HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
From New Zealand to Switzerland
Born in New Zealand to a Maori father and Swiss mother, Mahara was brought up until the age of ten surrounded by a big, spiritual Maori family. She is from the Ngāti Toa iwi, the same tribe as Te Rauparaha - The Māori rangatira, warlord, and chief of the Ngāti Toa iwi - who composed the world-famous Haka "Kamate".
When she was five, she was the first to know that her beloved great-grandfather passed away, after he had visited her in her dreams to say goodbye.
At the age of ten, the separation of her parents moved the family to Switzerland, sadly leaving her father, her NZ family and friends and the comforts of home behind.
Mahara holds great respect and gratitude for her mother who worked three jobs to keep the family above water and remembers the challenge of acclimatising to a new culture and language.
Mahara attended Art School for a year after High School and undertook an apprenticeship as an interior designer, finding joy in expressing her artistic side, though the family still struggled financially.
A WHOLE NEW WORLD
Glitz and Glamour
At the age of nineteen, Mahara was persuaded to enter the Miss Switzerland pageant, enticed by the grand prize of a car and luxurious jobs, and to her surprise won the title in 2000. In one day she was catapulted from anonymity into fame, fortune and attended gala events and saw the world. Though this new world offered up celebrity status, glitz & glamour, Mahara struggled in her search for privacy, simplicity and realness.
After her year holding the title, she headed straight after her biggest passion - MUSIC.
As a DJ, Mahara created three compilations with Universal Music, as well as 3 of her own tracks, featured on three of the renowned Cafe del Mar Samplers.
In the face of criticism and pressure, Mahara decided to play at lounges and bars to promote herself and her CDs. She was a beginner, but wasn't able to start off small or anonymously, but she didn't give up; a few years later she was spinning records at events such as the Tony Hawk Show at the Grand Palais in Paris, and NYC Fashion Week and alongside world renowned Artists including Marc Ronson, Samantha Ronson, Rhazel, John Legend and Paul Oakenfold.
As well as spinning, Mahara modelled for several known brands, choreographed fashion shows, and hosted events & city guide TV.
Her fashion sense led her to design women's gowns as well as styling for photoshoots.
Here are some snippets of her previous work:
The Tony Hawk Show, Grand Palais Paris
A CHANGE OF DIRECTION
A tragedy that shifted perspective
In the midst of her success, everything changed; a serious knee injury and pulmonary embolism struck Mahara, giving her the opportunity to reassess her life’s direction.
She decided to end her career in the spotlight, sell everything and go backpacking for a year around the world.
Starting in India, the spiritual home of yoga, Mahara embarked on a journey to find the deeper meaning in her life.
In Rishikesh, Mahara lived a transformational month at the Kriya Yoga ashram, where she was initiated by the guru Swami Shankarananda Giri. Her daily yoga practice at the Ashram combined Meditation, Hatha Yoga, Mantra and mindfulness practice, Ayurvedic teachings and Pranayama.
Although Mahara had been practicing yoga since 2005, it wasn’t until her time in India that she found the deeper meaning of yoga.
On a remote island in Fiji, away from civilization, electricity and running water, Mahara experienced Samadhi (pure bliss) during meditation. It was this exact moment that she knew her life purpose was to share this path of meditation with others.
On this journey, she took a Hatha Dharma Teacher Trainer course with Chris Cotty and travelled to Bali to complete her training with Emily Kuser of High Vibe Yoga, specialising in Hatha yoga with refinements in Pranayama, Meditation and Philosophy. Here, she saw deep knowledge of unconditional love, and experienced the energy within a sacred Women’s circle, drawing her to the talented Nianna Bray’s Women’s Wisdom Teacher Trainer course in Queenstown.
Through yoga, tantra, dance & rituals, Mahara attained a whole new level of understanding and appreciation of the incredibly beautiful feminine energy and continues on the path to unlock its power.
In the tapestry of existence, Mahara finds her greatest mentors not in the halls of fame, but in the simplicity and depth of life itself.
Nature, with its intricate beauty and seamless harmony, whispers secrets of wisdom.
