In this inspiring episode of Somatic Healing for Wellness-Focused Women, Rae sits down with multi-passionate healer and yoga educator Nikki Haas for a powerful conversation on embodiment, creativity, entrepreneurship, and using somatic movement as a healing tool.
Nikki shares her journey from corporate finance to teaching yoga and somatics at Marist University, guiding Division I athletes in nervous system awareness, and creating her unique movement offering: Somatic Salsa. Together, Rae and Nikki dive deep into how dance can unlock stuck energy, how somatic practices support mental health and emotional regulation, and what it takes to build a soulful wellness business while raising a family.
You'll also hear about their upcoming offerings at Transcend Festival, including Rae’s signature breathwork class and Nikki’s embodiment-based movement and devotional chanting (kirtan).
✨ Whether you're a yoga teacher, holistic entrepreneur, or someone looking to reconnect with your body, this episode is a beautiful invitation to move, feel, and be fully alive.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How Nikki weaves together yoga, Ayurveda, somatics, and energetic healing
- The origin and power of Somatic Salsa as a playful release practice
- Why body awareness is crucial for high-performance athletes and everyday people alike
- How Nikki balances motherhood, entrepreneurship, and teaching with self-care
- Encouragement for wellness professionals building heart-centered businesses
- Creative ways to bring more movement, joy, and softness into your life
- How to trust your body and reclaim your power through movement
Connect with Nikki: Instagram & Facebook
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Disclaimer: Please remember that the information shared on this podcast is intended to inspire, educate, and support you on your personal journey. It does not substitute for professional mental health advice. I am not a psychologist or medical professional. If you are experiencing distress, mental health challenges, or medical conditions, please seek help from a qualified professional.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to the podcast.
If you are new here, I'm Rae,I'm a somatic coach and
breathwork facilitator, and ifyou aren't new here, welcome
back.
I'm so glad that you're tuningin for today's episode.
I am super excited to bring youtoday's episode because it is
with our next guest speaker,nikki, and I'm excited to
(00:20):
introduce you to her and havethis conversation and share it
with you.
And I will share, before wedive in, how we got connected.
So I was looking to fill aretreat, like hosting teaching
role, and I was also looking fora private chef, and Nikki and I
got connected through aFacebook group originally and we
(00:42):
had a conversation and weimmediately hit it off.
She is so lovely and,coincidentally, we're also
teaching at a festival coming upin a few weeks from recording
this episode, so I'm excited toshare more about that as well.
But Nikki is a yoga teacher.
She is an athletic trainer atMarist University, a spiritual
(01:03):
energetic healer, an Ayurvedicwellness coach and a mentor to
entrepreneurs.
So, nikki, I'd love to hand itover to you.
Just kind of introduce yourself, share how you're doing and a
bit about your journey.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Thank you so much First.
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm so grateful to be here withall of you who are listening.
But hey, I'm Nikki and yeah,I'm just like so thrilled to
chat with you.
Yeah, yeah, I have otherquestions.
Right, just went whoop right onmy head.
(01:39):
No-transcript.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Right, yeah, but I mean by all means go for day one
.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
It's always so interesting to like hearing it
back when I'm like, wow, I doall of those things.
Yes.
So I started my journey on thisholistic wellness path as a
yoga teacher, specifically a hotyoga teacher.
That was about 10 years ago and, you know, fell in love with
(02:31):
yoga.
I found it to be such atransformative healing modality
for myself to just kind ofnavigate life you know the good
and the bad and that love of hotyoga which, you know, at first
was just like a great way tosweat and detox your body.
(02:53):
It led me down this reallyspiritual path of bhakti yoga.
So a couple years after, youknow, practicing and becoming a
teacher and starting to kind ofdip my toe into what it's like
to be a teacher, a leader inthis industry, I just kind of
(03:15):
took this huge leap of faith anddecided to travel out to India
where I received my advancedtraining.
And that was like a huge thingfor me because I quit my job.
You know I worked full time infinance and I decided to be like
you know what I'm not going towork for corporate America, I'm
going to do what I love when itcomes to work.
(03:36):
And then, you know, going toIndia was just so incredible,
and when I came home, I startedteaching in the studios.
I managed a few studios and alittle few years later, um, I
found me at Marist university,where I'm now a yoga professor,
which is insane to say, um, socool to say, but I get to be the
(04:02):
first experience of yoga toyoung adults at such a
prestigious institution, so it'ssuch a blessing.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Wow, yeah, that's really incredible, so funny how
like it all comes like fullcircle and so nice that you get
to do this also professionally.
And actually, when I was in mysenior year of of undergrad, I
had two credits left that I hadto fail.
So I took yoga, I took a yogaclass and I took kickboxing and
(04:32):
they were both.
They were both great and a lotof fun.
Yeah, so that's super cool thatyou're able to do that at the
university.
And is that in addition to likebeing an athletic trainer there
, like are you helping athleteswith yoga, or those two
different things?
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Well, what's really interesting is that I I started
with Marist as a trainer.
There is a very prestigiousdivision one women's basketball
team there and I came on to workfor them and train, train the
girls how to stretch theirbodies.
What's really interesting is atthe university I'm working with
(05:11):
young adults who have beenperforming athletically for the
majority of their lives.
Whichever sport they're in.
They've been practicing sincethey were a kid and it's kind of
like the peak for many of themof their athletic performance.
But they have absolutely noidea how to be in tune with
themselves and listen to theirbodies.
(05:33):
And what's also I find to bewild is, you know, is a lot of
these teams that are well-loved.
They have a whole staff ofmassage therapists, you know,
personal trainers, chiropractors, whatever it is people that
stretch them or move them in acertain way, but they have no
(05:53):
idea how to do that themselves.
So I came on to basically teachthese athletes something that
is so simple but is totallyforgotten when it comes to just
body awareness, you know.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Yeah, that's so powerful and so needed.
I mean, I can relate so much.
I played soccer and lacrosse incollege, so I was a two-sport
athlete in season all year roundand I don't think I had really
any concept or understanding ofhow to connect with my body in a
different way, not until yearsafter, until I really got into
(06:30):
like the somatic worlds.
I think a lot of my experiencewas how can I push my body past
its limit and how can I pushthrough you know injury and be
as fit as possible, and I wassuch like a competitor.
So it's such a differentexperience and I'm sure it's
incredibly valuable for them tolearn you know how to actually
(06:52):
tend to their body and how tomove their body in a way that
they might need it to and justunderstand themselves on a
different level.
That's incredible that you'reable to do that with them.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
It's so cool.
I think it's so cool that, youknow, at a, at a collegiate
level, it's now being recognizedas something that could be
incorporated into athletics.
I mean, you know, I feel likeit should have been recognized a
long time ago, but it's reallycool to see.
And you know, I, I have toremind myself they're adults.
See, and you know, I have toremind myself, they're adults.
(07:23):
You know, kids, young adults,ages 18 to 22.
I mean, the injuries that I'veseen.
Women's lacrosse is badass.
They have such insane injuriesthat I've helped a few of the
girls navigate.
Oh, my goodness, I had astudent a couple of semesters
ago who seriously injured herspine and was, you know, like
(07:47):
post-op six weeks back atlifting and I could not believe
it.
You know, and sometimes I sitdown with these kids and I'm
like, do you value your body?
Because you have one body yourentire life and you really have
to take care of it.
And I think that at that ageyou start to understand the
fundamentals of what wellness is.
(08:08):
And it's not just, you know,being a size four and looking
cute, you know, in a picture.
It has so much more to do with,you know well, you know, the
body-mind connection.
So, yeah, so I well.
So I started.
My entryway was through women'sbasketball and that led to a
(08:29):
position within the phys eddepartment and that has become.
I now teach three courses thereat the university fundamentals
course, meditation andrestorative yoga, as well as
strength and conditioning yoga.
All three very differentcourses, but I get to, you know,
(08:51):
help roughly 120 students asemester and work with the team.
So, yeah, I absolutely I lovemy job.
It's so incredibly rewardingand, yeah, it's just like really
so exciting to be there.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Yeah, all of my favorite yoga classes that
you're teaching.
That's so fun.
Yeah, the last one was actuallylike my entry point into yoga,
like strength and conditioning.
We went on like a field trip inhigh school I think I was like
14 and it was like to a sporttime and it was a strength and
conditioning class and I wassore after.
And I was like such a sporttime and it was a strength and
conditioning class and I wassore after and I was like such
(09:27):
an athlete.
