The star connected with the winds of the sky and what weather they bring for the year.

Ururaki is one of the stars in the Matariki star cluster that is associated with the weather. Uru is the west and raki/rangi is the sky. There are many kōrero about Matariki and her star daughters. One describes Ururaki as a busy child racing around, excited and full of life. The wind is like that, sometimes cold, sometimes warm and gentle. Always however, the breath of life. With this in mind our kaupapa for this year’s Puaka Matariki was for us to take time and breathe. Hā ki roto (breathe in) Hā ki waho (breathe out). 

Enjoy the energy of Ururaki by making their Matariki manu tukutuku (kite) to fly.

Take some time to learn some breathing exercises from Ōtautahi health promotion group All Right?’s video Hikitia te Hā. 

Here’s a sampling of books in our collection related to taking time to breathe. Some of these are from the initiative Books on Prescription, which is a list of resources recommended by health professionals.

• Dot - Kieran Scott
  
• Quiet the mind : an illustrated guide on how to meditate - Matthew Johnstone
  
• The relaxation & stress reduction workbook - Martha Davis, Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman and Matthew McKay.
  

• Exhale : how to use breathwork to find calm, supercharge your health and perform at your best - Richie Bostock
  
• Breathwork : how to use your breath to change your life - Andrew Smart