Yoga class at Paloma Gardens raises $210 for Jigsaw Whanganui

Simone Higgie leads a yoga class under the palm trees at Paloma Gardens.

Yoga in an exotic garden setting was a relaxing way to end the year and also raise funds for Jigsaw Whanganui.

Simone Higgie, whose Cultivate yoga classes are normally held in the Duncan Pavilion at Castlecliff Beach, decided to have her final class of 2017 at Paloma Gardens at Fordell. The gardens, recognised as a Garden of National Significance by the New Zealand Gardens Trust, are owned by Ms Higgie's parents, Clive and Nicki Higgie, and are landscaped with plants from all over the world.

On Saturday, December 30, Ms Higgie ran a yoga and meditation class for 20 people at the gardens.

"It was fantastic - it was such a beautiful day," Ms Higgie said.

"We had a lovely hour of gentle yoga on the lawn below the palm trees and then we just lay down and listened to our breath, the birds and the frogs. It's so nice to just be still."

The group then did a walking meditation and had morning tea. The yogis donated a total of $210 to Jigsaw Whanganui.

"For me personally, the people who have turned up to my four weekly yoga classes have been such a highlight of my first year back in Whanganui after 10 years away," Ms Higgie said.

"So the garden yoga was to recognise and thank them as a community and to raise some money for Jigsaw, which is a local charity that does such great social work in and for our wider community.

"The morning couldn't have happened without all the yogis, but also it was thanks to my parents, Clive and Nicki Higgie, who have been coming to yoga this year and who welcomed us into their spectacular gardens. It's such an idyllic and inspiring place, not just a world-class botanical collection, but an incredible piece of art and expression."

Ms Higgie said the day was such a success she may hold classes at Paloma Gardens a few times a year for special occasions.