by Asmi Kothari

Kohei Iguchi, a recent participant in Landmark’s Self-Expression and Leadership Program, has worked as a Naturopath and Medical Herbalist since 2014 . He became a Naturopath because he was inspired by what his practitioner was able to do for people. Mr.Iguchi is committed to helping people and making sure that they do not have to go through pain or suffering in their course of life. His project is spreading awareness about preventative medicine in the community through medicinal herbal teas.

Kohei wanted to fulfill one of the core principles of natural medicine – preventative medicine. Most of the people that visited his clinic were already sick, and despite the medical advances of the 21st century, people are suffering from conditions which can be preventable through a few diet and lifestyle adjustments. He wanted to reach out to the community and educate people about how they can maintain their health and well-being. This is how the Joi Tea idea was born. Herbal teas are such a simple and enjoyable way to maintain health. Joi Tea also allows people to create their own health tea personalized to their needs.

There were free workshops held on three consecutive Sundays in November (12th, 19th and 26th) to teach people about medicinal herbs, how to blend their own tea, and how it can help to improve their health. Participants chose from 86 different herbs available at the workshop and created their own herbal tea for a take away. He finished the workshops with a small tea party where the participants shared their creations and enjoyed some healthy snacks!

Some of his fellow participants included Stefanie Schaefer, Amy Lynn, Mike Eyres, Milena Maksimovska, Yusuke Inui, North Harbour News and Health Bites (Your Fix TV). The participants generally were people from the Auckland community. He also involved a few of his colleagues to help run the workshop.

Kohei says that the biggest challenge he had to face was “To let go of ‘MY’ project. I almost skipped one SELP class because my preparations for the workshop was delayed and I thought I was the only one that could solve the issue, because it had to be under “my control”. Mem challenged me to let go and ask my community for help. I resisted for a while, but then I surrendered myself to the idea. My community was really there for me and helped me to get everything done in time. This was such a big breakthrough for me, the fact that I don’t have to control everything! Ever since then, my life has not been the same. It has opened so many possibilities!”

Mr. Iguchi has finished all the workshops and created a platform for Joi Tea to develop into a thriving business. He aims to grow the Joi Tea and continue to uphold its vision. He wants to develop this company not only into a herbal tea company, but also a company that values the people in the community, brings them together and uplifts the health of New Zealand and the rest of the world.

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