So I was like, how am I sorefrom this class?
But I was, and so that was, uh,one of my first experiences
with yoga.
Um, but yeah, so among it soundslike you do I mean so many
different things, which isincredible.
Um, so we can definitely circleback to that in terms of
everything.
But yeah, I would love to hearright now if you have like a
(09:52):
specific style of yoga thatinspires you or that you like to
teach.
I know you mentioned hot yogaand then bhakti, and there's so
many different kinds Like Idon't even think I understand or
know all of them, but somethingmaybe that like inspires you
currently that you're leading interms of yoga.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
It's so challenging to pick a favorite right,
Because there is like aprescription for whatever you're
moving through in your body,right?
I just recently had a baby.
I just had my third baby, mydaughter.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Congratulations.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Thank you.
She's three months old and I'mvery much in the season of being
kind to myself and slow andembracing the sacred feminine
softness which is so polaropposite from my roots in hot
(10:51):
yoga, which is like discipline,you know, sitting in the seat of
fire and trying to shift andshape.
So right now I would say I'm inthe season of just being soft,
and what that looks like in mypractice is, um, a lot of
meditation, for sure, a lot ofreflective practices, like I
(11:14):
love to write, I love to journal, um, I love to write poetry,
and that kind of helps me staycreative.
And, uh, of course, dancing.
That's always my favorite wayto shake things up in my body
and, you know, move through theemotions that are kind of well,
you know, stuck there.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Yeah, oh my gosh, so incredible.
So it sounds like you've reallybeen able to like blend the
practice of yoga into otherareas that also like really
inspire you and they're notmaybe not so much about like the
physical asana, like practices,but yeah, that's because I
think that a lot of people, like, when they start yoga, they
think it's like, oh, I want todo a handstand or I want to, you
(11:57):
know, look like a pretzel and,um, you know, shape my body into
something crazy.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
10 years ago, there used to be Instagram challenges
where, like, every day, pose apicture, and of you in this
asana, which is just one of theways to practice yoga.
It gets more challenging whenyou actually get further away
from the body, when you moveinto the mind, and then you go
even deeper into the spirit.
(12:24):
So, um, so, yeah, I, I eventhough I mean that's my love,
like I love to.
I am a what is it?
I'm like a workout, a holic, Ilove to move my body.
Um, but sometimes, you know,depending on the phase of life
that you're in, it's just likenot realistic, you know,
absolutely.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
Absolutely, and it sounds like this somatic dance
and somatic salsa.
That sounds like something that.
How did you end up like findingthat?
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Oh man, so um, you know, I think like well, for
everybody who's listening, wenavigate life differently, right
, the ebbs and flows ofsometimes we're in these times
of life where we're feeling likeso incredible and then
sometimes we're really in a holeand that looks different for so
(13:18):
many people.
And it was at a time in my lifewhere I was kind of looking
back like in a hole, not feelingtoo good about myself, going
through a hardship, and I hadthis huge realization that the
one thing that was constant inmy life was dancing.
Teens, my 20s, my 30s, whetherI was celebrating something or I
(13:46):
was in a dark dingy club, youknow, under the influence of
alcohol, I was always dancing.
And when I started to get intosomatics and understanding that
essentially we store theseexperiences in our body, I
realized that, wow, you know,like thinking back to when I was
(14:07):
young and in my twenties andexperimenting with drugs and
alcohol and hanging out with thewrong crap.
Cause I've been there.
You know I don't like topretend that like I levitate
above people because I've beenpracticing yoga for so long.
You know I moved through realpeople experiences too and you
know I'm noticing like man, Ialways felt good when I was
(14:31):
leaving the club on a Thursdaynight.
Maybe it was what I was drinking, maybe it was what I was
partaking in, but I always feltgood after dancing and then even
like moving.
You know, I've been movingthrough sobriety for years now,
so a little bit disconnectedfrom that.
But after having my childrenand going through you know, the
(14:54):
baby blues, noticing that Iwould always dance with my kids
in the kitchen, like as babieswe would make breakfast pancakes
and I'd be dancing, fistpancakes and I'd be dancing.
But it was always an experiencefor me where I could just be
(15:16):
for lack of a better termridiculous.
I never was shy on a dancefloor, you know, but I know
there's a lot of people who are,and there's a lot of people who
experience shame or judgment orwhatever it is when they're
moving their bodies that way.
So I just had like an ahamoment one day where why I'm a
leader, I'm a guide, why can't Iguide people to be just as
ridiculous as I am?
(15:37):
Oh my God, that's incredible.
That was kind of my like thatwould be so much fun yeah,
that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
That's, oh my gosh, so incredible.
And absolutely like, afterdancing, you feel so good.
Yeah, um, you just feel so.
You feel so great, um, yeah.
For those people that mightfeel like maybe dancing isn't
like accessible or like how dothey bring more into their like
everyday life, what would maybelike some creative ways to do
(16:11):
that?
And then also like, for some ofthose people that you mentioned
that probably feel shy aroundlike moving their bodies in an
outrageous way, what might belike a fun way to empower people
to just kind of move their body?
Speaker 2 (16:28):
Well, I think everybody has experiences with
dance.
I mean, I'm of Puerto Ricandescent, so I was definitely
part of.
You know, we would dance in mygrandmother's living room from
the time we could walk, but thatdoesn't mean that dance was
more accessible to me.
I definitely had, you know,aunts and uncles who were like,
(16:48):
oh my God, you're a terribledancer From the beginning.
That's Puerto Rican love, bythe way, is judgment For anybody
who was wondering.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
It's amazing.
I don't know if there's othercultures out there that are the
same way, but the ones that loveit.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
Oh, I'm sure.
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
But I would say, like, whateveridea you have of dance, it
doesn't have to be that.
It could be something that isso simple, that could bring an
emotion, a feeling, invokesomething in you shaking, just
(17:32):
shaking in total stillness.
While that might feel silly andyou might notice your body
jiggling, think about what thatbrings up for you.
Think about what that brings upfor you like just the sensation
of like your body jiggling.
You know there's a lot of.
I think a lot of people havethis idea of how they look and
(17:55):
how they're perceived andbecause of that they just kind
of put themselves in a shell.
So I would say, like you canclose your eyes and you notice
like a sensation, a feeling.
What would it look like toexert that in your body?
Shaking, stomping your heels,throwing your fists, all of that
(18:17):
, all movements that are sobeautiful for release.
If you want to dance, put onyour favorite song and just sway
.
That could be how you start.
But yeah, I mean, or you cancome and take my somatic self a
class, yeah, and I'll help you.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
I love it.
No, that's incredible and youknow it's so true.
Like I can really relate to howsometimes maybe we overthink
things.
Like it can be simple, it canbe like putting on your favorite
song swaying.
I love that idea and I can evenshare for myself.
(18:58):
I went to a retreat in likeearlier this year I think, yeah,
in March of this year and therewas like a dancing part.
There was a lot of dancing atthe retreat, but this one part
where it was like the most likea highlight of my trip of this
like dance, it must have beensimilar to kind of like what you
(19:19):
teach, in some sense Like itwas like a class and I was in I
think it was like an hour and atthe end of it I was so clear, I
was so creative, I think Iwrote like a few poems, like I
was just so much more open andlight and I had so much fun
doing it.
But it was definitely outsideof my comfort zone.
I wasn't the instructor by anymeans, like you know but it was.
(19:45):
It was just such a great time.
So yeah, definitely.
If you're interested, check outthe somatic salsa class at
Transcend.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
Oh my gosh, even as your instructor, I feel crazy
teaching it.
Just in case anybody waswondering, because there's times
where I'm asking you to do likeI said.
I'm ridiculous, so I'm askingyou to do ridiculous things.
I encourage people to, you know, be soft with themselves.
Of course, like I've alreadymentioned, latin dance is a very
(20:13):
sexy dance.
When you're shaking your hipsand moving, I might feel
comfortable there, but sometimesa lot of people have a hard
time.
You know, we store a lot oftrauma in our hips, so finding
that type of rhythm could bechallenging and it's just so
much fun and it's just so muchfun.
(20:51):
I.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
I just you know my hope for whoever is is into
whether it's my, my class,somatic or any somatic movement
is that they walk away?
Like you said, writing,creating, inspiring, you know,
because you know, like that'sthe whole point.
What else are we here for?
Yeah, yeah, it's such anincredible feeling, um, yeah.
