Jase Te Patu - Mindfulness, Maori Mythology and Yoga

Jase Te Patu is a Yoga teacher based in Wellington, New Zealand. Jase has a lot going on! He heads up his yoga studio, Power Living Wellington, he facilitates men’s groups and is leading the charge in creating discussions around men’s mental health. He also recently created M3Mindfulness, an initiative being introduced to schools in New Zealand that incorporates Mindfulness, Yoga and Maori mythology. In this episode we learn about Jase's life growing up, being raised by his grandparents and speaking Maori until he reached school age. We learn about how he struggled with being forced into a specific version of masculinity at boarding school, and how that informs the work he does today. We learn how Jase went from competitive sport in his youth to dance and then how he discovered yoga, Jase goes on to tell us about his important work in mental health and men's health, and we have a discussion about how his new school program, M3mindfulness came to be. This episode really means a lot to me - as a Maori and a man myself, I really resonated with a lot of what he has to say, and I feel the work he is doing is incredibly important. Jase is not afraid to show his authentic self or his vulnerability. He shares wisdom that we really need in the world in this day and age, and we are truly honored to be able to play a small part in that.