Love, a gentle yet powerful force, mirrors back reflections of the soul.
Children, untouched by the complexities of the world, embody purity and honesty.
And amidst the dance of duality, Mahara discovers the delicate balance that sustains all creation.
A more detailed list with all her studies can be found here.
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CLARITY
Experience the magic of silence and find your truth.
In 2015, she opened two beautiful yoga studios "2nd Floor Yoga" in the heart of Dunedin, New Zealand—returning to her roots, where she taught for two years.
As much as she loved her time there, she felt a deep calling to leave. She longed to focus on transformational trainings, guiding people beyond the physical body into the depths of heart and soul.
Trusting her instincts, she returned to India, where the next chapter of her journey began—and TANTRA ENERGY was born.
For four years, she lived out of a backpack, traveling the world, holding tantric spaces for personal development and spiritual awakening.
On the magical island of Koh Phangan, Thailand, she found a breathtaking piece of land—a place that felt like home, the perfect setting for a Tantra retreat center.
But life had other plans...
After purchasing the land, she returned to India to teach—and there, for the first time, she fell in love with a woman. Overcoming challenges of what other people may think of that.
This love led her to Portugal, where she immersed herself in the early stages of building an off-grid community deep in the wilderness.
They lived with no running water, no electricity, and endured scorching heat by day, while at night, they slept under the vast Milky Way, illuminated by thousands of stars. An unforgetable time.
When they traveled back to India to hold a training, the global lockdown trapped them there for seven months.
Eventually Mahara returned to visit her family in Switzerland. But with Thailand, Portugal, India, and New Zealand still closed, she felt trapped there and had to act fast. Switzerland was expensive, and she needed a place to live and teach. Just six months later, the second lockdown hit—thankfully she had secured an affordable studio where she could teach and live for the beginning. She had no intention in staying there. She was just waiting for the boarders in Thailand to open.
Despite the challenges, she persevered.
Over the next three years, she built a thriving community—one deeply committed to self-discovery. Through the power of the spoken word from her students, her teachings reached and transformed countless souls.
Meanwhile she had a comited relationship with a Swiss Man, who did not want to live in Thailand.
Therefor she decided to sell the land in Koh Phangan in February 2024.
By April 2024, she reinvested in an incredible building in the Swiss Alps, transforming it into a retreat center "Equilibra", where she now holds sold-out retreats and courses in both German and English.
www.equilibra.world – may still be a work in progress.
In February 2025, she signed a contract with the investor behind the latest Dalai Lama documentary, agreeing to an intimate documentary about her own life—an intense, year-long project that will unfold in the coming months.
From April 2026 to April 2027, Mahara will offer five dedicated students an extraordinary one-year Tantra Essence Teacher Training Initiation.
Additionally, a few participants will have the opportunity to join individual modules for their own personal growth alongside the living-in students.
Mahara has always dreamed of living in a small, supportive community, where people share a deep interest in the tantric lifestyle—cultivating freedom, balance, and respect for all beings, and Mother Earth.
A place where discipline meets flow,
and work and leisure exist in harmony.
For Mahara, the greatest teacher has always been LIFE itself—walking toward her fears, embracing challenges with an open heart, practicing mindfulness, observing children and animals, and immersing herself in nature.
From her humble beginnings to moments of fame and glamour, followed by a deep, spiritual path—Mahara's is embrasing an ongoing practice of evolving,
becoming whole, finding balance, seeking truth and love, working on caring and nurturing relationships, personal development and self love, trusting in her natural intelligence, and following her hearts calling.
"To truly follow the heart, we must first discover who we really are".
Today, Mahara feels more free, alive, and at peace than ever—dedicating herself to teaching tantric and shamanic arts, yoga, meditation, conscious communication, dance and vocal activation to anyone with an open heart and an open mind.
She has learned to appreciate life’s simplest joys, to embrace humility, to take bold risks, and to live her dreams.
"I trust in the universe, in the wisdom within, and in the limitless potential of the soul".
Her greatest mission?
To inspire you, to
become the best version of yourself, to encourage you to
reach your highest potential,
and to guide you toward
a life of love, peace, and balance.