Wānaka’s Keity Garcia has been nominated for the Exercise New Zealand People’s Choice Award, recognising the impact she’s making through yoga and within the local community.

Keity has been practising yoga for more than 20 years, with her journey taking her from Brazil to Wānaka, where she has lived since 2019. She’s also the driving force behind Wānaka’s annual International Day of Yoga.

In this chat, Keity shares how yoga helped her through some of life’s toughest moments, including losing her father and experiencing burnout, and how those experiences eventually led her to teaching.

For Keity, yoga isn’t simply about becoming more flexible. It’s about building awareness, resilience and learning how to respond to whatever life throws your way.

We also chat about what the People’s Choice nomination means to her and why she sees it as recognition of the wider Wānaka fitness and wellbeing community.

Hear Keity’s story and find out how you can support her in the Exercise New Zealand People’s Choice Award.