Ongoingness Meets Logan of Connection for the Curious
Logan is a spirited yoga teacher, event facilitator, writer, and father. Through Connection for the Curious, he creates spaces for people to be authentically and honestly themselves, to connect with like-minded, open-hearted people and the natural world. The origin of this community he phrases so simply and beautifully: “After years of uncertainty and worldwide doubt, all I wanted to do was sit on the beach at sunrise with a few good people and talk openly about everything. It turns out I was not alone.”
The personal is the universal.
Logan is someone I see as wildly dedicated to his life force and living in alignment with his values. He distills wisdom from life’s lessons and blessings and shares them honestly through his writing and in-person events. He is community-oriented, agile and earnest in his seeking to be of service to others.
He schedules regular events seasonally around the Auckland region. You’ll find his upcoming events calendar here.
Looking back and connecting dots, what were key chapters and transitions throughout your life that lead you to where and who you are today?
I could say so much here but I’ll try to keep it brief. I remember, at the end of highschool, learning that there would be no long summers off once I hit adulthood. I thought this was nonsense and so my first push into the world was one of naive hedonism and freedom. I dropped out of uni during my first semester, got a job as a bartender and began the first major stage of my life. During this period I spent a summer in a van, lived off and on in Sydney, and endured a couple of gruelling trips to India. After a few years of moving around and chasing highs I hit a big wall. I’d done enough drugs and met enough ridiculous people to teach me there wasn’t much else to find here and now I was burning out.
Fortunately for me, I’d also found yoga. In a state of complete uncertainty I took another trip to India to try to shake things up for good. I was now clean, sober, and ready to commit to something more. I started teaching in a little dark room in the foothills of the Himalayas and it immediately felt right. Wanting to solidify this new life, I moved home to Auckland to try to make it a permanent reality.
Only a week after I’d returned home, I found out I was having a baby with someone I barely knew (the result of a very brief encounter with another traveller in India). This unexpected addition only strengthened my desire to live a better life but it would prove difficult to balance so many new things at once. During the short window of time before he was born I worked hard to build myself up as a yoga instructor in Auckland. I then left for Brazil where he was going to be born and about a week before leaving, covid started to take over the world. I managed to get there just before flights stopped leaving but was only able to stay a few weeks before the last repatriation flights ended and the money I had for us to live off ran out.
From early on I could see the challenge his mother and I were going to have trying to co-parent together and the distance between us quickly shattered the flimsy foundations we’d tried to build. Stuck in New Zealand with no idea when flights would open again, I focused on establishing myself in the wellness industry and doing what I could to become the best person I could be for my son. I then met Tash and very quickly I was having baby number two.
It’s been a rollercoaster since then with my life simultaneously becoming more beautiful and more chaotic. As my life began to feel like it was split down the middle I could no longer show up honestly as a stable studio yoga teacher and spent the first couple of years of my second child’s life moving us around the country trying to figure out what to do next. At the start of this year (2024), with nothing else sticking, I decided to trial the first connection event with no idea that it could actually become something on its own.
After years of uncertainty and world wide doubt, all I wanted to do was sit on the beach at sunrise with a few good people and talk openly about everything. It turns out I was not alone.
What does your personal practice look like currently? How does your practice on the mat ripple out into life off the mat?
Currently, my personal practice is hit and miss and if it weren’t for the years of determined exploration and growth I put in to get here, I’d probably be a complete mess. I’m investing all I’ve got into building something new and each week is completely different so I’m catching myself at my limits more often than I would like. There’s a lot of inner conflict coming up as I put my most honest expressions out into the world so the focus is nurturing the changing waves of imposter syndrome and anxiety and enjoying the afterglow of each event that I get right.
A good week right now is a few short walks, fresh air with my toddler and a sauna at the leisure centre. I’ve also started writing poetry again as it’s a very effective therapy for me. As someone who’s been involved in the wellness industry for so long, it feels uncomfortable to share how little I’m running off. I’m proud to say my baseline is strong but I’d be lying if I was to say I’m on top of it all!
My inconsistent practice is rippling out into the world through my increasing compassion for other people living with low means. There’s been times in my life when I had an abundance of time, money and energy to put into all the right things but right now I’m putting all I’ve got into being a dad and building a community with little else to spare. I’ve been humbled by this experience and it’s taught me not to judge other people so quickly.