So I'm curious, you know, inthis balancing like everything
that you have on your plate, youknow, you're like at the
university, you're teaching,you're doing workshops and
retreats, momming,entrepreneuring, um yeah, like,
(21:14):
how do you, how do you balanceall of it?
And maybe, like in the timesthat it does feel overwhelming,
like what are some practicesthat you really enjoy, that you
really find grounding?
Speaker 2 (21:30):
You know, I have to be honest with you.
I sometimes ask myself how Ihandle it all myself, because it
does feel like a lot Wellyou're killing it, you're
killing it.
Thank you, you're doing aphenomenal job.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
I admire everything that you've created and
everything that you're doing and, yeah, you're doing a
phenomenal job.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
So keep doing.
Whatever you're doing, I amjust, I just feel so blessed to
have work that I love.
I really, at the bottom of allthese roles or positions, or you
know the names, that is Nikki.
I just love helping people.
So I think, as an entrepreneur,you have to remind yourself
(22:16):
that you know you have to fillyour own cup up as well.
If you don't do that, then youreally can't um extend out, you
know, to, to anybody else.
So, um, I just try to reallywork, uh, by being mindful of
the season of life that I'm inright now.
(22:36):
Um, you know, I'm taking sometime away from the university
cause I, like I said, I just hada baby, but, um, I am gearing
up to run my own retreat nextyear, um, next April.
Yes, I take people um yearly toVieques, puerto Rico, and, um,
yeah, it's just my favoriteplace in the world.
(22:57):
It's just so beautiful.
It's so beautiful, it's epic,you know, wild horses and just
like paradise.
And when you're in paradise andyou have everything taken care
of for you, then you can reallyfocus on yourself and do the
work.
But I guess I'm a planner, sofor me, when it comes to my jobs
(23:22):
and doing all the things.
I just look at my calendar, makesure I have a day where I'm
doing nothing.
That's so important self-careday, so that I could go take a
class, be a student and fill upmy cup so I can give to
everybody else.
And then things that make mefeel grounded.
You know, if it's not dancingand it's not writing it's it's
(23:45):
really being with my family.
I just love my kids so much andjust being home.
You know, having a big familymeal always makes me feel better
, um, or you know, going to thepark and always makes me feel
better.
Or you know, going to the parkand pretending I'm a kid like my
kids.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
That sounds so nice.
Yeah, and I know that you alsomentioned that you mentor
entrepreneurs and you know theentrepreneur journey is so
unique, it's like so different.
I guess like what would be ifsomeone was maybe just starting
(24:24):
out, or maybe even like themiddle of their journey or
something you know what might be, something that you would share
with them in terms of likeencouragement or what to expect,
because I feel like thebeginning can be like so
challenging, um, and then itdoesn't necessarily get like
easier, but it gets moreinteresting because you learn
(24:45):
more as you go, sure andessentially, like every day
could be a beginning, you know,depending on where you're at.
Yeah, I love that that's a funperspective too in itself, like
yeah, just treat every day likeday one and like you're solid.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
You treat every day like day one and you're never
bored.
Right, I love it, I I.
If I was to talk to anybody whowants to be an entrepreneur,
who wants to be an entrepreneurspecifically with wellness or
yoga or any type of holisticpractice, I would say to, first
(25:22):
of all, like, rewrite the book.
You don't have to do whateverybody else is doing.
You know, for years I was toldthat I wasn't going to make a
lot of money because yogateachers work at yoga studios
and that's the end of that, andI just was not having that.
Personally, I didn't want to.
(25:44):
You know, I didn't want tothink like man.
So I have to either be brokeand love my job or, you know, be
financially supported and hatewalking into work every day.
It was just.
It didn't make sense to me.
So I started writing manuals, Istarted mentoring, because so
(26:06):
many people are, you know, theyreally need empowerment when it
comes to using their voice andteaching and if and just a side
note when it comes to the workthat is being an entrepreneur.
Another bit of advice is if youcan do something every single
day for your business, you willsucceed.
It could be something so small,but every single day to
(26:29):
dedicate something to your goal.
Keep making new goals, becausethe dream just gets bigger.
I'm sure everybody who's anentrepreneur knows what I'm
talking about.
Yeah, yeah, and always comeback to like I.
Like I said I like to write.
So I have this little issuewhere I keep most of my journals
(26:50):
and I look back and I'm alwayslike, I'm always shocked that I
have completed the goals that Ithought weren't attainable.
You know, like, if you havelike one year goal or I did this
one exercise I facilitate yoganidra and there's this one
exercise about just what youbelieve is attainable within
(27:13):
your mind and one of thequestions is what do you think
is 90% never going to happen inyour life?
And I look back at what I wrotedown five years ago and I
already done all of those things.
Wow, that's incredible.
Well, it's not just me likesnaps to everybody listening,
because it's just the limitsthat we put within our mind.
(27:34):
You know, go far, forget yourmind, shake it out and go out
there.
What is it?
Smack yourself in the butt, goout there and do it.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
Yes, Just dance your way through the whole thing.
I love that.
Yes, yeah, I'm going to likethat whole everything that you
just said, like yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
It's hard, like it's hard to stay creative, inspired
and I know like personally, Istruggle so much with like
inspired and I know personallyI've struggled so much with.
I feel like I'm not good withsocial media I can get better at
that because it just feels likea platform of look at me and
(28:15):
it's yeah, you know, but also asa business owner and
entrepreneur, like you need toget yourself out there.
So can you find a way in themiddle?
Speaker 1 (28:26):
This is something I'm navigating right now you know,
yeah, you know, and I think Ithink it lands for a lot of
entrepreneurs.
You know, social media initself is like we could talk
about it for a long time.
It's like finding that balanceof like, like how do you show up
authentically, and also beingmindful of your capacity, but
(28:48):
also like going outside of yourcomfort zone.
It's like so many differentthings and I and I I agree there
can be a bit of like, uh, likesee me, energy, and so it's hard
to find like, like you do needto be seen as an entrepreneur,
but like, what feels likeauthentic for you, where you're
showing up in a way where youfeel like you know, embodied in
(29:08):
what you're doing and it's notjust for like, you know, likes
or virality or something else, athousand percent.
Yeah, it's definitely a journeyand what's interesting, I can
even share like a little bitabout my, my journey with it.
Um, in the beginning, like whenI first started my business, it
was, it was super.
Now it was easy for me to showup in a different way than what
(29:31):
I mean by easy, but in ways, itwas easier for me to show up, um
, maybe because I was moreexcited about it.
I think that's what it was.
It was like new and I was like,you know, making all these like
I was having as much fun withit as possible, and it was fun.
And then I hit a point where itwas just like I wanted to stop
kind of posting as much as Icould, kind of, and so I pivoted
(29:53):
and I, in that pivot, found away that I can incorporate
social media, incorporate mypodcast, incorporate my
newsletter in a way that likefeels so much more authentic to
what I'm doing and it there's noway I would have figured that
out without going through allthe ups and downs and it might
(30:16):
change again.
Like right now I feel like I'min a really good flow, but that
that might happen again, whereI'm like, okay, something needs
to be changed, something needsto be changed and something
needs to be tweaked, and it'snot landing for me.
In the same way, and for me,I'm finding that on that
entrepreneur journey, it's somuch about pivoting and not
judging yourself for the pivotand not judging yourself for
(30:39):
making another change, anotheriteration, and it's like that's
just kind of part of the journeyof like figuring out your way
and being fluid with all thosechanges.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Well, you're so right Cause I think we all just like
piggyback off that.
We all struggle with thisperfectionism within our
business.
Right, like I'm not going topost, I'm not going to send out
my newsletter unless it's likeexactly the way I envision it.
But I think I was just readingthis thing about artists and how
they create, and it's like canyou create in chaos?
(31:12):
Like if you can take the chaosand just put something out there
, you're more authentic, you'remore vulnerable, right, and
you'll find your true audiencein that way.
At least, that's what I like tobelieve.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
Absolutely.
I love that and it's true.
It'll come out, yeah, likeauthentic, like just create in
the chaos, like, oh, that's sogood.
So I know that we're bothteaching at Transcend Fest
coming up, so that's in a fewweeks from when we're recording.
So that is a for anyone that'slistening.
(31:50):
That's a festival, a yogafestival, that's taking place in
Connecticut, in Middlefield,connecticut.
It's three days the 12th, 13thand 14th, if I'm remembering
that correctly.
