Take a breath and step onto the mat at Human.Kind: an inclusive space where everyone is welcome

Operating on Kaurna land, Human.Kind offers a variety of classes, therapies and broader initiatives to foster healthy people, communities and ecosystems. The movement was founded by Tessa Leon and Triton Tunis-Mitchell; we spoke to Tessa to find out more about Human.Kind’s mission for individual, social and environmental transformation.

Tell us a bit about how Human.Kind began.

Before Triton and I became business partners, we’d been partners in love for nearly 10 years. He brought a background in physiotherapy, and I brought mindfulness and meditation. Our big goal was to model how individual health practices can expand into wider circles of social and environmental wellbeing.

Where are you based?

We’re on Kaurna land, with physical spaces in the CBD on Halifax Street, where we host all our therapies and trainings, plus a second studio in Glenelg on Jetty Road. We also have a ‘livestream’ studio, where folks from all over the world join our classes (we have members in Iceland, Lebanon, and even someone who joined us from a research station in Antarctica!).

What’s the ethos behind brand?

We saw a need to model how a healthy, caring, engaged society is built and sustained. We believe reciprocal models of care are the pathway to a future where everyone is included. Our sliding scale memberships are an example of this. Folks who are under-resourced can pay less, and those who have the means can contribute more to support others. We also offer work exchange programmes, with people chipping in exchange for membership, and a First Nations Free Membership.

What kind of services do you offer at Human.Kind?

We have a huge spectrum of offerings. On the everyday level, we run movement classes from yoga to strength training, pilates to meditation. We also have a large therapy team in the city studio with physios, psychologists, counselling, acupuncture and massage. We host lots of regular free community events as wide-ranging as hikes, panel conversations, queer community yoga, and skill-share nights. Our big trainings and retreats run a few times a year and create deep-dive experiences for people to immerse in.

What can people expect when they come into a studio?

Warm, smiling faces. Phone-free studios. A non-dogmatic, evidence-based approach. No competition, no pressure. A place where you can come as you are and take what you need. The understanding that every individual will need different things day by day, year by year. Support from our expert team to find your way to those things that you need.

Tell us about the Myponga project – what started this amazing initiative?

In 2022, a group of us purchased 107 hectares of beautiful, yet ecologically degraded, farmland. Part of the idea behind this was to contribute to the large-scale revegetation of native habitat. The farmland in that area is all cleared and supports very little biodiversity. By rewilding the sheoak grassy woodland that existed pre-colonisation, we hope to create multi-generational spaces for humans and creatures to flourish together. Maybe one day we can even foster habitat for the glossy black cockatoos to return to the mainland.

The other part of the puzzle is our aim to build an ecologically sensitive, community-owned retreat centre for gathering, healing, meditation, arts and celebrations. We see it as a place where people regularly come together and connect with each other and the land. We’ll be launching the next phase of that project in 2027.

To find out more about Human.Kind’s classes, therapies and initiatives, visit their website or pop into a studio.

Human.Kind

1/60 Halifax Street, Adelaide

1/118 Jetty Road, Glenelg

humankindstudios.com.au

@human.kind.studios