In today's episode I get to chat with one of my favorite humans in the world, my teacher and mentor Nikki Vilella. I first met Nikki in in 2016 at a Yoga workshop in her "house", Kula Yoga, and immediately fell in love with her, the space, their philosophy and the purity and creativity of their teaching. Fast forward to 2024, when I've recently completed my 200-YTT with them in the program she leads.
During today's conversation we discuss what led Nikki to become a Yoga teacher, her foundational beliefs around the practice, and how body and movement awareness can carry you gracefully through life.
Nikki is the co-director of Kula Yoga Project in NYC where she has been teaching for nearly two decades. She is at the helm of the 200 hour Kula Flow Foundations teacher training program, leads an annual 75 hour advanced TT at her home in upstate NY and offers a mentorship program for teachers of all disciplines.
She has written for Yoga Journal and was named as one of America’s 100 Most Influential Teachers. As a teacher, she strives to include the perfect alchemy of alignment, intelligence, intention, and space into her classes.
As a teacher trainer, she wants to unpack the mystery of putting together an inspired vinyasa sequence so that you can step away from the stress of “following a methodology”, cultivate your authentic voice and enjoy your job! She is also known for giving some of the most sought after assists in NYC.