Yes, days the 12th, 13th and14th if I'm remembering that
correctly.
And there's differentperformers.
There's like musicians thatperform at night.
There's food, so many differentyoga classes, so many different
(32:13):
somatic classes, nervous systemregulation, meditation, sound
healing, art, hula hooping Imean they have like a little bit
of everything.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
So I'm really excited .
Favorite festival of the year.
Personally I went to.
I tend to teach through.
Like the festival market, it'smy favorite one.
I think we get the best weather.
It's such a cool group ofpeople.
Yes, I'm so excited.
Speaker 1 (32:39):
Yeah, I'm excited too , so we're both teaching there.
I think we're actually teachingon the same day, at the same
time.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
Oh man, that stinks.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Isn't that funny.
So like I was gonna go to yourclass, but now we can't go to
each other's class.
It's like kind of ironic, butgo to one of our classes.
If you come, doesn't mattereither one, they're both gonna
be wonderful, so come hang outwith us.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
Oh my gosh, apologies if you can hear me wherever you
are, cause, like I said, I geta little crazy on the microphone
.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
Oh, my God, I don't know, I don't know like the
venue that well, but I'm goingto be in outer space, which I'm,
like, so excited, and I lovebeing able to say that like,
come breathe with me in outerspace.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
Like that sounds sick .
Outer space is so cute it's.
It's got trees, like it'ssurrounded by trees in the back
ends of the festival.
I know exactly where you'regoing to be.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
So will I hear you from across the way.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
Oh, it's possible.
I can't say yes or no.
Honestly, I feel like I canhear my voice echo through the
mountain, so you'll have to letafterwards.
We'll have to meet up andyou'll have to tell me yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
I feel like I really liked that song that you played.
Yeah, I feel like I really likethat song that you play.
Oh my gosh, yeah, okay.
So for anyone that's listening,that wants to stay connected
with you, get in your world.
What's a way for them to dothat?
Where are you most online?
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Oh man, well, if you want to stay connected with me.
Well, really quick.
Actually, I just wanted to sayabout Transcend, right?
Oh yeah, what are you teachingat Transcend?
Speaker 1 (34:15):
I am teaching it's called Inhale, exhale and Let
that Shit Go, and it's a somaticbreath work and sound healing
and we'll end with like somejournaling.
But it's all around harvestseason and this season that
we're going to be moving intoit's really based around letting
go.
So that's what the intention ofthe practice is going to be,
whether that's, you know, grief,anger, resentment, sadness,
(34:38):
just really clearing out oursystem so that you know, after
our session and absolutely afterthe retreat, you are going to
feel just like so clear.
It's going to be such a boostinto the rest of the year, so
I'm super excited for it.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
I love that, yeah, cause I think festivals feel
like a retreat personally,because you get to basically
take whatever you want.
You know, with so many amazing,amazing teachers.
So wish I could take that, butit's okay.
Speaker 1 (35:08):
I know, I know that to yeah, to just like elaborate
on what you shared.
It's so true.
There are like there might beover a hundred classes Like I
don't even know the quantity,but there are so many incredible
teachers.
Festivals is really where mywhole journey in this world
started, because that's where Idiscovered breathwork.
(35:30):
About nine years ago, I went toa, like my version of Christmas
, because it was like thatweekend where I got to like
check in with myself and likereflect on the last time I was
at the yoga festival and meetpeople and meet facilitators and
(35:53):
just like be in it.
So as excited as I am to teach,I'm also excited to be an
attendee.
I will be going to so manyclasses and like it's going to
be great.
Speaker 2 (36:03):
So yeah, oh, my gosh, same.
I'm bringing my daughter, so Ihope that we get to bump into
each other while we're there.
I'll be, wearing the baby.
Speaker 1 (36:12):
Amazing, that's like goals right there.
Yoga festival with the babywearing the baby about it.
You're just killing it.
You're killing it.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
You're so sweet.
I'm actually teaching both daysI teach, so Saturday I'm
teaching at one 30, I believe itis either one or one 30.
Speaker 1 (36:27):
So that's the class at the same time that I'm
teaching, so maybe I can come onSunday then, okay.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
Well, saturday is somatic salsa, that one I'm in
the main pavilion so we're inthe shade, but for anybody who's
interested in taking it, Ialways call it salsa.
Some people think it's becausethey're going to learn salsa.
I actually like the version of,like the salsa you eat.
It's different every place yougo.
So, as an energetic healer, Ilike to feel the group before I
(36:56):
move them in a specific way butexpect, like you know, high
energy, um, tribal dance, latindance, uh, we listened to you
know, house music, hip hop, alltypes of things to shake our
body and let go of.
You know whatever's in there,um, and I always end it with
chanting and um meditation.
(37:18):
So that's Saturday, somaticsalsa and Sunday I don't know
where I'm teaching it, but I'llbe leading kirtan with my dear
friend, josh Kane, and that isdevotional chanting.
So I know that sometimes thatfreaks people out and they don't
really know how to evenparticipate with that.
(37:39):
I would say just show up,you're going to be listening to
ancient mantras that arerepetitive and, in a sense,
another meditation fortranscendental, you know, moving
into different parts of yourmind.
So, yeah, come see me and Josh,if you'd like, sunday morning
for that, and that's a Kirtanclass.
(37:59):
Yes, it's Kirtan.
It's one hour.
I think it's at 10 am.
I just don't know where it is.
Last year we were on top of themountain.
I don't think we're on top ofthe mountain this year.
It's somewhere else.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
Okay, yeah, kirtan I hope I'm pronouncing that
correctly is so interestingbecause you get to sing.
I don't necessarily know whatI'm singing, but it creates like
a response, like there's beenclasses where I've gone to
Curtan at festivals and I'm likecrying and I'm like why am I
(38:32):
crying?
I feel like amazing and I getlike this, like it's an
experience in itself.
So it's definitely somethingcool, such a welcoming setting
to check out too.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
if it's like something you're new to and if
you have obviously done itbefore, like myself, I will
totally be checking it outbecause I just like I really,
and you don't have to be anotherthing like hey, dance
ridiculously, come and sing,like all these things, right,
right, oh my gosh, I don't wantto do any of that in public.
Um, but use your voice reallyis such a a vessel to you.
(39:03):
Know, when we talk about thechakras, it's the connection
from the heart and the third eye, so the heart, love all the way
up to your visionary.
You have to open this up.
So, even if you're a terriblesinger a terrible and I'm air
quoting it singer, come, show up, just hum.
(39:23):
If you feel shy, I'm sureeventually you'll sing and once
you do, you really go somewhereelse.
Yeah, you really do.
Okay, so if you would like tofind me, of course you can check
me out on Instagram.
I promise I'll be posting moreafter our inspiring conversation
(39:43):
.
That's Nikki Haas YogaN-I-K-K-I-H-A-A-S Yoga.
That's me on the IG.
You can also reach out to me onmy website, nikkihaascom.
And yeah, those are pretty muchmy two, you know, without
giving you my cell phone.
Speaker 1 (40:04):
Right, amazing, yeah, and I'll put all of Nikki's
information in the show notes aswell, so you'll be able to find
it there.
And one question that I love tojust end with and close with
that we ask all of our guests iswhat is one thing right now
that is really lighting you up,something that is inspiring you,
(40:27):
and this could be anything.
This could be a book, a teacher, an artist, a person, just
anything in your life right nowthat you feel like you're really
receiving something from.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
So I mean there's something really special about
this time of year.
This, I mean I know we're notin September just yet, we're
almost, we're about to be um,and I really love this season of
like right before it getsreally cold, uh, so just being
outside this time of year is soinspiring and something that I
(41:01):
spend a lot of time doing.
And outside of that, I love toread.
It's just hard because, likeyou said, I have a lot going on
(41:23):
with work and books that give mea little bit of like a blip
every single day.
Or an example of that I'mconstantly reading the book of
awakening by Mark Nepo.
I love that book.
If you open it up, you justlook at the date and it's
usually like a page or two andat the end of it it gives you a
(41:45):
little meditation.
So I love philosophy and itreally fills my cup up with that
.
Another book that I love isRemember by Rochelle Penn, who
is an amazing, amazing person.
That's a book that I ask aquestion and then I open the
page and usually it gives me ananswer.
(42:06):
So that one's a lot of fun.
And you know, always just maybethe question seems silly, but
it keeps me playful.
And then the daily readingkeeps me accountable the daily
reading keeps me accountable.
