Bridging Pedagogy and Possibility

Like all true teachers, Nikki is at home in process and paradox. She asks the deeper question, never settling, always curious. She is a keen listener of self and others, building bridges in thought, pedagogy, and possibility. She connects past and future. Her work is boundless, brave, and easeful. She is wildly knowledgeable which makes her able to read any room and honor each person’s capacity. Nikki leads by example, empowering others and creating a vast community of kindness. After teaching alongside Nikki for thirty years, she never ceases to astonish and inspire.

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KATE WILSON | Drama Department at Julliard, Head of Voice

Vulnerable Seeker and Wise Mentor

“Among her many other virtues, Nikki Costello is a most courageous and honest human being. She expresses her courage and her honesty in all aspects of life which is probably a key to her ability to morph seamlessly from student to teacher, from listener to leader, from vulnerable seeker to wise mentor. That she is willing to directly face life’s obstacles and challenges allows her to experience the delicate and delicious dance of loneliness, partnership, intimacy and Grace. Because Nikki is also a most generous human being, she delights in sharing her experiences, knowledge, inquiries and lessons with those who come into her environment. In so doing, she has become a most successful and impactful teacher, appreciated by thousands.”

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CATHERINE A PARRISH | President, NextLevel Leadership, Inc.

The Best of Yoga

Nikki is at the vanguard of modern yoga—bridging traditional asana and meditation practice together with a zest for serious academic scholarship and rigor. Grounded in decades of yogic practice, teaching, and training, Nikki represents the best of yoga. I delight in sending students her way.

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SETH POWELL | PhD Candidate, Harvard University, Founder & Director, Yogic Studies

Surgically Precise Compassion

Nikki Costello is a teacher in so much more than the instructional sense of that word. I have experienced her teaching asana practice to other yoga teachers, and I have seen her work one on one with frail, barely mobile folks. In both cases, Nikki meets people where they are in their physical or spiritual practice. Then, with almost surgically precise compassion, intuition and knowledge, she addresses what needs growing, changing, resting, examining.

Her teaching is informed by humility and kindness, but just as importantly, by the discipline of sustained study and learning. She knows which limits can be pushed, and which must be respected - I have seen her teach people to do things they never imagined they could. This isn’t magic, it’s wisdom, and experience.

I have been studying yoga for 40 years, long enough to know that regret isn’t ever much use to the present moment. But I do wish I’d met Nikki sooner, because she models such courage, conviction, and joy in living.

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ANNE WALSH | Associate Professor of Time-based Art UC Berkeley

Elevated Teaching

Nikki’s teaching reflects her decades of studentship and refinement; she is a true teacher’s teacher. Her languaging offers subtle treasures for our practice and our teaching, and her presence is a force in the yoga community. Nikki’s passion is in Leadership Development and Motivational Speaking, and your work with her will elevate the energy of your studentship and your teaching.

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ELENA BROWER | Founder of ElenaBrower.com

Time Well Spent

I first met Nikki Costello as a student on the MA Traditions of Yoga and Meditation at SOAS, University of London. Right from the start of my encounter with her it was clear that I had in front of me an astonishingly intelligent and intuitive soul whose intention was laser-focused and engaged. In other words, I was given the gift, all too rare in higher education, of a student whose own passion and commitment to learning well matched my own.

From there, we developed a friendship which, in my view, lies at the root of all constructive learning: a reciprocal relationship of dialogue as we both taught and learned from each other. In the years since I first met her, her insight, intelligence, integrity, and passionate commitment to enabling people to reach for their potential, to grasp the best in the world, has been a consistent theme and I have found myself so often to be a beneficiary of her wisdom and strength.

I am so excited to see this new direction she is taking, knowing without a doubt that everything she does is for the benefit of others, whilst holding her own self well and from a place of strength and peace. Time spent with her is time spent well indeed. I cannot recommend her highly enough.

