STAR ZONE

— SAUNA FEST 26 MAIN SPEAKER —

In this workshop Ben Warren takes the participants on a journey into the deeper depths of Awareness, setting out the path to experience more peace, love and joy in one's life and surroundings.

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.

— SAUNA FEST 26 MAIN SPEAKER —

** INFO TO ADD…

Muka Wānanga: Threads of Wellbeing is a transformative workshop led by contemporary Māori artist, orator and healer Arapeta Hākura and Ziggy Raven. Participants will connect with the language of the woven Universe through the hands-on processing of Muka Harakeke (flax fibre), where indigenous epistemologies of health and wellbeing emerge naturally through practice.

In this Wānanga, each participant will learn traditional skills of extracting muka to create sacred cordage. The workshop honors ancestral knowledge while fostering personal connection to Māori healing traditions. Participants are encouraged to bring a taonga (treasured object with a small hole) to be adorned with their handcrafted muka, creating a meaningful keepsake that embodies the workshop’s teachings.

Through this intimate engagement with traditional materials and methods, participants will discover how the physical act of creation becomes a pathway to deeper understanding of wellbeing and connection to the natural world.

We’ll begin with a short meditation and gentle warm-up to help you arrive fully into the space. From there, you’ll be guided on a dance journey through the chakras — starting at the base and moving all the way to the crown. Each set of music is tuned to the frequencies of the chakras, supporting release, balance, and deeper connection.

The soundscape has been lovingly curated in collaboration with Mohua’s (Golden Bay) own DJ Aquapoodle — a delicious blend infused with the spirit of Aotearoa. This experience can help you release blockages, notice areas of stagnation, and leave you feeling rejuvenated with a clear energetic channel and aura.

No dance experience needed. Just bring your curiosity, a water bottle, and clothes you can move in.

Come as you are — leave feeling grounded, uplifted, and renewed.

A yoga session that will strengthen your connection to Terra (our mother Earth, Papatuānuku) and Soma (your body, Tinana) through a carefully curated flow of shapes (yoga asana) and breath. Meditation in motion, you will be mindfully guided to follow your breath as you move through a simple yet profound series of yoga shapes designed to awaken the energy flow through your body in connection to the environment around you - the ground, the trees, the sky. No previous experience required.

Flow & Glow is a hands-on wellness workshop that teaches participants the art of self-lymphatic drainage massage and cupping therapy to support detoxification, skin vitality, and energetic renewal.

As the founder of Sundari Rituals Holistic Soul Spa, this is one of my most popular treatments — and a personal practice I integrate into my own sauna rituals. Whether performed inside the sauna or as a pre-sauna ritual, this sequence combines cupping, oils, herbal mists, and intentional movement to flush the lymphatic system, tone the fascia, and restore the body’s natural rhythm of flow. This offering was inspired by my own sauna sessions at East End Beach, where I often bring my tools — and people always ask to join. Sharing this as a workshop felt like a natural next step.

During Flow & Glow, participants will learn:

-The benefits of lymphatic massage for detoxification, hormonal balance, and immune health.
-Safe and effective cupping techniques for both the face and body.
-How to relieve stagnation, puffiness, and fascial tension through gentle glide and breath work.
-Somatic breath and movement patterns drawn from Chinese longevity practices to enhance circulation and energetic flow

Flow & Glow complements the sauna experience perfectly — amplifying detoxification, deep relaxation, and the luminous post-sauna glow.

This presentation/workshop provides detailed step-by-step guidance on how to discover your personal core values and to use personal values in meaningful ways. Always make the BEST decision by aligning with your core values. Learn how to uncover what brings you true happiness. When you know what you value, you can live in accord with those values. This leads to fulfillment. When you don’t know what your truest values are; you can, and often do, violate them daily. This creates internal tension. And this tension triggers destructive habits and regressive behaviour. Values aren’t selected; they’re discovered. We don’t choose our values. Our core values highlight what we stand for. Values guide our behaviours, decisions, and actions.

Step into Sonic Flow with Joanna Walden and Liam Dyson — a transformational practice we call the Double Gong Experience: the potent fusion of Qigong and the 40" Atlantis Gong — the only one of its kind in Aotearoa. Movement and vibration become one.

Guided by Liam, we begin with flowing Qigong sequences that open the body, activate energy pathways, and root awareness into the present moment. At the same time, Joanna plays the Atlantis Gong — powerful waves of sound resonating through every cell. This simultaneous immersion is unlike any other practice: the rhythm of movement entrains with the sound current, creating a dynamic field where qi flows more freely and deeply through the body.

From here, we descend into the pure Gong Journey. The body, primed through Qigong Gong, becomes an open channel for resonance. Joanna weaves in her Heart Technology — a channeled practice of frequency and conscious awareness — to amplify the effect of the practice and guide participants into a deeper state of transformation. This heart-centered activation expands the field, dissolves old energetic imprints, and opens the way to profound alignment.

The result is a full-system reset. Movement, vibration, and conscious awareness combine to dissolve tension, release stagnant energy, and recalibrate body, mind, and spirit. The Atlantis Gong’s resonance penetrates beyond the physical, shifting brainwave states, calming the nervous system, and awakening expanded awareness — while Qigong grounds and integrates the experience into the body.

Sound has the power to shift our state, regulate the nervous system, and influence our emotions, yet few of us understand why it affects us so deeply. In this workshop, Dr Kiri dives into the neuroscience of sound, vibration, and resonance, revealing how different frequencies and rhythms interact with the brain and body.

Through live demos and immersive listening experiences, attendees will feel how music and sound can boost focus, energy, and relaxation offering practical, festival-ready tools to reset, energize, or ground yourself anytime during the weekend.