Speaker 1 (42:27):
Yeah, both of those sound amazing.
I would definitely check themout.
I really, yeah, enjoy thosekind of like snippet philosophy
moments where you can like shiftyour perspective or feel
inspired or maybe you receivelike an insight related to
something that's going on.
It's like very kismet.
So that's really.
That sounds really really nice.
Speaker 2 (42:47):
Yeah, get that book of awakening.
It's like I probably read itcontinuously for three years
just because I get to open it up.
And it's always so funnybecause there's certain times
you start to notice certaintimes of the year that, like you
read, or for myself, where I'mreading it, I'm like'm like man.
I never know what's going on.
In January, for example,because that's usually when I
(43:09):
take on, like my, I'm going toread a book this year.
So, um, I definitely wouldcheck it out.
Both of them are are just greatreads.
Speaker 1 (43:17):
I love it.
I love it.
Well, nikki, this has been anawesome conversation, um, like I
said.
I said, I just admire so muchof what you've created and
everything that you're up to,and I'm super excited to hang at
Transcend Fest.
Speaker 2 (43:32):
Thank you.
Thank you again for having me.
I'm so grateful for you and I'mso excited for all of the
collaborations that we havecoming up this fall.
So thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (43:43):
Collaborations that we have, you know, coming up
this fall.
So thank you for having me.
Thank you for being here andtuning in to somatic healing for
wellness focused women podcast.
If you were moved or inspiredby today's episode, please take
a moment to leave a rating andreview on Apple podcasts.
It truly helps the podcast growand helps more people find me
on their healing journey.
Make sure to check out the shownotes, to sign up for the
(44:05):
monthly newsletter, links tomore resources, opportunities to
work with me and ways that wecan stay connected.
If we aren't already connectedon social media, head over to
Instagram to follow me atraythesomaticcoach.
Send me a DM.
I'd love to connect with youand I answer each note that
comes in.
I am so happy you're here and Icannot wait to talk with you on
(44:29):
our next episode of the podcast.
Welcome back to the podcast.
If you are new here, I'm Rae,I'm a somatic coach and
breathwork facilitator, and ifyou aren't new here, welcome
back.
I'm so glad that you're tuningin for today's episode.
I am super excited to bring youtoday's episode because it is
with our next guest speaker,nikki, and I'm excited to
(00:20):
introduce you to her and havethis conversation and share it
with you.
And I will share, before wedive in, how we got connected.
So I was looking to fill aretreat, like hosting teaching
role, and I was also looking fora private chef, and Nikki and I
got connected through aFacebook group originally and we
(00:42):
had a conversation and weimmediately hit it off.
She is so lovely and,coincidentally, we're also
teaching at a festival coming upin a few weeks from recording
this episode, so I'm excited toshare more about that as well.
But Nikki is a yoga teacher.
She is an athletic trainer atMarist University, a spiritual
(01:03):
energetic healer, an Ayurvedicwellness coach and a mentor to
entrepreneurs.
So, nikki, I'd love to hand itover to you.
Just kind of introduce yourself, share how you're doing and a
bit about your journey.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Thank you so much First.
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm so grateful to be here withall of you who are listening.
But hey, I'm Nikki and yeah,I'm just like so thrilled to
chat with you.
Yeah, yeah, I have otherquestions.
Right, just went whoop right onmy head.
(01:39):
No-transcript.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Right, yeah, but I mean by all means go for day one
.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
It's always so interesting to like hearing it
back when I'm like, wow, I doall of those things.
Yes.
So I started my journey on thisholistic wellness path as a
yoga teacher, specifically a hotyoga teacher.
That was about 10 years ago and, you know, fell in love with
(02:31):
yoga.
I found it to be such atransformative healing modality
for myself to just kind ofnavigate life you know the good
and the bad and that love of hotyoga which, you know, at first
was just like a great way tosweat and detox your body.
(02:53):
It led me down this reallyspiritual path of bhakti yoga.
So a couple years after, youknow, practicing and becoming a
teacher and starting to kind ofdip my toe into what it's like
to be a teacher, a leader inthis industry, I just kind of
(03:15):
took this huge leap of faith anddecided to travel out to India
where I received my advancedtraining.
And that was like a huge thingfor me because I quit my job.
You know I worked full time infinance and I decided to be like
you know what I'm not going towork for corporate America, I'm
going to do what I love when itcomes to work.
(03:36):
And then, you know, going toIndia was just so incredible,
and when I came home, I startedteaching in the studios.
I managed a few studios and alittle few years later, um, I
found me at Marist university,where I'm now a yoga professor,
which is insane to say, um, socool to say, but I get to be the
(04:02):
first experience of yoga toyoung adults at such a
prestigious institution, so it'ssuch a blessing.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Wow, yeah, that's really incredible, so funny how
like it all comes like fullcircle and so nice that you get
to do this also professionally.
And actually, when I was in mysenior year of of undergrad, I
had two credits left that I hadto fail.
So I took yoga, I took a yogaclass and I took kickboxing and
(04:32):
they were both.
They were both great and a lotof fun.
Yeah, so that's super cool thatyou're able to do that at the
university.
And is that in addition to likebeing an athletic trainer there
, like are you helping athleteswith yoga, or those two
different things?
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Well, what's really interesting is that I I started
with Marist as a trainer.
There is a very prestigiousdivision one women's basketball
team there and I came on to workfor them and train, train the
girls how to stretch theirbodies.
What's really interesting is atthe university I'm working with
(05:11):
young adults who have beenperforming athletically for the
majority of their lives.
Whichever sport they're in.
They've been practicing sincethey were a kid and it's kind of
like the peak for many of themof their athletic performance.
But they have absolutely noidea how to be in tune with
themselves and listen to theirbodies.
(05:33):
And what's also I find to bewild is, you know, is a lot of
these teams that are well-loved.
They have a whole staff ofmassage therapists, you know,
personal trainers, chiropractors, whatever it is people that
stretch them or move them in acertain way, but they have no
(05:53):
idea how to do that themselves.
So I came on to basically teachthese athletes something that
is so simple but is totallyforgotten when it comes to just
body awareness, you know.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Yeah, that's so powerful and so needed.
I mean, I can relate so much.
I played soccer and lacrosse incollege, so I was a two-sport
athlete in season all year roundand I don't think I had really
any concept or understanding ofhow to connect with my body in a
different way, not until yearsafter, until I really got into
(06:30):
like the somatic worlds.
I think a lot of my experiencewas how can I push my body past
its limit and how can I pushthrough you know injury and be
as fit as possible, and I wassuch like a competitor.
So it's such a differentexperience and I'm sure it's
incredibly valuable for them tolearn you know how to actually
(06:52):
tend to their body and how tomove their body in a way that
they might need it to and justunderstand themselves on a
different level.
That's incredible that you'reable to do that with them.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
It's so cool.
I think it's so cool that, youknow, at a, at a collegiate
level, it's now being recognizedas something that could be
incorporated into athletics.
I mean, you know, I feel likeit should have been recognized a
long time ago, but it's reallycool to see.
And you know, I, I have toremind myself they're adults.
See, and you know, I have toremind myself, they're adults.
(07:23):
You know, kids, young adults,ages 18 to 22.
I mean, the injuries that I'veseen.
Women's lacrosse is badass.
They have such insane injuriesthat I've helped a few of the
girls navigate.
Oh, my goodness, I had astudent a couple of semesters
ago who seriously injured herspine and was, you know, like
(07:47):
post-op six weeks back atlifting and I could not believe
it.
You know, and sometimes I sitdown with these kids and I'm
like, do you value your body?
Because you have one body yourentire life and you really have
to take care of it.
And I think that at that ageyou start to understand the
fundamentals of what wellness is.
(08:08):
And it's not just, you know,being a size four and looking
cute, you know, in a picture.
It has so much more to do with,you know well, you know, the
body-mind connection.
So, yeah, so I well.
So I started.
My entryway was through women'sbasketball and that led to a
(08:29):
position within the phys eddepartment and that has become.
I now teach three courses thereat the university fundamentals
course, meditation andrestorative yoga, as well as
strength and conditioning yoga.
All three very differentcourses, but I get to, you know,
(08:51):
help roughly 120 students asemester and work with the team.
So, yeah, I absolutely I lovemy job.
It's so incredibly rewardingand, yeah, it's just like really
so exciting to be there.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Yeah, all of my favorite yoga classes that
you're teaching.
