Welcome to Alma.
a space to connect
Alma, meaning ‘nourish’ and ‘soul’, is a multidisciplinary movement studio in the heart of Hawke’s Bay. A house of movement, wellness, mindfulness and connection. A place to release, reignite and connect – with your body and your mind, your breath and your being – in a space built to inspire.
Come for Yoga. Come for Pilates. Come to meditate, invigorate and unwind. Come for the chill zone and the amenities. Come to breathe, to sweat, to learn and let go. Come for community. Come first thing, come last thing, come once or every day. Come to meet others. Come to be alone. Come with experience. Come, bravely, for the very first time. Come to check in. Disconnect to reconnect - with your body and your mind, with likeminded people, and with what really matters: who you are, how you feel, and how you want to live.
We welcome everyone, at all levels. Whether you’re a daily practitioner or a first timer, Alma is for you.
House of
Connection
House of
Movement
House of
Mindfulness
Location of Alma
Find the beautiful Alma, yoga studio Havelock North
102/17 Joll Road
Havelock North, Hastings
Hawke’s Bay
About our founder.
A yogi from Los Angeles with a deep passion for health and wellness found herself in Hawke’s Bay without a movement community. She wanted to create a community centered around movement as medicine.
Meet Danielle, the Founder of Alma.
Danielle
Harper.
‘Your spine is the very core of you. It’s what your limbs connect into, what keeps you upright. It goes beyond the physical – it’s the energy centre of your personal world’
For pre-teen Danielle, life in Los Angeles was defined by movement. In her fast-paced, physical world – dance, ballet and cheerleading reigned supreme. So, when faced with a life-changing scoliosis diagnosis at the age of 10, Danielle had to dig deep. To find a way to move, without upsetting the balance. It was tough, but our girl was no quitter – and at university, she finally found what she was looking for.
She found Yoga.
‘It’s not about the ‘exercise’, it’s not about the shapes you make with your body to create space, it’s not about any aesthetic or superficial goal – it goes way deeper than that’
To begin with, it was physical. All about alignment – one vertebrae on top of the next. But before long, it grew into something bigger, and Danielle found herself aligned in lots of other ways, too. Aligned with nature, aligned with her nature, aligned with the way things were meant to be. She did hundreds and thousands of hours of training, alongside her career as a lawyer. She met gurus, made connections, and learnt how to check in. She taught yoga by night and prosecuted by day. She was hooked.
Now, living in Hawke’s Bay with her husband Tom and their adorable dog Yodi, Danielle’s life is all about movement. Her private studio, Moove, is a roaring success, and now she’s ready to share her passion on a slightly bigger stage – the studio floor at Alma.
Our Teachers
At Alma we believe that investing time, energy and training into our teachers creates a community of wellness that benefits our client's lives immeasurably. Our teachers are at the core of the community that is Alma.
Alayna
Ng
Born and raised in Wellington, Alayna has grown up with a love of movement – first training at the New Zealand school of dance before joining the Royal New Zealand Ballet from 2007-2017. In 2010, a serious knee injury led her to complete a comprehensive Pilates teacher training course under the formidable Tania Huddart at ‘Hearts and Bones Pilates’. Since then, she has taught in studios and gyms around NZ – with career highlights that include mentoring young students, collaborating with health professionals, developing targeted programmes for athletes and corporate offices, and running workshops in schools. Last year, Alayna became a mother for the first time and is enjoying her journey of motherhood. She believes movement is the key to a long and healthy life and is excited to be part of the Alma community.
Amanda
Sowersby
Amanda is a local Artist, Artistic Therapist, and Holistic Healer alongside being a passionate practicing Yogini with teacher training in Vinyasa, Yoga Nidra, Restorative Yoga, Chakra bodies and Therapy yoga.
Amanda incorporates yoga, guided meditation and stillness in her wellness workshops, with the intention of bringing the threefold aspect of mind, body and soul into balance and harmony, encouraging mindfulness and awareness to connect to oneself on a deeper level with love and light.
Look out for workshops and future yoga classes with Amanda!
Angela
Townsend
Born and raised in Hawkes Bay, Mother of three Angela Townsend has a love for fitness, movement and wellness.
Throughout her life she has always had a passion for the outdoors and keeping strong and fit. A couple of years ago after suffering injuries to her sacroiliac hip joint and lower back, Angela was introduced to Pilates for rehabilitation.
After making a full recovery and avoiding surgery, Angela’s eyes were opened to the amazing benefits of Pilates for the whole body.
Angela is currently studying to become a qualified Polestar Pilates Instructor.
Annah
Oxley
Annah’s passion for health and wellness began when she diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis as a teenager, leading her to complete a Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition and Psychology.
After the birth of her daughter, Annah attended our Mums and Bubs Postnatal Pilates class. During her sessions with Alayna and Wednesday, she fell in love with Pilates; the movement, the mind-body connection, and the connection with others. In late 2023, she completed her Pilates Certification knowing she wanted to share her love for Pilates and movement with others.
Bridget
Schaeffers
Bridget first discovered Yoga in 2013 when her inner guide led her on a solo adventure to India. Under the guidance of skilful teachers and the lens of her own devoted curiosity, Bridget’s practice has deepened and evolved. She has studied in both India and New Zealand and is currently completing her advanced 300-hour teacher training with The New Zealand Yoga Collective. She believes that we’re all connected through the universal power of love and can experience divine moments of truth, healing and transformation through these ancient practices.