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DR. SIAN HAWTHORNE | SOAS, University of London

Masterful Understanding

Nikki has been instrumental for me in the understanding of yoga and the subtleties of yoga. She is also understanding of each of our different bodies and where and what our personal needs are, but mostly, she makes it fun, teaches us why and what were doing, and is funnnnnnny … she’s a master at what she does because she has immense compassion for the art of yoga and for human beings.

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LORI GOLDSTEIN | Founder of LoriGoldstein.com

Compassionate Rigor

Nikki Costello is a masterful yoga teacher. She has an astonishing ability to speak exactly the instruction needed, at exactly the moment needed, to take you deeper into a posture you didn't think you could do. Nikki can remedy body misalignment in a remarkable way. Her manner of teaching is superb and reflects her many years of study as well as teaching. She knows exactly what the body is experiencing as well as resisting, and seems to speak to my muscles directly with an authority they respond to happily.

I am an executive coach in communication skills and I marvel at her high level of skill in communicating with precise elegance of words. There is no waste, no fluff, no unnecessary chat. Every word has power and deep compassion for the body making the effort under her guidance. Her classes are what I call "compassionate rigor." I always feel complete trust in her guidance and follow along with the full commitment that brings results.

Her voice and manner are completely calm and assured. I feel she cares very much and believes in the experience available deep inside these yoga postures and she wants us to get it. Nikki is just a brilliant teacher and while her class is seriously focussed and a journey together, I feel complicit in the warm smile that she gives at the end of a class. We did it!

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ISABELLE ANDERSON | Founder Performance Communication LLC

Elevating Your Practice

​​I have worked with a plethora of teachers over the years and Nikki is incomparable. She is clear on her vision, is dedicated in her efforts to crystallize those visions, and is always respectful of staff and the students with which she works. She knows how to meet you where you are so that she can effectively teach you, and then elevates anyone who studies or works with her to a higher level.

Her ability to introduce language and articulate ideas to a community that did not yet have the tools to understand Iyengar Yoga and the philosophy of the body as Nikki knows it was and is outstanding. Her ability to synthesize academic information, principles of alignment and philosophy from many different sources, in a way that makes them relevant to the modern practitioner, is notable and remarkable.

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NIKKI VILELLA | Co-Owner and Teacher at Kula Yoga

Making the Abstract Tangible

What I have been consistently amazed by is Nikki’s cultivated ability to seamlessly, and quite often spontaneously, integrate the abstract philosophical concepts of our daily study into an āsana sequence that leads to tangible and embodied recognition of these concepts. Her depth of knowledge allows for a spontaneous and fluid approach that reveals a freedom governed by rigor, discipline, and integrity.

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MARK MCLAUGHLIN, PhD. | Senior Lecturer of South Asian Religions at William & Mary

Sophisticated Understanding

Nikki’s interest in yoga pedagogy finds expression in two major and effective ways. One is that she draws on her attentive study of foundational texts from the history of yoga as she brings to her teaching an informed and thoughtful understanding of the philosophies that support the practices of yoga and meditation today. And, in a deeply helpful and encouraging manner, she guides and supports her students toward their own increasingly sophisticated understanding and, importantly, of ways to apply that understanding effectively to their own practices.

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WILLIAM K MAHONEY, PhD. | Professor of Religious Studies at Davidson College

Guidance to New Strength

I am very thankful to Nikki for helping me access a new threshold of inner steadiness during a meditation retreat. Her guidance into an āsana (mountain pose) made space for a sudden and tangible line of connection from the top of my head deep into the earth below my feet. I had never before inhabited such strength and poise within my own body.

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BEN WILLIAMS, PhD. | Assistant Professor for the Department of Hinduism and Yoga Studies at Naropa University

Undeniable Dedication and Leadership

Nikki is undeniably my go to source for grounding, inspiration, and guidance. The way Nikki leads her own life has shown me what’s possible. She leads groups so graciously, kindly, and effortlessly. Her techniques and approach inspire my work with the groups I lead in the business field.

When I'm struggling to find my way I go to Nikki. Her calm demeanor, fierce point of view, and true guidance always gets me back to center and what's true for me. I leave feeling ready to move onward and upward!