That's so fun.
Yeah, the last one was actuallylike my entry point into yoga,
like strength and conditioning.
We went on like a field trip inhigh school I think I was like
14 and it was like to a sporttime and it was a strength and
conditioning class and I wassore after.
And I was like such a sporttime and it was a strength and
conditioning class and I wassore after and I was like such
(09:27):
an athlete.
So I was like, how am I sorefrom this class?
But I was, and so that was, uh,one of my first experiences
with yoga.
Um, but yeah, so among it soundslike you do I mean so many
different things, which isincredible.
Um, so we can definitely circleback to that in terms of
everything.
But yeah, I would love to hearright now if you have like a
(09:52):
specific style of yoga thatinspires you or that you like to
teach.
I know you mentioned hot yogaand then bhakti, and there's so
many different kinds Like Idon't even think I understand or
know all of them, but somethingmaybe that like inspires you
currently that you're leading interms of yoga.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
It's so challenging to pick a favorite right,
Because there is like aprescription for whatever you're
moving through in your body,right?
I just recently had a baby.
I just had my third baby, mydaughter.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Congratulations.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Thank you.
She's three months old and I'mvery much in the season of being
kind to myself and slow andembracing the sacred feminine
softness which is so polaropposite from my roots in hot
(10:51):
yoga, which is like discipline,you know, sitting in the seat of
fire and trying to shift andshape.
So right now I would say I'm inthe season of just being soft,
and what that looks like in mypractice is, um, a lot of
meditation, for sure, a lot ofreflective practices, like I
(11:14):
love to write, I love to journal, um, I love to write poetry,
and that kind of helps me staycreative.
And, uh, of course, dancing.
That's always my favorite wayto shake things up in my body
and, you know, move through theemotions that are kind of well,
you know, stuck there.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Yeah, oh my gosh, so incredible.
So it sounds like you've reallybeen able to like blend the
practice of yoga into otherareas that also like really
inspire you and they're notmaybe not so much about like the
physical asana, like practices,but yeah, that's because I
think that a lot of people, like, when they start yoga, they
think it's like, oh, I want todo a handstand or I want to, you
(11:57):
know, look like a pretzel and,um, you know, shape my body into
something crazy.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
10 years ago, there used to be Instagram challenges
where, like, every day, pose apicture, and of you in this
asana, which is just one of theways to practice yoga.
It gets more challenging whenyou actually get further away
from the body, when you moveinto the mind, and then you go
even deeper into the spirit.
(12:24):
So, um, so, yeah, I, I eventhough I mean that's my love,
like I love to.
I am a what is it?
I'm like a workout, a holic, Ilove to move my body.
Um, but sometimes, you know,depending on the phase of life
that you're in, it's just likenot realistic, you know,
absolutely.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
Absolutely, and it sounds like this somatic dance
and somatic salsa.
That sounds like something that.
How did you end up like findingthat?
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Oh man, so um, you know, I think like well, for
everybody who's listening, wenavigate life differently, right
, the ebbs and flows ofsometimes we're in these times
of life where we're feeling likeso incredible and then
sometimes we're really in a holeand that looks different for so
(13:18):
many people.
And it was at a time in my lifewhere I was kind of looking
back like in a hole, not feelingtoo good about myself, going
through a hardship, and I hadthis huge realization that the
one thing that was constant inmy life was dancing.
Teens, my 20s, my 30s, whetherI was celebrating something or I
(13:46):
was in a dark dingy club, youknow, under the influence of
alcohol, I was always dancing.
And when I started to get intosomatics and understanding that
essentially we store theseexperiences in our body, I
realized that, wow, you know,like thinking back to when I was
(14:07):
young and in my twenties andexperimenting with drugs and
alcohol and hanging out with thewrong crap.
Cause I've been there.
You know I don't like topretend that like I levitate
above people because I've beenpracticing yoga for so long.
You know I moved through realpeople experiences too and you
know I'm noticing like man, Ialways felt good when I was
(14:31):
leaving the club on a Thursdaynight.
Maybe it was what I was drinking, maybe it was what I was
partaking in, but I always feltgood after dancing and then even
like moving.
You know, I've been movingthrough sobriety for years now,
so a little bit disconnectedfrom that.
But after having my childrenand going through you know, the
(14:54):
baby blues, noticing that Iwould always dance with my kids
in the kitchen, like as babieswe would make breakfast pancakes
and I'd be dancing, fistpancakes and I'd be dancing.
But it was always an experiencefor me where I could just be
(15:16):
for lack of a better termridiculous.
I never was shy on a dancefloor, you know, but I know
there's a lot of people who are,and there's a lot of people who
experience shame or judgment orwhatever it is when they're
moving their bodies that way.
So I just had like an ahamoment one day where why I'm a
leader, I'm a guide, why can't Iguide people to be just as
ridiculous as I am?
(15:37):
Oh my God, that's incredible.
That was kind of my like thatwould be so much fun yeah,
that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
That's, oh my gosh, so incredible.
And absolutely like, afterdancing, you feel so good.
Yeah, um, you just feel so.
You feel so great, um, yeah.
For those people that mightfeel like maybe dancing isn't
like accessible or like how dothey bring more into their like
everyday life, what would maybelike some creative ways to do
(16:11):
that?
And then also like, for some ofthose people that you mentioned
that probably feel shy aroundlike moving their bodies in an
outrageous way, what might belike a fun way to empower people
to just kind of move their body?
Speaker 2 (16:28):
Well, I think everybody has experiences with
dance.
I mean, I'm of Puerto Ricandescent, so I was definitely
part of.
You know, we would dance in mygrandmother's living room from
the time we could walk, but thatdoesn't mean that dance was
more accessible to me.
I definitely had, you know,aunts and uncles who were like,
(16:48):
oh my God, you're a terribledancer From the beginning.
That's Puerto Rican love, bythe way, is judgment For anybody
who was wondering.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
It's amazing.
I don't know if there's othercultures out there that are the
same way, but the ones that loveit.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
Oh, I'm sure.
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
But I would say, like, whateveridea you have of dance, it
doesn't have to be that.
It could be something that isso simple, that could bring an
emotion, a feeling, invokesomething in you shaking, just
(17:32):
shaking in total stillness.
While that might feel silly andyou might notice your body
jiggling, think about what thatbrings up for you.
Think about what that brings upfor you like just the sensation
of like your body jiggling.
You know there's a lot of.
I think a lot of people havethis idea of how they look and
(17:55):
how they're perceived andbecause of that they just kind
of put themselves in a shell.
So I would say, like you canclose your eyes and you notice
like a sensation, a feeling.
What would it look like toexert that in your body?
Shaking, stomping your heels,throwing your fists, all of that
(18:17):
, all movements that are sobeautiful for release.
If you want to dance, put onyour favorite song and just sway
.
That could be how you start.
But yeah, I mean, or you cancome and take my somatic self a
class, yeah, and I'll help you.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
I love it.
No, that's incredible and youknow it's so true.
Like I can really relate to howsometimes maybe we overthink
things.
Like it can be simple, it canbe like putting on your favorite
song swaying.
I love that idea and I can evenshare for myself.
(18:58):
I went to a retreat in likeearlier this year I think, yeah,
in March of this year and therewas like a dancing part.
There was a lot of dancing atthe retreat, but this one part
where it was like the most likea highlight of my trip of this
like dance, it must have beensimilar to kind of like what you
(19:19):
teach, in some sense Like itwas like a class and I was in I
think it was like an hour and atthe end of it I was so clear, I
was so creative, I think Iwrote like a few poems, like I
was just so much more open andlight and I had so much fun
doing it.
But it was definitely outsideof my comfort zone.
I wasn't the instructor by anymeans, like you know but it was.
(19:45):
It was just such a great time.
So yeah, definitely.
If you're interested, check outthe somatic salsa class at
Transcend.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
Oh my gosh, even as your instructor, I feel crazy
teaching it.
Just in case anybody waswondering, because there's times
where I'm asking you to do likeI said.
I'm ridiculous, so I'm askingyou to do ridiculous things.
I encourage people to, you know, be soft with themselves.
Of course, like I've alreadymentioned, latin dance is a very
(20:13):
sexy dance.
When you're shaking your hipsand moving, I might feel
comfortable there, but sometimesa lot of people have a hard
time.
You know, we store a lot oftrauma in our hips, so finding
that type of rhythm could bechallenging and it's just so
much fun and it's just so muchfun.