Blending modern science with experiential learning, this workshop makes complex concepts accessible, interactive, and easy to bring into daily life. By the end, attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of how sound shapes the nervous system and practical ways to weave this awareness into their festival journey and personal wellness. Dr Kiri explores the science behind how sound influences the brain and body, combining insights from neuroscience with the experiential effects of vibration and resonance. Attendees will gain practical tools to enhance mood, focus, and well being throughout the festival. The workshop will likely be co-facilitated with sound practitioner Karin Hengeveld, who will guide the immersive sound experience.

An interactive and balanced somatic workshop designed to awaken connection through breath, hum, shaking, and shared play. This experience guides participants through waves of high-vibrant energy into slow, grounded presence, creating space for both expression and integration.

Drawing on principles of neurology such as proprioception, interoception, and somatic awareness, this workshop invites attendees to explore the dance between inward and outward energy. Through guided movement, sound, and mindful practices, participants are supported to reconnect with their bodies, regulate their nervous systems, and soften into a deeper sense of belonging.

The intention is simple yet profound: to create a space where people feel more connected — to themselves, to others, and to the world around them.

Explore the power of microdosing mushrooms. Discover the history and science behind psilocybin, learn how low doses can impact health and wellness, and receive personalised guidance through a Q&A session.

Raquel Minh is a Trauma-informed Plant Medicine guide passionate about educating on psychoactive mushrooms through a harm reduction perspective. She shares ancient and indigenous practices to honor our connection with our ancestors alongside somatic practices to create more resilient nervous systems.

A gathering at sauna fest to come home to the womb space, through somatic sacral-centered yin yoga, womb meditation, guided self-womb massage and sacral sound journey.

For those who feel called to rest deeply, and reconnect with their creative essence—whether they have a physical or energetic womb—all welcome in the space.

From the food forest jungles of Northland, Billy Wowden brings a mix of the latin house and afro music he loves to play with!

Carl o Yāng, is an alternative indie artist hailing from the small town of Blenheim, in the picturesque South
Island of New Zealand.

Carl’s music is a sanctuary of reflection and invokes a sense of presence and stillness in the listener.

Carl’s mission is to help encourage positive change and spiritual growth through his songs. His voice and
musical performances have the ability to bring a sense of present awareness to the listener and his songs speak straight to the soul.

His live performances are an enchanting experience due to his relaxed humor on stage, balanced exquisitely with emotional and heartfelt music and vocals.
Carl performs and sings with his soul and brings a fresh new perspective to the world of contemporary music.

With a passion for sonic & somatic alchemy, DJ Cym∆tics rooted in Ecstatic Dance culture brings his years of experience mixing the latest global bass and transformational medicine music into deep, playful and intention rich, low end sonic soundscapes.

Based in the coastal rhythms of Mt Maunganui, REBEL HEART is a sonic storyteller who understands that the dancefloor is a space for both movement and medicine. Having trained in the art of Ecstatic Dance DJing two years ago, she brings a unique intentionality to her craft—weaving sets that are as much a journey for the soul as they are for the body.

REBEL HEART holds a deep passion for the full spectrum of Drum and Bass, masterfully using melody and lyricism to inject depth and emotion into every transition. She crafts a seamless journey through soulful liquid, layering elegant, uplifting melodies over a foundation of deep, rhythmic grooves.

It’s an immersive soundscape designed to get you moving, punctuated by raw, grunty bass undertones that vibrate straight through to your bones. From the first beat to the final drop, REBEL HEART invites you to lose yourself in the music and find yourself in the flow.

An uplifting musical journey through organic/melodic house. Expect a blend of lush, transportive synths, intricate melodic beats, and positive, emotional energy, all expertly crafted to take the listener on a captivating voyage.

Shaped by the UK's early-nineties acid house scene, Mapper found his calling in electronic music during his teenage years, spending formative weekends at Fabric London where Sasha and Lee Burridge's Tyrant Saturdays offered masterclasses in musical progression and atmosphere.

Now known for his uplifting, organic house sound, mapper builds journeys that balance emotional depth with dance floor energy. His sets weave together melodic synths and intricate rhythms, creating spaces where positive energy and musical storytelling converge—connecting with dancers on multiple levels.

Juliana Botero known as Dj MoRpHo, being in love with music her whole life, intrigued with spinning records and making crowds of people dance, began in the electronic scene in 2004, identifying with funky electronic, tribal, Latin and fusion of sounds in her mix. With the addition of her saxophone .
Currently DJ MoRpHo combines her healing through vibrational sounds and movement, combining music for celebrating life, moving energy and empowering human beings, surfing waves of awakening.

“Let's dance without judgment, without fear, barefoot and free… and be happy”
DJ MoRpHo

Nebulix crafts hypnotic journeys where deep groove meets psychedelic drive. Blending psy-tech textures with rolling basslines and subtle trance elements, his sets evolve patiently—building tension, releasing energy, and guiding dancers into a focused, elevated state.
Expect a carefully controlled flow, tribal undertones, and a sound designed for open skies, late nights, and collective movement on the dance floor.

Nebulix is a New Zealand–based DJ known for crafting immersive psy-tech journeys where deep groove and psychedelic energy move as one. His sets unfold with patience and control, guiding dance floors through rolling basslines, hypnotic rhythms, and carefully timed lifts.

Having performed at respected events such as Arkadien, Lost in Paradise, and Twisted Frequency, Nebulix brings a strong understanding of flow, atmosphere, and dance floor awareness—delivering sets that feel intentional, connected, and made for the moment.