What was the inspiration for Connection for the Curious? What is the vision?
My inspiration has always been a deep desire for freedom. I spent the first half of my 20’s travelling and living overseas, my life was transient and I would often flick between complete isolation and intense connection. Through this I learned what I needed as an individual to feel free but also how important it was to find places and people where you could openly be that free version of yourself.
The vision that keeps it all going is a world where every single person feels free to be themselves without burden, where unhindered expression and experiences are welcomed, and big dreams are endlessly encouraged.
The events you host, who are they for and what might someone expect from them?
They are for anyone who wants to enjoy their lives without limiting who they are or might want to be in future. They are for anyone who wants to listen and be listened to, without the need to fix each other but rather to appreciate getting to be a part of a shared journey.
You can expect a welcoming space where you’ll be encouraged to be yourself and practice complete honesty. It’s not always an easy space but it’s like nothing else I’ve been a part of. Right from the start I’ve had people chipping in, helping me out when I missed things and genuinely being supportive of anyone who decides to show up. It’s beyond me now and with each passing month it’s becoming something new.
With that you can expect sunrises, sunsets, cold swims, hikes, hot cups of cacao, deep conversations and a rich sense of community all year round.
What’s a moment from an event you’ve hosted that moved you in some way?
There’s a special moment that occurs for me at almost every event and that’s getting to see the look on someone’s face and the way their shoulders relax when they first open up, let something go, and recognise that the people sitting around them are truly there to listen. It’s an honour to get to hold the deepest parts of people I’ve sometimes just met.
I’d like to also share the event that my most dedicated community members held in place of me in July when I was sick. For me that felt like a turning point between running events and building a place to call home.
Can you share a challenge you’ve experienced that has led to a gift?
Since the birth of my second child, I have not had any contact with my first. I don’t blame his mother for putting up walls nor do I hold any angst towards the barriers that covid put in place for so long but it’s caused a lot of pain and I’ve doubted myself more during this time than ever before. This is a challenge that is ongoing and I have no idea what the future holds for us but for the gifts it’s brought me, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Before my first son was born, I thought I knew what love meant. I thought I was open minded and compassionate. I also thought I could make anything good so long as I spent enough time trying to do so.
What I have learned is that love is wanting what’s best for someone, even if that means you don’t get to be with them. The more we try to contain and shape love, the less we get to enjoy. The more we allow ourselves to experience what is happening without trying to fix everything or change someones mind, the more we open ourselves to new love and the opportunity to deepen our human experience.
I still make mindless assumptions about other people sometimes but this experience has taught me how important it is to stay open to the joy of being wrong rather than looking for things that prove I am right. I no longer feel like I can judge other people in the same way based on my own history and that has allowed me to form so many incredible connections. This challenge has given me the gift of accepting myself and others, as human. It’s allowed me the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them and to enjoy the rewards that can only come from triumph over adversity.
And, despite the chaos it’s brought, this challenge also brought me my first son. Even if I never get to be in his life at some point, I’ll take the sweetness of holding him in my arms for those first few weeks and how that’s changed me over anything else in the world.
Connection for the Curious' Cacao & Sunrise event
What are you currently feeling excited about?
Growing Connection for the Curious to a point where I can indulge in more play. Right now it’s a lot of foundation work and I have so many ideas I’d like to explore but the ground still needs to set. Also getting into the Spring schedule. Winter was fun but tough with the cold and I’m looking forward to more sunshine meeting our events!
What is a piece of wisdom guiding you at the moment?
I don’t have to do it all. I’m starting to slow myself down and be more selective with where I send my energy, it’s a real weight off my shoulders. I can confidently say that there are a few things I know I’m really good at but I’ve learned that I can only be really good at one or two at a time before I start letting something down.
Make a wish.
For everyone suffering right now to find a guiding light. Not to avoid or ignore the reality in front of them but to find something that keeps them marching through. The world needs what you’ll bring to the other side.
Anything else you feel called to share?
Being honest is always worth it. I promise there are people out there who want to know who you are and are ready to encourage you and your dreams.
