Photography: Emily Chalk.
When Tom Robinson hung up his rugby boots for the final time two years ago, he already knew his next move. Having struggled with growing anxiety during his final year playing professionally in Japan, the former Blues captain turned to yoga, breathwork and journalling to find relief.
“When I’ve told my story in the past, I said it was anxiety around concussions that drove me towards retirement, but it was never actually the concussions themselves,” Kerikeri-born Tom, 31, tells Woman’s Day.
“I knew my brain was healthy, but a few days after every knock I took, my mind would start to read into every little feeling. I’d go, ‘Is that a little headache? Can I feel any other symptoms? What if I play again and get back-to-back concussions?’”
“Then it would spiral from there. Your brain affects every part of your body, so it’s hard not to worry about how that would have a long-term effect. It started off very small, but I never spoke to anyone about it. Each time it happened, I’d eventually get to training and realise I was sweet, then I’d go out to play and be fine, but that just snowballed until it became too much.”
During his last off-season in Japan, Tom listened to wellness podcasts, and began to experiment with yoga and writing in a diary.
“If it wasn’t for these practices, I would’ve been very unhappy,” he reflects.
A new path begins
On a trip to Bali, Tom completed a yoga teacher training course and read a couple of game-changing books, then he returned to Japan, ready to train again.
But he shares, “My anxiety around playing was still uncomfortable and those trainings were when I realised my heart was no longer in rugby.”
Once he’d finalised the decision, Tom’s exit from sport was an easy one.
“I decided I was going to come home and save the world,” he enthuses.
“I’d come across these teachings that have changed my whole life and I was so passionate about helping people discover the sense of peace I’d found. I had absolutely no idea that I’d experience what I did when I got home and what I’d uncover about myself.”
Creating a space for connection
Upon his return, Tom moved to Mangawhai in Northland, where he launched straight into teaching meditation and breathwork classes.
He recalls, “One morning, I was teaching a maternal yoga class. I remember looking around and there was a lady breastfeeding, a lady changing a nappy and a toddler running free. It was perfect. That was such a great learning curve – to let go of any expectation I ever had going into a class and just see where it takes us.”
However, Tom soon decided he wanted to create more of a sense of community, so he partnered with Louis Smith, the owner of sauna and wellness space Black Swamp Dojo.
Tom says, “I realised you can do yoga, then follow it up with a sauna and a cold plunge, then a coffee. That would allow people to kind of linger about afterwards, mixing, mingling and hanging out. It was the ultimate way to form new connections.”
Bringing the team spirit home
Since then, Tom has focused on hosting wellness events. He’s often joined by his dad Alistair – who made four appearances for the All Blacks in 1983 – and both are delighted they can bring the same feeling of connection that you get from being in a rugby team to Tom’s local community.
“My favourite memoryfrom my playing career is that feeling of finishing a game and being surrounded by my community,” grins Tom.
“I had this group of people around me who I worked so hard with and we had these fans that we were able to bring so much joy to. It was always special.”
Creating spaces for stillness
With his free time, Tom worked with Louis to build a portable sauna that can be towed around on a trailer.
“Louis reached out to me with the project, knowing I was finishing up with rugby,” he explains.
“We feel very aligned in our values. It’s all motivated by togetherness, community, and creating a space where people can experience some stillness and joy.”
The idea behind the trailer sauna is to take it around to different businesses, teaching teams about the power of mindfulness and how beneficial a sauna can be.
Tom says, “My intention is ultimately to create a safe space, where people of all skill levels and abilities can connect and slow down, whether that be at one of my events or with the trailer sauna stopping by. “I feel really grateful for the time I got playing rugby and I wouldn’t change any of it. I’m just in a different chapter now.”
Follow @tom.robinson09 on Instagram or visit tomrobinsoncoaching.com.