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NATHAN SCHULTZ | Founder, Elevate with Purpose

A Skillful Guide

Nikki grounds levity, abiding integrity, deep lifelong studentship and love in everything she does. As a teacher she creates powerful safe containers for students of all practice levels to explore their strengths as well as move skillfully through challenges and growing edges.

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SCOTT SCHWENK | Founder of ScottSchwenk.com

Peaceful Guidance

The first time I took Nikki’s class was probably 20 years ago. Being a new yoga teacher at the time I remember feeling a sense of ease and calm in her class because I could relax in her guidance. She has a way of guiding her students that is a beautiful mix of love and wisdom. As a teacher it is always a joy to see a master at work and to learn, which I am grateful for, but as a teacher it is also necessary to be a student. It is a joy to be Nikki’s Student.

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PATRICIA MORENO | Founder of PatriciaMoreno.com

Mastery In Motion

Nikki is mastery in motion. She embodies the mastery of the somatic alignment in our body to our leadership intentions. She has mastery of language and physiology and articulates the right words and phrases for your mind to understand how to move your body to get into congruence with your life's purpose. I hear her guidance in my head and my body remembers the gesture or posture and assumes it. Ahhh I'm back in alignment with my purpose.

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MONICA SILVA-GUTIERREZ | Chief of Staff at Google

Palpable Delight

In the 25 years that I have known Nikki, one thing I can tell you is that she puts her whole being into all that she does. As a student, as a teacher, as a friend, Nikki is “all in.” Her teaching is powerful and effective because she walks the path that she teaches. Her delight in sharing her knowledge and skills is palpable. She is known as a “teacher’s teacher,” for good reason, but you will find, as I do, that Nikki is just as present for a complete beginner, and just as thrilled by their progress. She is also a healer. As an acupuncturist, I have referred many of my own patients to her and seen the results. I have been privileged to study with Nikki and to co-facilitate with her as well. I’ve watched her weave her magic. The care and love that she brings to her students is transformative. I hope you will have a chance to experience Nikki’s work.

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JANET HUMPHREY | LAc

Profound Transformation

I have known Nikki for decades and have worked closely with her for eight years co-facilitating retreats to Ladakh, India. It has been my absolute privilege to witness her teaching as she is the finest teacher (yoga or otherwise) that I have ever known. She is incredibly professional, leading participants in a transformative experience that profoundly changes their lives. I ever so highly recommend you spend time with her whether you are a student or a teacher yourself.

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BJ GRAF | Founder of Retreatours.com

An Authentic Maestra

My first encounter with Nikki’s teaching was in 2009 when she was a guest teacher at a class I regularly attended at that time. I was immediately struck by how clear her instruction was. She led a class of 80 unfamiliar students into vasisthasana variations with the ease and sharpness only a true maestra could pull off - I was hooked. Soon after, a new path in both my studentship and teaching was forged. Under the tutelage of Nikki, my practice matured, advanced, and deepened and my teaching was forever changed.

In a world of many yoga teachers but few teachers of yoga, Nikki Costello is as authentic as they come. Those touched by her teachings never practice or teach the same.

The study of Yoga is not only the study of the mind and body, but it is the study of life. It is the thorough examination of how we live it and an endless inquiry into how we are called to participate in it more and sometimes differently. Nikki Costello is not just a teacher of Yoga, but a mentor. A leader who not only guides her students deeper into their bodies, but also into their hearts where they encounter their soul’s deeper wisdom and are inspired to relate to their lives more attentively.

This is the impact that Nikki has had on my life both personally and professionally.

Under the tutelage of Nikki, my practice matured, advanced, and deepened, changing my teaching permanently and for the better. But more than that, it is Nikki’s Mentorship that has motivated me to create profound change in my life. A direction that has yielded great success and a fulfillment of what feels like a deeper purpose and more meaningful one. I am forever grateful to Nikki’s guidance in helping clear the path for me and for countless others.

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JILLIAN TURECKI | Founder of JillianTurecki.com