OUR TEACHERS
ROBYN HITCHBORN
FOUNDER
PILATES & YOGA NIDRA TEACHER
I didn’t discover the true magic and beauty of movement and meditation until I was in my mid-twenties. These things were never an important aspect in my home growing up and as a result, I know first hand the significance of passing on healthy lifestyle choices to our next generation and the consequences to our physical and mental health when these healthy lifestyle habits are absent.
As an adult, I love being active but this wasn’t always the case. I hated team sport at school because I wasn’t ‘sporty’ and I had the sense that I just disappointed my ballet teacher with having too much bum and boobs and not enough grace and coordination. This insidious culture is also present in the Pilates and Yoga industry where a lot of time is wasted standing in so-called ‘perfect posture’ and not enough time spent just moving, flowing, and building strength.
After my twins were born I was 25 and felt about 95, pregnancy and labour and lugging a couple of babies around on an already weak frame had taken its toll, this is when I discovered Pilates and Yoga. A commitment to a regular practice saw purpose, power and strength restored and for the first time in my life I started to feel truly tuned in to my own physical and mental potential.
Since studying to become a Pilates instructor, I have seen countless benefits for so many different populations including increased strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, mental wellbeing and resilience, injury recovery and pain reduction.
In 2014 I studied with Studio Pilates in Australia and in 2017 Polestar Pilates in New Zealand. I established Love & Core in September 2016 in Martinborough. I completed my Advanced Reformer training with Peak Pilates in 2018 and enjoy working one on one with individuals on this versatile piece of equipment. Recently I’ve completed a Yoga Nidra and Restorative Yoga teacher training and am looking forward to sharing this soothing and restful practice with the community, particularly to counter the effects of stress.
Aside from my enduring love of Pilates and Yoga I am passionate about running trails, time with my family, eating well, time in nature, connecting with the people that bring me joy- as well as dancing around the living room with far too much enthusiasm to a good tune.
ELLY OTTY
YOGA TEACHER
Yoga has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember but I first attended classes in 1992 practicing Iyengar Yoga. I loved how these classes made me feel and immediately enjoyed the benefits of feeling more relaxed and confident. In 1997 I attended my first Astanga Vinyasa yoga class and it felt like coming home. I fell in love with this beautiful traditional practice and continue to discover new depths and subtitles to this practice even after more than 20 years. I have been lucky to be taught by some wonderful teachers over the years and have traveled to Mysore, India to practice with Sharath Jois and Saraswathi Rangaswamy.
In 2003 I attended a teacher training course with David Swenson in Dublin and later, after moving to New Zealand in 2006, I completed a six-month teacher training with Mike Berghan at Te Aro Astanga Yoga in Wellington.
I find teaching fun and inspiring. I love passing on this beautiful practice and seeing the many positive effects it has on people’s lives as they develop and commit to a regular practice of yoga.
HELEN HICKSON
YOGA TEACHER
REGISTERED WITH YOGA ALLIANCE
I started practicing yoga in 2005, while working as a massage & neuromuscular therapist. This background has informed my yoga practice and I can employ the anatomy and physiology knowledge to yoga. I have continued to practice yoga over the years and I enjoy the challenge it sets me mentally and physically.
While a stay-at-home mum I started doing a little yoga with my children, which inspired me to train as a children's yoga teacher. I am certified with Rainbow Kids Yoga, Cosmic Kids Yoga and I completed a training programme in Yoga for Schools with Seedling Yoga. In May 2019 I completed a 200 hour Hatha Vinyasa teacher training with Nico Luce Yoga and I began to teach adults.
I'm very interested in how yoga affects mental health, and how beneficial it is for children and adults alike. Taking time to slow and lengthen your breath is so simple but so effective in reducing stress and anxiety. Yoga connects breath, body and mind and allows you to be present in the moment. Connecting breath to movement has huge benefits for health, including better circulation, increased flexibility & strength, lowered blood pressure & improved energy and vitality. My goal is for students to realise their potential physically & emotionally. I enjoy helping a student explore an asana and understand how it can feel and evolve in their body. However alignment and physicality is not all yoga is. Yoga leads us to find an inner spark, some stillness and peace beyond the physical journey. Yoga is an exploration of our true selves.
There is so much to learn about this ancient practice and I have so much gratitude for its presence in my life and being able to share my knowledge of it with others.
CATH DE GROOT
YOGA TEACHER
Cath has been teaching yoga at Love and Core in Martinborough for the past two years. She believes that yoga is for everyone, and would love to see yoga grow to include a much more diverse group of practitioners both able-bodied and disabled, of all body shapes and sizes and all ages.
This inclusive vision translates into a safe, non-judgmental approach to teaching. All of Cath’s classes focus on breath to facilitate the development of physical wellness and mindful inquiry.
Cath invites students to investigate how their practice can bring them back to what is real and what is true both on and off the mat. Her hope is that through yoga students will experience continued growth, heightened self-awareness, and gratitude for life.
Cath is a Yoga Alliance Certified teacher. She has completed a 100-hour YTT specializing in YIN yoga with Shanti Atma Yoga in Queenstown and a 200-hour YTT with Awhi Yoga in Wellington through the lens of the four walls of Hauora (wellbeing in Te Ao Maori world view). Cath is currently studying toward a 300-hour Advanced Teacher Training with a focus on Tantrik Hatha and Pranayama.
