Heartspace

Heartspace Heartspace is a page where I share what moves me in daily life. I have a wide varity of interests: y I am an essential oil educator.

Heartspace Wellness Solutions has been created by Silke Whittaker, a yoga teacher, sound healer, reiki master, essential oil educator, artist, mama, wife and explorer of the inside and outside world. I used to own a yoga studio in Hastings, New Zealand and loved to share the practice of yoga, sound healing and aromatherapy on a regular basis with my clients. After a sabbatical with my family overs

eas for 2 years I currently offer one off yoga & sound healing group sessions around Hawke's Bay when time allows. I also love working one on one with clients either for sound healing & reiki sessions or to customise a yoga practice just for you. I am passionate about using doTerra essential oils and love to teach how they can be used to improve your health and home care with these pure gifts from mother nature. doTERRA's sourcing practices and quality are impeccable, which is why I have been working with them for around 6 years now. I am happy to customise one on one sessions, group sessions or make custom blends for clients. You can learn more about Heartspace Yoga & Heartspace Essentials on heartspace.nz. If you have any questions you can contact me on [email protected]. I am looking forward to connecting with you.

04/09/2026

Fully booked Nourish session today at the The Yoga Space Hastings.

After around 7 or 8 years of guiding this 2 hour session with slight variations its still one of my favorites.

Guiding people into deep rest just feels right in this fast paced world. Tuning into our bodies, needs, feelings, being gentle and slow on purpose, creating some space and time for ouselves to just be is so essential to keep our own cups full.

Stay tuned for more of this.

So grateful to be able to hold space for people to come back home to themselves.

Yoga Bliss...Thank you to the team for organising us all to come together to learn, practice, connect and be inspired a...
31/08/2026

Yoga Bliss...

Thank you to the team for organising us all to come together to learn, practice, connect and be inspired at the Napier Yoga Festival. Its such a big job to put on an event like this.

On day 1 I usually fill my own cup and so grateful for all the beautiful spaceholders for being brave enough to share their gift. I attended a slow flow, a menopause class, a breathwork class by our local Helle, a mindfulness and Irest Yoga Nidra, a Hypnosis and Reiki, a Yin Yoga & Nidra and rounded everything off with Somatic Dance by the local AbunDance crew.

On day 2 I usually guide one of the first classes. I am so grateful for all the people that came and trusted me to hold space for them. We had some beautiful circle connection time, which has become a bit of a tradition over the years, some dynamic movement, some slow movement, some sound healing and even a dance! Thank you for being there. And thank you to the local support crew for all the hugs and encouragement beforehand, because after 20 years of my own practice, 12 years of guiding sessions and 4 or 5 years at the festival my body apparently still doesn't know its safe for me to be on that stage! I always have a sleepless night beforehand and develop a good bout of anxiety. Special thanks to my helper Angeline who supported me this year and snapped these pics, because I have managed to take exactly 0 pictures all weekend. You will never see me posting pictures of people at my classes and retreats, but I make one exception every year at festival time.

Day 2 had so many fabulous facilitators again. I managed a moon salutation, some more breathwork, a beautiful Slow Flow by Bridget, and Kirtan with the Hawke's Bay Kirtan Collective.

I highly recommend to give the festival a go if you haven't been yet.

And I highly recommend to support your local spaceholders in person. I do appreciate the convenience of online events some times, but nothing is as good as real in person connection and practicing with people together to amplify the benefits the practice and to cultivate that sense of human connection.

Thank you and maybe see you again next year.

A simple question to ask when you do things: How does this make me feel?To me that is often what matters most these days...
26/08/2026

A simple question to ask when you do things: How does this make me feel?

To me that is often what matters most these days. I don't need to fully understand things intellectually, scientifically, extensively.

My yoga practice, my art, my walks, when I rest, my writing leave me feel good. Thats sufficient evidence for me these days. My innate knowing that something feels good to me in this moment is enough. If something really interests me I read, research, study, but feeling into it first.

Everytime I step on my yoga mat to practice or guide I feel better afterwards.

I am so grateful for that.

