Hello! I’m a Seattle yoga teacher with the goal of helping you move well and feel good in your own skin.

How? What kind of yoga do you teach?

Glad you asked. To me, underneath the myriads of styles and traditions, yoga is a way to get to know our own body and mind. I’m highly influenced by the Krishnamacharya lineage, especially Iyengar. I provide information to support your wellbeing, and this is how I do it:

I primarily focus on techniques and alignment gleaned from anatomy and kinesiology principles, how we’re built, and how we move. The Seattle yoga scene is vast and diverse in style, and Alignment-based yoga can give you a solid foundation and complement whatever style you do. (Ok, I will come clean, I’m an Iyengar knockoff.)

I’m always watching out for safety and injury prevention. I’m all about sustainability (I can’t help it, I’m from Seattle). I believe in learning the yoga poses in a way that you can enjoy doing them for a long time. As a klutz who likes to run, surf, and climb, I’ve had my fair share of getting hurt and learning to recover, so I’m vigilant of working to prevent and rehab from injuries. As they say on the back of those large trucks: safety is my priority.

I’m practicing to Restore Mindfulness. Ultimately, yoga helps us shut up, sit down, and watch how loud and busy our mind is. Yoga helps us with managing our energy, making sure we have good gas running in our tank. I teach Restorative Yoga to counter the pace and demand of our modern life. I’m an enabler of navel-gazing–and meditation–behaviors.

Sounds pretty good, but what makes you qualified to do this?

I received my 200-Hour and 500-Hour Certification from Pacific Yoga Teacher Training, a Seattle yoga training program in Asana, Anatomy, Pranayama, Sanskrit, and Yoga Philosophy. I’m a certified Restorative Yoga teacher with Judith Lasater. I’m currently studying Philosophy, Literature, and History of Yoga in Georg Feuerstein’s 800-hour Traditional Yoga Studies program.

I study with Seattle yoga teachers Theresa Elliott and Kathryn Payne and attend continuing education workshops. I practice Vipassana Meditation and follow the teachings of Shinzen Young. I’m a bit of a Buddhist geek.

Ok, I’m sold. Where do you teach?

I currently teach at Village Green Yoga in Gilman Village in Issaquah and Taj Yoga in Crown Hill, which was voted Best Seattle yoga studio on Citysearch for 2008, 2009 and 2010! My classes are often small, where each student can receive close attention and personal instruction.

In my class, I communicate clearly (with the occasional mixup between right and left, up and down) with a good dose of humor. My philosophy is described in The Big Picture.

What else do you have?

On this website, in addition to my teaching and training information, you’ll find articles I’ve written based on my experience, such as How To Choose a Yoga Teacher Training. In my yoga blog, you’ll find my “reports from the field” on the wide world of yoga, including Seattle yoga news and events. My aim is to record my journey as a yoga teacher, entrepreneur, and student, discovering the art of teaching, the business of yoga, and the trials, tribulations, and joy of being on this Path.

You’ll also find me on Twitter as @yogageekgirl and Facebook: facebook.com/nikkiyoga. I’m also at nikkichau.com.

What else can you tell us about you?

I received a Bachelor of Art in International Business and Bachelor of Science in Informatics from the University of Washington in 2005. I am fluent in Vietnamese, and thanks to a year of living in France, I’ve learned to say non merci when offered a plate of roquefort cheese and mais oui! to joie de vivre.

In addition to yoga, my life long quest is learning how to whistle. When not on the yoga mat, you can find me doodling, doing User Experience design, playing soccer, and climbing on rock faces around the Puget Sound and beyond.

“May our study together be filled with light.” – Yoga Student Teacher Prayer