Danielle
Harper
Founder
Danielle’s passion for movement as medicine is firmly grounded in her personal struggle with scoliosis, and the lessons she has learned along the difficult path of living in a warped body. Through exploring various movement modalities over the past 20 years, Danielle has certified in various forms of Yoga, Aerial Arts, Pilates, Gyrotonic ® Method, and her most recent interest has taken her down the path of Iyengar Yoga. Danielle seeks to change the way her students view their bodies, to inspire them to make positive lifestyle choices and to help guide the way toward total holistic health of mind and body. Alma is a result of the passion that Danielle feels for sharing all that she has learned on her journey. Called a ‘teacher’s teacher’, her classes are detail oriented and require presence and curiosity from all who attend.
Gina
Price
Movement Director
Practicing yoga for 12 years, Pilates for 6, Gina believes these modalities continually progress each other to build a strong, fluid and mobile body. Gina believes in creating a sustainable practice with a focus on choice and tuning into how you and your body feel each day. Trained in Vinyasa Yoga, Mat and Reformer Pilates, her classes hope to introduce a sense of play, curiosity and challenge, cultivating space in both mind and body.
Ken
Tietjen.
PILATES DIRECTOR
Alma’s Pilates Director hails from Los Angeles, where he has catered to celebrity clientele and Beverly Hills elite for more than eight years, at Equinox’s flagship Beverly Hills location. Ken received his Pilates certification from Nigel Sampson in Los Angeles. Mr. Sampson was trained by Ron Fletcher, one of the few remaining Pilates elders who was trained directly by Pilates creator Joseph Pilates. As Pilates Director at Alma, Ken seeks to fulfil the high-demand niche of fitness-based Classical Pilates, focusing on fitness, maintenance of spinal health and injury prevention. His background in ballet also provides him superior understanding and skills in stretching and balance to help improve posture in clients of all ages.
Kelsey
Roderick
For Kelsey Roderick, after teaching dance and working in the fitness industry for many years, Yoga was a natural progression. Following a lower back injury in 2010, Kelsey experienced the amazing health and recovery benefits Yoga had to offer and has continued to practise it ever since. She has studied Yin yoga with Yin Therapy NZ and has trained with Joe Barnett, Joan Hyman and Dr. Truth Robinson. Kelsey’s approach to yoga is focused on body/mind balance and realignment, to improve range of movement through a gentle, mindful Yoga practice. Her classes focus on enhancing overall health and well-being and will leave you feeling revitalised, supple and relaxed.
Lisa
Ennor
Lisa was first introduced to yoga by her grandmother – an introduction that sowed the seeds for her regular engagement with, and ongoing love for, the practice. After completing a degree in food science and an honours thesis in microbiology, Lisa relocated from the UK to rural New Zealand. Realising the demand for Yoga in her community, Lisa began teaching classes in the village hall. She then went on to become a personal trainer and a health and wellness coach, and began full-time work at the local gym in Waipukurau – with Yoga remaining her main love and focus throughout. Outside of the studio, Lisa can be found checking out the many off road tracks New Zealand has to offer on her mountain bike. Currently based in Havelock North, she is looking forward to meeting and guiding you all on your individual journeys.
Matt
Wilkey
Since 2018, Matt has been practicing Iyengar Yoga. A firm believer in the alignment-based system, he has immersed himself in the practice - focusing on the benefits it provides, regardless of a person’s experience or capability. In 2019, Matt began teaching small classes before completing his introductory teacher training course with senior Iyengar teacher Glenn Ceresoli. Currently studying to become a certified Iyengar teacher, Matt brings passion and focus to the Alma team.
Nicole
Pearson
Nicole has spent the last 12 years working on her health and fitness journey and trying all forms of health and wellness. After becoming a qualified Personal Trainer in 2015 and having her own clients for several years, she felt like there was something missing and it wasn’t the right calling for her. She took a step back to discover herself more and has now found herself aligning with the yoga practice.
After the birth of her first child, and adjusting into her new world of motherhood, she started attending Alma's Mums and Bubs Postnatal classes. It was important to her to find the time and the right form of movement to look after herself for the benefit of both herself, and her new young family. She started discovering the healing benefits of yoga on both a mental and physical level, which naturally led to a desire to be immersed in the world of yoga more and more. Now working on Alma's front desk, Nicole feels like she is right where she needs to be. Although she is at the very beginning of her yoga journey, she is excited to see where this next chapter of her life takes her and hopes to continue this journey of growth practicing with the team at Alma.
Stacey
Mayo
Stacey is originally from Canada but now calls Hawke's Bay home.
When I moved to New Zealand, I noticed a significant community that prioritised well-being and a balanced lifestyle. People in this community were dedicated to activities like growing their own food, connecting with nature through various outdoor pursuits, and incorporating green initiatives into their living spaces. I embraced this holistic approach to living, and it has been a continuous journey of personal growth and learning for me. I'm excited to be a part of the Alma team where their core values align with my own.
Steve
Scrimshaw
Steve spent his formative years immersed in the world of gymnastics, first competing for New Zealand at an international level then coaching in both the recreational and high-performance arenas. Alongside this, Steve has a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a certificate in exercise science, and has worked as a personal trainer and training-programme consultant for athletes of all levels. As a certified Yoga Nidra teacher – and having recently graduated the 200-hour Yoga training at Moove Studio in Havelock North – Steve is living a life of calm and joy, and is excited to share his skill and passion for the practice with you all.
Wednesday
Darling
Wednesday was first introduced to yoga as a young teenager through her dance training. Over the years, what the practice of yoga has meant to her has continuously evolved. Having taught for over 10 years across the globe, Wednesday is committed to constantlylearning, using her knowledge of yoga philosophy and physiology to create playful andempowering classes that encourage curiosity. Her real hope is that each class is an opportunity for students to take what they need to leave the mat with a sense of balance, feeling nourished and refreshed.