In todays class I introduced a mantra / mudra practice and I realised that I look more towards how certain practices make me feel rather that remembering what sound means what and what finger represents what. Its good to know, but its more important to me how it feels when I do it and how my students feel when they do it.

I apply similar principals to my movement practice. What feels good right now, what is my body asking for, what do I need in this moment?

Captured this little lightbeam before class today in a moment of stillness.

26/08/2026

The 2026 Hawke’s Bay Yoga Festival is nearly here. We are looking forward to sharing a weekend of yoga, wellness & rejuvenation with you. Here is some housekeeping before the event.

Festivities will take place
Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th August.
Napier Conferences & Events Centre
48 Marine Parade, Hawke’s Bay
The event is an indoor all-weather festival.

Please remember to bring
• Your ticket (printed or mobile)
• Your yoga mat, bolster, strap & block. Plus a towel or blanket you can use to keep warm or roll up as a bolster if you don’t have one.
• Wear layers to adapt to your practice and stay warm
• A water bottle to stay hydrated.

Registration
• Save time and register early on Friday afternoon 3:30pm-5pm.
• Regular registration opens 8am Saturday.
• You can register at any time throughout the festival.
• Registration on the first morning can be busy we appreciate your patience.
• You can save time by downloading, printing and filling out the event waiver here (otherwise, we will have waivers for you on the day).

Classes: Queues will be open 20 mins prior to the class start. There is no other form of class registration, we have found this to be the best way of dealing with the changing requirements of participants as each day unfolds. At the end of each class we may empty the space first before letting the next class in. This is to prioritise the participants who have queued outside.

We’ve had an amazing response to the festival, and classes. We expect the festival to be well attended especially on Saturday morning. We encourage you to explore and enjoy all six spaces, each offering sessions throughout whole weekend.

To make the most of your experience, it’s a good idea to have a backup class in mind in case your first choice is full or already in progress. Please note that once a class has started, late entry is not permitted. We also ask that you stay for the full session to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted experience for both the instructor and fellow participants.
Thank you for your understanding! You can see the full program here.
On the day timetables will be on the wall of each space.

My favorite passage from the book The Velveteen Rabbit and a reminder that its worth pursuing to be real!—---------The S...
24/08/2026

My favorite passage from the book The Velveteen Rabbit and a reminder that its worth pursuing to be real!

—---------

The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces. He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away, and he knew that they were only toys, and would never turn into anything else. For nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it.

“What is REAL?” Asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. “Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?”

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “Its a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”

“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.

“Sometimes.” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”

“Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?”

“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

“I suppose you are Real?” said the Rabbit. And he wished he had not said it. For he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive. But the Skin Horse only smiled.

“The Boy’s Uncle made me Real,” he said. “That was a great many years ago; but once you are Real you can't become unreal again."

24/08/2026

Hawke's Bay Yoga Festival

Saturday & Sunday 29th / 30th August.

Morning Bliss class with me happens Sunday 9 - 10.30 am in Room 1

This accessible class offers slow, gentle, and mindful movement designed to awaken the body, calm the mind, and nourish the soul.

Through a blend of gentle Hatha Yoga postures and longer-held Yin Yoga shapes, you'll be invited to move with awareness, release tension & stagnation, and create space for deeper connection within yourself.

Throughout the practice, we will feel into Heart Coherence, using breath, intention, and heart-focused awareness to cultivate balance, presence, and emotional wellbeing.

This gentle integration supports a deeper sense of harmony between body, mind, and heart. More than just a yoga class, this is a celebration of community and connection—a welcoming space to come together, share positive energy, and support one another through mindful movement and stillness.

The practice concludes with slower yin shapes & Shavasana, allowing for deep rest and integration, accompanied by the soothing vibrations of Tibetan Singing Bowls.

This sound healing experience encourages relaxation, inner peace, and a profound sense of renewal. Suitable for all levels, including beginners and anyone seeking a gentle, nurturing, and heart-centred practice.

I look forward to practicing with you this weekend.

See you soon

Yoga Festival Tribe

Address

Haumoana

Telephone

+64211614340

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Heartspace posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category