ODETTE ROWE
YOGA TEACHER
Odette Rowe is a Kundalini, perinatal and children’s yoga teacher and a qualified homeopath. She has taught yoga in the UK, Australia and New Zealand for the past 19 years.
She has not the slightest interest in tricky poses in spandex and is instead passionate about people discovering enjoyment and ease as they move their body without pain or anxiety. She aims to help all to cherish themselves, just as they are so they can be healthy, happy and live out their life purpose.
She encourages people to see that all their actions and interactions with others has a ripple effect. Changing the world ultimately starts with the dialogue you have with yourself on a daily basis and this quiet revolution starts on your meditation cushion.
Odette runs classes, workshops and gatherings in topics varying from pelvic health, sleep therapy, learning how to breathe fully, women's hormonal heath, and wild wonder wanders.
CARA BROSNAHAN
YOGA TEACHER
Cara moved to Martinborough from Wellington about 2 years ago.
She has been practicing yoga for over 10 years, initially drawn to the powerful vinyasa practice for strength and flexibility to complement running.
For the last 6 years, she has grown to love the slower practice of yin. Her curiosity led her to do her teacher training with Gabrielle Harris last year. She loves the grounding, nourishing mindful nature of yin and it allows her to find some stillness and reflection for her busy mind.
ADRI SHAW
YOGA TEACHER
My interest with yoga began at age 18 after getting a book from the library about Ashtanga yoga.
Whilst at university I practiced twice weekly with my teacher Tri Yuga from the Harikrishna centre in Wellington until unfortunately, he moved away. He introduced the foundations of yoga alignment, connecting breath to movement and the benefit of meditation. I then bounced around trying all sorts of different styles of yoga and yoga studios in Wellington which ended in my taking a break from yoga for a few years as I struggled with mental and physical illnesses.
Fortunately, I got back to regular practice when I met my next teacher, Bridgette. We practiced in the old band rotunda in Wellington and later in her apartment lounge. Bridgette was trained in India and she supported me to challenge my beliefs about what my body and mind could and could not do. I kept practicing with her until I moved to Martinborough in 2013.
I stopped practicing yoga for quite a while and had a really hard time getting back into it after I had my son in 2015. I had two major surgeries on my feet due to a mechanical orthopedic fault and couldn’t walk for 2 months. The recovery between surgeries was lengthy and hard work. I struggled with walking, balancing and my knees and joints were always hurting. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I was in constant, physical and mental, pain and discomfort.
After 2020's lockdown I realised I needed to reassess my approach to my physical and mental wellbeing. I had been flirting with the idea of training as a yoga instructor and spoke to our lovely friend and teacher Elly Ottie to ask her opinion. She suggested that I understand my own practice and process before embarking on a journey of teaching others. So, from the start of 2021 I started yoga from scratch.
I undertook yoga with Lesley Fightmaster and did a 90 day yoga program. Just exploring yoga again as if for the first time. I continued to practice and try out different styles like Hatha and Yin Yoga for the rest of the year but found myself continually drawn to the simplicity and clarity of Ashtanga yoga. I practiced yoga for 355 days that first year and 340 days the following year. I also started practicing with Elly every other week on Sundays and kept up my practice and self study ever since then.
My yoga philosophy at its core is practicing Abhyasa and Vairagya (perseverance and detachment) which I try to carry out in my daily life as well as my asana practice. Trying my best but letting go of the results. Results will come but by letting go of my expectations of my rate of progress or improvement allows for me to be present and just observe myself as I am today. As I struggle with complex trauma and all the challenges that come with that, practicing yoga regularly helps me focus on my breathing and my body without judgement or disappointment. The more I practice the deeper I can reflect on my healing journey.
ASHLEE CUNEEN
PILATES TEACHER
Hi I'm Ashlee, a Personal Trainer that’s on a mission to support people to build strong bodies and healthy lives. I believe in demystifying strength training and using a wide range of simple yet powerful exercises to increase strength and mobility, particularly as we age. I work with you, either at your home, local park or from the Love & Core Studio in Martinborough as we journey together towards your physical health goals. You don’t have to do it alone, I will walk with you every step of the way.
My passion for exercise started many years ago (after my school days spent competing for last place in the cross countryand feigning sickness in PE classes) when I became fascinated with learning what the body is capable of and the mind-blowing idea that with a bit of training, in 3-4 weeks’ time our bodies will be able to do what they can’t right now. Through my own practice and research, I discovered how exercise can be used as a tool to increase strength, reduce fragility, and ultimately increase quality of life.
Since then, I have spent the majority of my career working in the education sector and can attest to the positive impact that exercise can have on our mental health too - from increased energy and mood to providing a sense of balance and wellbeing.
After the years in a sedentary job caught up with me, I decided to finally take the leap and follow my passion by completing a personal training qualification so that I can work with people to help them achieve their goals.
I am also super excited to be undertaking comprehensive Pilates training with Breathe education who are leading the way with their evidence-based training courses. I’m delighted to be working with the team at Love & Core, and to be able to offer targeted one-on-one personal training sessions where we develop a plan and work towards your specific strength and mobility goals. Alternatively, if you would prefer to bring a friend/small group to share the fun with, then we can do that too.