This session will offer you everything that you may need from kawakawa in a sauna. This is an Aufguss fully dedicated to this taonga native plant. We will deconstruct the traditional Aufguss practice, we will go back to all parts of the plant that treat us with their oils, and follow the meditative process of connecting with our senses and our body. You will have your own sustainably sourced kawakawa to look after you in the sauna. I will guide you through the steps and help you to have the best mini kawakawa Aufguss.

Facilitator bio -
Alsu is originally from Saint Petersburg, Russia, ethnically Tatar, and culturally northern European. She spent her childhood and youth between Saint Petersburg, Tatarstan, and Finland. From early school years, she was passionate about plants and herbs, as well as the human body and mind. That evolved into various professional applications, from a PhD in cognitive linguistics to designing cultural tours in Russia that introduced visitors to Russian sauna and traditional cooking. In the last decade, Alsu has been living in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, raising her two children, and learning about the land, water, and plants of her new home. In her paid occupation, Alsu looks after the team of a research-tech startup. In addition, her various interests and passions led her to become a founder of the Kelburn Community Garden, study composition with the New Zealand School of Music, co-create an art act PostBabes, and offer kawakawa venik workshops with the Campfire Sauna on Kapiti coast.

The first 15 minutes will be a guided meditation that allows participants to explore their Awareness.

The second 15 minutes will be a guided meditation that allows participants to experience a 'no body state' and expand beyond their body's merging with the heat of the sauna.

Facilitator bio -
A former Clinical Nutritionist and founder of a well-known wellness brand, Ben Warren experienced a profound awakening in 2019 that changed the course of his life. Leaving behind the speed and striving of a corporate lifestyle, Ben was called into a quieter, more spacious way of living—one rooted not in doing, but in Being.

From this shift, the Centre for Beingness was born. Now living simply on the Mahia Peninsula in northern Hawke’s Bay, Ben continues to explore what it truly means to be. His days are shaped by presence, community, surfing, meditation, kirtan, and the pleasures of good coffee and nourishing food.

Ben’s work is an invitation to rest in the awareness behind all experience. He shares this through weekly online gatherings, retreats, and live events that are simple, spacious, and quietly transformative—held with warmth, humility, and a deep love for truth.

I am a sauna master with more than 10 years of experience and a two-time competitor in the Czech National Aufguss Championship. Thanks to sauna, I have traveled across Europe, learning from some of the best professionals in the field and completing a range of courses focused on different techniques and sauna rituals.

My ceremonies are a journey—through music, essential oils, and steam techniques, I create stories that transport guests into other worlds, awaken imagination and memories, and offer a gentle escape from reality. For me, sauna is not just about detox; it is a ritual that connects body and mind and creates a powerful shared experience. Every ceremony is an original story full of emotion, fragrance, and intense energy.

Looking forward to seeing you at the festival!

Facilitator bio -
My name is Daniela and I come from the Czech Republic. Sauna has always been close to my heart, but sauna ceremonies revealed to me its deeper, sacred dimension. Through the harmony of heat, scents, and music, I create a space where people can slow down, reconnect with their bodies, and feel the presence of nature.

I am inspired by ancient traditions and rituals rooted in shamanic and Viking sauna culture. To me, the sauna can become a sacred space for cleansing, inner awakening, and returning to one’s true self.

My intention is for people to leave with open hearts, a sense of deep peace, and a renewed connection to what truly matters in life.

Drop deep into a full body sensory experience. Come as you are, and leave feeling floaty with intentional breathwork, supportive meditation techniques and gentle guidance to ground and soothe. A sensory journey that invites you to think less and feel more. Supported with music that will move you deep so the layers of the mind can melt away. Think towel waving, essential oils, fan-work and a full body melt.

Facilitator bio -
Elese is all about cultivating a soothing space so you can mellow out. Known as the heat healer - her style is grounding, nurturing, and welcoming. With a background as a yoga facilitator she brings an inclusive, warm presence to her sessions with a big focus on nervous system regulation. She'll curate a space where you can drop into your body, with offers of gentle challenge to dive a little deeper.

The first session will be at a lower temp at approximately 75C with calming music and soothing essential oils. The second session will be hotter at approximately 85C with faster tempo music and more essential oils.

Facilitator bio -
Before launching my wellness business, Spartan Haus, I worked as an outdoor guide for many years. Leading white water rafting trips, mountain biking tours and sea kayak expeditions

Guided intense aufguss with a set intention and maybe a little humour.

Facilitator bio -
I currently run the Mount Sauna and have been honing in on the perfect technique and hope to bring the heat.

This 30-minute immersive experience is designed to regulate the nervous system using the power of contrast therapy.

Part 1 (15 min - Inside the Sauna): We begin with an aromatherapy-infused guided meditation. While the heat begins to work, I will lead the group through somatic self-massage techniques to release tension in the fascia and improve circulation.

The Transition: During the cool-down period, I will guide the group to the cold plunge, facilitating functional breathwork to help participants navigate the "cold shock" response with calm and control.

Part 2 (15 min - Return to Sauna): We return to the heat for a final integration, focusing on deep stillness and the euphoric "sauna glow," leaving participants feeling grounded and revitalised.

Facilitator bio -
'Well with Justine' is a somatic facilitator and wellness practitioner dedicated to the art of deep relaxation and contrast therapy. With a background in healing therapy, I specialise in creating "micro-retreat" experiences that combine mindfulness with the physical power of the sauna. I am known for a calm, grounded facilitation style that helps participants feel safe while exploring the edges of heat and cold.

