I became unwell and decided to stop working and focus on my family fulltime. In 2006, having recently separated and become a single mother I started a journey of self growth and healing which developed into a passion and love for health and wellbeing not only for myself, family and friends but for all those that are open to it.
I met my beloved husband Andy seven years ago and we married in Greece in August 2017. We have seven children between us ranging from 16-25 years old.
I am a firm believer that the body, mind and spirit can heal itself given the right environment.
While sport has always played an active part of my life, it was however the inner stillness that was missing. That is.…..”what we resist most is what we need most!” An introduction to a Naam Yoga class in 2009 was a great blessing for me. It was different from all other yoga disciplines that I had ever attended. “It was the feeling I felt during and after class of overwhelming calm, peace, support and love that kept drawing me back time and time again”.
It is true to say I am a different person 11 years on, I have found Freedom to be me. I feel great peace, calm, love and joy in my life and my greatest pleasure is to help others find their Freedom.
I am a Naam Yoga teacher and from personal experience I know that Naam has the capacity to heal not only our physical body but our emotional and spiritual body. I also use various modalities alongside Naam to maintain my own health and wellbeing and love to share those on the weekend retreats I run.
If I can help you on your journey of life, I’d love to hear from you. My phone number is +64 021 501 437 and email: annemarie@yannaghas.co.nz.
LEIGH MC INTYRE
Naam is my path up the mountain. It feels like home for me, nourishing my soul, uplifting my spirit and filling my heart with love and light.
From the first time I experienced a class with Nilamani, a decade ago, I have followed the teachings, instilling a daily personal practice, enjoying the wonderful Rootlight music, clarifying my life purpose.
Fueled with a desire to share the life affirming techniques of Naam, I completed the Evolve 2017 Teacher Training in Israel. I now share the health and wellbeing gifts of Naam in Thames, Coromandel, New Zealand, where I am based and at Antara Retreat (north of Auckland), run by Antara Association, a charitable trust I have been involved with for many years .
My deep gratitude for Dr, Joseph Michael Levry, for his sharing of this wonderful divine wisdom.
Leigh completed her Evolve experience to become a Naam Yoga Teacher in 2017 in Israel as a contingent of 5 New Zealanders attending that year. Leigh came to teaching Naam yoga over a period of 4 years after an introduction to Nilamani in Auckland in 2013 and a while later to Cindy who she reconnected again with in LA in 2016. When circumstances allowed her to plug into the headquarters in Santa Monica experiencing masterclasses and various teachings which helped her adjust to the fast paced city life. It was the daily mental transformation over 3 months that confirmed to Leigh she wanted to know more and immediately lead her to sign up for the Teacher Training which she now incorporates into her work on Super Yachts and residences around the world with private clients as well as in her osteopathic treatments and group classes.
SHIRALEE HALE
