Spirits & minds
PAIRING UP Nikki Rhodes and Franko Heke met at a festival three years ago, now they run several of their own, including the NZ Spirit Festival.
Working the winter in Bali, summer in New Zealand running festivals, and travelling the world teaching workshops and playing music in-between – this is the life of unapologetically loved-up couple Nikki Rhodes and Franko Heke. Passionate about their work, they are also grateful for what they have found in each other: a partner who is committed to their own growth and evolvement and encouraging of this in the other. “The spark we have is worth protecting and cultivating and we love to share what works for us to inspire others to give their relationship the same focus and therefore chance at success,” says Nikki.
What inspired you to establish the NZ Spirit Festival?
N: We began by running retreats in Auckland that would sell out and decided we needed to upscale. We met at a festival and agreed that conscious festivals were extraordinary places for transformation, healing and inspiration. We were so surprised at the endless hugs, absence of alcohol and sense of community and tribe these events had. NZ Spirit Festival felt like a very natural progression for us both, as I was leaving the education sector (I was a lecturer at Auckland University and taught at high schools) and Franko was looking for something to complement his music career. We were both thrilled with the response to the festival and it now sells out every year. 2020 will be its third year.
Can you tell us about the other festivals you run?
N & F: The success of NZ Spirit Festival inspired us to create two other summer festivals: Resolution NYE Festival, held in Auckland over New Year’s Eve, and NZ Yoga Day – held in November at Western Springs in Auckland (it will be nationwide next year). The success of both NZ Spirit Festival and Resolution NYE Festival (now in its second year with over 1500 people attending) rested on the fact they are fully experiential festivals – not just another music festival – where attendees are treated to inspiring talks and workshops, as well as listening to incredible music. There are five different workshops happening every hour throughout the festivals, an epic Kids Zone, Chai Chill Lounges, Kombucha Tents and incredible live world music. And, no alcohol.
This is life-changing for so many who have forgotten how much fun can be had without [it]. People are clearer, kids are safer and conversations remembered. These events give people the chance to be supported in their decision to party sober.
Tell us more about NZ Yoga Day.
N & F: We understand NZ Spirit Festival and Resolution NYE Festival could be unreachable or not totally appeal to someone new to this way of socialising. For this reason, we decided to start a one-day event that was held at the beginning of summer and gave people a taster of the community, of moving their bodies and being among like-minded people.
You also run retreats…
N & F: We started running retreats a few years ago and have since run a mix of mixed gender and women's only immersions. These retreats involve nourishment of all aspects of being. They are spaces of deep transformation where practices such as breathwork, yoga, dance, intimacy and connection practices, mediation, mantra, visualisation and healthy eating are explored. We have just finished our first Love and Mantra Retreat held in Bali where 26 people joined us for a five-day immersion. We have plans to run four international retreats throughout 2020.
Franko, you are a musician. What’s your musical genre, and inspiration?
F: I used to be a through and through rock'n'roller who played guitar and belted out his gritty vocals. Rock'n'roll will always live in me but now I have found the true origin of what I believe music to be – and that is medicine. So I have researched ancient music from all over the world and I discovered the powerful practice of mantra – specifically Kirtan, which is an ancient form of singing yoga where one person sings a line of sanskrit then the entire audience sings the same line back. We do this over and over again encouraging everyone to get into a meditative state. Then the healing begins through vibration of your body and everybody. I use my guitar, a harmonium and my voice predominantly.
Nikki, you are a dancer. How do you incorporate dance into your life?
N: I have danced all of my life and explored many different types of movement including tap, jazz, ballet, pole dancing, burlesque and yoga. Embodiment is so key for deeply satisfying intimacy and connection and dance is a very powerful medium for me to ensure I don't get lost in the busy-ness of life and forget to connect in with my body. Especially as a mother, many of us lose connection with ourselves as women. Dance, for me, ensures I stay very present with what is happening within. I always incorporate dance in my retreats and work with women for this reason.
What are your plans for this summer?
N & F: We are currently playing at festivals throughout Bali and will return home after running our last retreat for the year in Peru. We will then hang out with our kids by the pool.
How would you describe your relationship?
N & F: Our relationship and the quality of our connection is vital for the myriad other events, teachings and initiatives that spring from it. Our relationship is dynamic and edgy and thus requires our energy and time. We want to live what we teach, so working with us is an authentic transmission of what we experience day to day. Too many couples fall into the trap of routine and complacency and then wonder where the spark went.
Another thing you are doing is running courses on tantra for beginners. Can you tell us more about that?
N & F: Tantra transformed our lives through its profound simplicity. The basic principles revolve around breath, sound and movement, acknowledging the incredible gift we all have to use our physical bodies to reach places of divine bliss and ecstasy.