Utilising the natural rhythm of the Aufguss to deepen body awareness, soften the nervous system, and invite genuine healing and restoration, Kate will lead an imaginative exploration of the chakras.

Drawing on Yoga Nidra and polyvagal-informed breathwork, each round is accompanied by a carefully chosen essential oil intended to complement the chakra healing journey.

From the place of the intuitive third eye, we will intentionally open our heart centre, then move down through the body centre, opening the root chakra, our place of safety and connection, the sacral chakra, home to creativity and sensuality, and the solar plexus chakra, where transformation and our inner fire reside.

The session is particularly well-suited to those experiencing chronic pain or injury, CPTSD, perimenopause, or anyone simply in need of deep nervous system restoration. No prior experience with meditation, breath or bodywork is needed.

Arrive. Breathe. Let the heat and your heart do the rest.

Facilitator bio -
Dr. Kate is a Nelson-based yoga teacher, meditation guide and somatic practitioner currently completing counselling training. She holds a PhD in biomedical research and has spent over three decades exploring and researching the complementary space between ancient holistic practices and modern health sciences.

Kate’s yoga journey began in Christchurch in the 1990s with the Iyengar tradition, and continued across Aotearoa, the UK, Australia and India, where she completed her Yoga Synergy teacher training with Simon Borg-Olivier in 2017.

Kate’s current focus is the restorative intersection of Yoga Nidra, chakra awareness, somatic experiencing, polyvagal theory and internal family systems therapy. Much of her work has been shaped by her own lived experience of healing from CPTSD, chronic pain and perimenopause through somatic practices, hot and cold water therapy, and restorative breathwork.

Kate has led yoga, meditations and guided visualisations at festivals and retreats across Aotearoa, and is well versed in the use of essential oils within somatic and energetic practice. Kate brings both scientific grounding and compassionate trauma-informed awareness to everything she facilitates.

This is a very hot sauna with plenty of steam. We’ll have a medley of wood based and herbal scents, which will ground you and give mental clarity. As a group we’ll try to push into the endorphin zone for an extra couple of minutes of heat before taking earned breaks. Duration is personal, you can break as needed, but we will safely push your limits.

Facilitator bio -
Malcom’s a sauna-meister and co-owner of Campfire Sauna in Paekakariki. He creates spaces that invite connection, reflection and spontaneous joy. Always curious and cheeky, Malcolm loves art of creating individual but communal experiences and spreading the sauna love Campfire style.

The Legend of Mauao - Immerse yourself in the rich history of Aotearoa and uncover the enthralling legend of Mauao. This ancient Māori story weaves a moving tale of heartbreak, love, and resilience, serving as a powerful symbol of mental health awareness and a testament to the enduring spirit of a living ancestor.

Facilitator bio -

A Blue Lotus guided sauna experience designed to support deep relaxation and presence. The session includes sipping Blue Lotus tea, inhaling the essence of Blue Lotus, enjoying Euphoria with guided meditation and mantra chanting to connect deeply to our breath and our centre. Supported by sound vibrations of drums, singing bowls and voice to calm the nervous system, elevate mood, and raise your vibration.

Facilitator bios -
Nila & Matthew are the founders of Kiss The Earth and deeply connected to the Blue Lotus flower.

Nila is a Yoga Nidra instructor & Blue Lotus ceremony facilitator. Her work integrates ancient traditions & plant medicines, bridging mysticism & modern neuroscience, to reach deep into the realms of the subconscious mind and bring us closer to our true nature.

Matthew is a resonant designer. He supports the session through sound vibrations, drumming, singing, and mantra chanting, using rhythm and voice to guide participants into deeper states of relaxation, connection, and energetic alignment.

Ra's Aufguss is gently primed through mindful guidance, inviting the mind and body to slow down before the heat rises. Ra leads each session with calm cues for breath, posture, and attention, helping you soften tension and settle your nervous system so the warmth can be received — not resisted.

As natural aromas are released and the heat is shared through flowing towel work, you’re guided to let go, trusting the process and your own limits. The experience is steady and grounded — creating space to relax into the heat, rather than push against it.

Guests often describe leaving feeling calm, open and unexpectedly light.

Facilitator bio -
Raised in Colville on the Coromandel, within, and surrounded by, "communes" and community living. Sauna has allowed me to grow a beautiful social and healing space for the Tairua / Pauanui area.

I’m a primary school teacher by trade, and for the past year and a half have also operated our sauna; creating spaces for people to slow down and connect.

I love how the sauna encourages vital human connections: quiet moments; self, good chats; others, and being outdoors; nature. No two sessions are the same!

At home, life is full with my amazing wife Vanessa and our legendary two boys, Xavier and Bodhi (7 and 9yo). I'm so looking forward to sharing my many years of meditation experience, taking you on an inner journey within the 2026 NZ Aufguss Championships!

Starting with a calm arrival into the sauna, brief description of the session - music, scents and fanning (towel and fan). Some grounding words, sprinkled with some breathwork. Finish with a little bit more upbeat tune to give everyone good energies for the rest of the festival.

Facilitator bio -
Hi I'm Simon from Melbourne. Lived in Copenhagen for 3.5 years where I fell in love with saunagus. Upon returning back home to Melbourne, my partner and I started our own sauna - Sauna Goose.