Our Teachers
Original Nature’s teachers, Hugh Tennent and Erin Taylor, both have decades of experience as meditation practitioners and teachers and are dedicated to living the dharma and supporting others to do so.
Erin Taylor
Erin was introduced to Buddhism as a child and began meditation practice in her late teens. She is a founding teacher of Original Nature.
She studied Qigong in New Zealand and in China and has taught Qigong for more than 20 years. This experience has taught her the importance of spiritual practice grounded in the body and she is committed to a holistic approach combining embodied (somatic) meditation practices, energy work and qigong with meditation.
She is a mother and grandmother and lives with her partner and family in Lyall bay. She teaches piano part-time as well as meditation and qigong.
Hugh Tennent
Hugh has been engaged with spiritual inquiry and meditation practice since 1985. He has been leading retreats and offering occasions to practise and learn meditation since 1994 and is a founding teacher of Original Nature. Hugh’s interest is in awakening to our inherent spiritual nature, and the integration of this recognition with our contemporary lives.
His teachers have included Joseph Goldstein, Steven Smith and Michelle McDonald of the Insight Meditation tradition and monks of the Theravada tradition. W.H.L.Poonja of the Advaita lineage of Ramana Mararshi, and teachers of the Dzogchen tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
Hugh lives with his partner and their two children and works as an architect. His architectural practise designs public, private and spiritually focussed projects throughout New Zealand.
“I value the honesty, variety, humour and dedication the teachers bring, I am always learning. Truly inspiring, thank you Original Nature!”
“The sessions had a profound impact on me during lockdown. I was able to calm my fight flight response enough to be present with experience, and continue to make better big, and small life choices because of these practices”
“It’s evident that the teaching draws on deep knowledge and experience of traditions and techniques. I feel the practices are offered with wisdom and care, and I always find the sessions to be uplifting.”
“The instruction is insightful and grounded and I have been able to incorporate meditation practice into my daily life for this reason. It has made a profound difference”