(20:51):
I.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
I just you know my hope for whoever is is into
whether it's my, my class,somatic or any somatic movement
is that they walk away?
Like you said, writing,creating, inspiring, you know,
because you know, like that'sthe whole point.
What else are we here for?
Yeah, yeah, it's such anincredible feeling, um, yeah.
So I'm curious, you know, inthis balancing like everything
that you have on your plate, youknow, you're like at the
university, you're teaching,you're doing workshops and
retreats, momming,entrepreneuring, um yeah, like,
(21:14):
how do you, how do you balanceall of it?
And maybe, like in the timesthat it does feel overwhelming,
like what are some practicesthat you really enjoy, that you
really find grounding?
Speaker 2 (21:30):
You know, I have to be honest with you.
I sometimes ask myself how Ihandle it all myself, because it
does feel like a lot Wellyou're killing it, you're
killing it.
Thank you, you're doing aphenomenal job.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
I admire everything that you've created and
everything that you're doing and, yeah, you're doing a
phenomenal job.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
So keep doing.
Whatever you're doing, I amjust, I just feel so blessed to
have work that I love.
I really, at the bottom of allthese roles or positions, or you
know the names, that is Nikki.
I just love helping people.
So I think, as an entrepreneur,you have to remind yourself
(22:16):
that you know you have to fillyour own cup up as well.
If you don't do that, then youreally can't um extend out, you
know, to, to anybody else.
So, um, I just try to reallywork, uh, by being mindful of
the season of life that I'm inright now.
(22:36):
Um, you know, I'm taking sometime away from the university
cause I, like I said, I just hada baby, but, um, I am gearing
up to run my own retreat nextyear, um, next April.
Yes, I take people um yearly toVieques, puerto Rico, and, um,
yeah, it's just my favoriteplace in the world.
(22:57):
It's just so beautiful.
It's so beautiful, it's epic,you know, wild horses and just
like paradise.
And when you're in paradise andyou have everything taken care
of for you, then you can reallyfocus on yourself and do the
work.
But I guess I'm a planner, sofor me, when it comes to my jobs
(23:22):
and doing all the things.
I just look at my calendar, makesure I have a day where I'm
doing nothing.
That's so important self-careday, so that I could go take a
class, be a student and fill upmy cup so I can give to
everybody else.
And then things that make mefeel grounded.
You know, if it's not dancingand it's not writing it's it's
(23:45):
really being with my family.
I just love my kids so much andjust being home.
You know, having a big familymeal always makes me feel better
, um, or you know, going to thepark and always makes me feel
better.
Or you know, going to the parkand pretending I'm a kid like my
kids.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
That sounds so nice.
Yeah, and I know that you alsomentioned that you mentor
entrepreneurs and you know theentrepreneur journey is so
unique, it's like so different.
I guess like what would be ifsomeone was maybe just starting
(24:24):
out, or maybe even like themiddle of their journey or
something you know what might be, something that you would share
with them in terms of likeencouragement or what to expect,
because I feel like thebeginning can be like so
challenging, um, and then itdoesn't necessarily get like
easier, but it gets moreinteresting because you learn
(24:45):
more as you go, sure andessentially, like every day
could be a beginning, you know,depending on where you're at.
Yeah, I love that that's a funperspective too in itself, like
yeah, just treat every day likeday one and like you're solid.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
You treat every day like day one and you're never
bored.
Right, I love it, I I.
If I was to talk to anybody whowants to be an entrepreneur,
who wants to be an entrepreneurspecifically with wellness or
yoga or any type of holisticpractice, I would say to, first
(25:22):
of all, like, rewrite the book.
You don't have to do whateverybody else is doing.
You know, for years I was toldthat I wasn't going to make a
lot of money because yogateachers work at yoga studios
and that's the end of that, andI just was not having that.
Personally, I didn't want to.
(25:44):
You know, I didn't want tothink like man.
So I have to either be brokeand love my job or, you know, be
financially supported and hatewalking into work every day.
It was just.
It didn't make sense to me.
So I started writing manuals, Istarted mentoring, because so
(26:06):
many people are, you know, theyreally need empowerment when it
comes to using their voice andteaching and if and just a side
note when it comes to the workthat is being an entrepreneur.
Another bit of advice is if youcan do something every single
day for your business, you willsucceed.
It could be something so small,but every single day to
(26:29):
dedicate something to your goal.
Keep making new goals, becausethe dream just gets bigger.
I'm sure everybody who's anentrepreneur knows what I'm
talking about.
Yeah, yeah, and always comeback to like I.
Like I said I like to write.
So I have this little issuewhere I keep most of my journals
(26:50):
and I look back and I'm alwayslike, I'm always shocked that I
have completed the goals that Ithought weren't attainable.
You know, like, if you havelike one year goal or I did this
one exercise I facilitate yoganidra and there's this one
exercise about just what youbelieve is attainable within
(27:13):
your mind and one of thequestions is what do you think
is 90% never going to happen inyour life?
And I look back at what I wrotedown five years ago and I
already done all of those things.
Wow, that's incredible.
Well, it's not just me likesnaps to everybody listening,
because it's just the limitsthat we put within our mind.
(27:34):
You know, go far, forget yourmind, shake it out and go out
there.
What is it?
Smack yourself in the butt, goout there and do it.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
Yes, Just dance your way through the whole thing.
I love that.
Yes, yeah, I'm going to likethat whole everything that you
just said, like yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
It's hard, like it's hard to stay creative, inspired
and I know like personally, Istruggle so much with like
inspired and I know personallyI've struggled so much with.
I feel like I'm not good withsocial media I can get better at
that because it just feels likea platform of look at me and
(28:15):
it's yeah, you know, but also asa business owner and
entrepreneur, like you need toget yourself out there.
So can you find a way in themiddle?
Speaker 1 (28:26):
This is something I'm navigating right now you know,
yeah, you know, and I think Ithink it lands for a lot of
entrepreneurs.
You know, social media initself is like we could talk
about it for a long time.
It's like finding that balanceof like, like how do you show up
authentically, and also beingmindful of your capacity, but
(28:48):
also like going outside of yourcomfort zone.
It's like so many differentthings and I and I I agree there
can be a bit of like, uh, likesee me, energy, and so it's hard
to find like, like you do needto be seen as an entrepreneur,
but like, what feels likeauthentic for you, where you're
showing up in a way where youfeel like you know, embodied in
(29:08):
what you're doing and it's notjust for like, you know, likes
or virality or something else, athousand percent.
Yeah, it's definitely a journeyand what's interesting, I can
even share like a little bitabout my, my journey with it.
Um, in the beginning, like whenI first started my business, it
was, it was super.
Now it was easy for me to showup in a different way than what
(29:31):
I mean by easy, but in ways, itwas easier for me to show up, um
, maybe because I was moreexcited about it.
I think that's what it was.
It was like new and I was like,you know, making all these like
I was having as much fun withit as possible, and it was fun.
And then I hit a point where itwas just like I wanted to stop
kind of posting as much as Icould, kind of, and so I pivoted
(29:53):
and I, in that pivot, found away that I can incorporate
social media, incorporate mypodcast, incorporate my
newsletter in a way that likefeels so much more authentic to
what I'm doing and it there's noway I would have figured that
out without going through allthe ups and downs and it might
(30:16):
change again.
Like right now I feel like I'min a really good flow, but that
that might happen again, whereI'm like, okay, something needs
to be changed, something needsto be changed and something
needs to be tweaked, and it'snot landing for me.
In the same way, and for me,I'm finding that on that
entrepreneur journey, it's somuch about pivoting and not
judging yourself for the pivotand not judging yourself for
(30:39):
making another change, anotheriteration, and it's like that's
just kind of part of the journeyof like figuring out your way
and being fluid with all thosechanges.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Well, you're so right Cause I think we all just like
piggyback off that.
We all struggle with thisperfectionism within our
business.
Right, like I'm not going topost, I'm not going to send out
my newsletter unless it's likeexactly the way I envision it.
But I think I was just readingthis thing about artists and how
they create, and it's like canyou create in chaos?
(31:12):
Like if you can take the chaosand just put something out there
, you're more authentic, you'remore vulnerable, right, and
you'll find your true audiencein that way.
At least, that's what I like tobelieve.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
Absolutely.
I love that and it's true.
It'll come out, yeah, likeauthentic, like just create in
the chaos, like, oh, that's sogood.
So I know that we're bothteaching at Transcend Fest
coming up, so that's in a fewweeks from when we're recording.
So that is a for anyone that'slistening.
(31:50):
That's a festival, a yogafestival, that's taking place in
Connecticut, in Middlefield,connecticut.
It's three days the 12th, 13thand 14th, if I'm remembering
that correctly.
Yes, days the 12th, 13th and14th if I'm remembering that
correctly.
And there's differentperformers.
There's like musicians thatperform at night.
There's food, so many differentyoga classes, so many different
(32:13):
somatic classes, nervous systemregulation, meditation, sound
healing, art, hula hooping Imean they have like a little bit
of everything.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
So I'm really excited .
Favorite festival of the year.
Personally I went to.
I tend to teach through.
Like the festival market, it'smy favorite one.
I think we get the best weather.
It's such a cool group ofpeople.
Yes, I'm so excited.
Speaker 1 (32:39):
Yeah, I'm excited too , so we're both teaching there.
I think we're actually teachingon the same day, at the same
time.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
Oh man, that stinks.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Isn't that funny.
So like I was gonna go to yourclass, but now we can't go to
each other's class.
It's like kind of ironic, butgo to one of our classes.
If you come, doesn't mattereither one, they're both gonna
be wonderful, so come hang outwith us.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
Oh my gosh, apologies if you can hear me wherever you
are, cause, like I said, I geta little crazy on the microphone
.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
Oh, my God, I don't know, I don't know like the
venue that well, but I'm goingto be in outer space, which I'm,
like, so excited, and I lovebeing able to say that like,
come breathe with me in outerspace.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
Like that sounds sick .
Outer space is so cute it's.
It's got trees, like it'ssurrounded by trees in the back
ends of the festival.
I know exactly where you'regoing to be.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
So will I hear you from across the way.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
Oh, it's possible.
I can't say yes or no.
Honestly, I feel like I canhear my voice echo through the
mountain, so you'll have to letafterwards.
We'll have to meet up andyou'll have to tell me yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
I feel like I really liked that song that you played.
Yeah, I feel like I really likethat song that you play.
Oh my gosh, yeah, okay.
So for anyone that's listening,that wants to stay connected
with you, get in your world.
What's a way for them to dothat?
Where are you most online?
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Oh man, well, if you want to stay connected with me.
Well, really quick.
Actually, I just wanted to sayabout Transcend, right?
Oh yeah, what are you teachingat Transcend?
Speaker 1 (34:15):
I am teaching it's called Inhale, exhale and Let
that Shit Go, and it's a somaticbreath work and sound healing
and we'll end with like somejournaling.
But it's all around harvestseason and this season that
we're going to be moving intoit's really based around letting
go.
So that's what the intention ofthe practice is going to be,
whether that's, you know, grief,anger, resentment, sadness,
(34:38):
just really clearing out oursystem so that you know, after
our session and absolutely afterthe retreat, you are going to
feel just like so clear.
It's going to be such a boostinto the rest of the year, so
I'm super excited for it.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
I love that, yeah, cause I think festivals feel
like a retreat personally,because you get to basically
take whatever you want.
You know, with so many amazing,amazing teachers.
So wish I could take that, butit's okay.
Speaker 1 (35:08):
I know, I know that to yeah, to just like elaborate
on what you shared.
It's so true.
There are like there might beover a hundred classes Like I
don't even know the quantity,but there are so many incredible
teachers.
Festivals is really where mywhole journey in this world
started, because that's where Idiscovered breathwork.
(35:30):
About nine years ago, I went toa, like my version of Christmas
, because it was like thatweekend where I got to like
check in with myself and likereflect on the last time I was
at the yoga festival and meetpeople and meet facilitators and
(35:53):
just like be in it.
So as excited as I am to teach,I'm also excited to be an
attendee.
I will be going to so manyclasses and like it's going to
be great.
Speaker 2 (36:03):
So yeah, oh, my gosh, same.
I'm bringing my daughter, so Ihope that we get to bump into
each other while we're there.
I'll be, wearing the baby.
Speaker 1 (36:12):
Amazing, that's like goals right there.
Yoga festival with the babywearing the baby about it.
You're just killing it.
You're killing it.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
You're so sweet.
I'm actually teaching both daysI teach, so Saturday I'm
teaching at one 30, I believe itis either one or one 30.
Speaker 1 (36:27):
So that's the class at the same time that I'm
teaching, so maybe I can come onSunday then, okay.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
Well, saturday is somatic salsa, that one I'm in
the main pavilion so we're inthe shade, but for anybody who's
interested in taking it, Ialways call it salsa.
Some people think it's becausethey're going to learn salsa.
I actually like the version of,like the salsa you eat.
It's different every place yougo.
So, as an energetic healer, Ilike to feel the group before I
(36:56):
move them in a specific way butexpect, like you know, high
energy, um, tribal dance, latindance, uh, we listened to you
know, house music, hip hop, alltypes of things to shake our
body and let go of.
You know whatever's in there,um, and I always end it with
chanting and um meditation.
(37:18):
So that's Saturday, somaticsalsa and Sunday I don't know
where I'm teaching it, but I'llbe leading kirtan with my dear
friend, josh Kane, and that isdevotional chanting.
So I know that sometimes thatfreaks people out and they don't
really know how to evenparticipate with that.
(37:39):
I would say just show up,you're going to be listening to
ancient mantras that arerepetitive and, in a sense,
another meditation fortranscendental, you know, moving
into different parts of yourmind.
So, yeah, come see me and Josh,if you'd like, sunday morning
for that, and that's a Kirtanclass.
(37:59):
Yes, it's Kirtan.
It's one hour.
I think it's at 10 am.
I just don't know where it is.
Last year we were on top of themountain.
I don't think we're on top ofthe mountain this year.
It's somewhere else.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
Okay, yeah, kirtan I hope I'm pronouncing that
correctly is so interestingbecause you get to sing.
I don't necessarily know whatI'm singing, but it creates like
a response, like there's beenclasses where I've gone to
Curtan at festivals and I'm likecrying and I'm like why am I
(38:32):
crying?
I feel like amazing and I getlike this, like it's an
experience in itself.
So it's definitely somethingcool, such a welcoming setting
to check out too.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
if it's like something you're new to and if
you have obviously done itbefore, like myself, I will
totally be checking it outbecause I just like I really,
and you don't have to be anotherthing like hey, dance
ridiculously, come and sing,like all these things, right,
right, oh my gosh, I don't wantto do any of that in public.
Um, but use your voice reallyis such a a vessel to you.
(39:03):
Know, when we talk about thechakras, it's the connection
from the heart and the third eye, so the heart, love all the way
up to your visionary.
You have to open this up.
So, even if you're a terriblesinger a terrible and I'm air
quoting it singer, come, show up, just hum.
(39:23):
If you feel shy, I'm sureeventually you'll sing and once
you do, you really go somewhereelse.
Yeah, you really do.
Okay, so if you would like tofind me, of course you can check
me out on Instagram.
I promise I'll be posting moreafter our inspiring conversation
(39:43):
.
That's Nikki Haas YogaN-I-K-K-I-H-A-A-S Yoga.
That's me on the IG.
You can also reach out to me onmy website, nikkihaascom.
And yeah, those are pretty muchmy two, you know, without
giving you my cell phone.
Speaker 1 (40:04):
Right, amazing, yeah, and I'll put all of Nikki's
information in the show notes aswell, so you'll be able to find
it there.
And one question that I love tojust end with and close with
that we ask all of our guests iswhat is one thing right now
that is really lighting you up,something that is inspiring you,
(40:27):
and this could be anything.
This could be a book, a teacher, an artist, a person, just
anything in your life right nowthat you feel like you're really
receiving something from.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
So I mean there's something really special about
this time of year.
This, I mean I know we're notin September just yet, we're
almost, we're about to be um,and I really love this season of
like right before it getsreally cold, uh, so just being
outside this time of year is soinspiring and something that I
(41:01):
spend a lot of time doing.
And outside of that, I love toread.
It's just hard because, likeyou said, I have a lot going on
(41:23):
with work and books that give mea little bit of like a blip
every single day.
Or an example of that I'mconstantly reading the book of
awakening by Mark Nepo.
I love that book.
If you open it up, you justlook at the date and it's
usually like a page or two andat the end of it it gives you a
(41:45):
little meditation.
So I love philosophy and itreally fills my cup up with that
.
Another book that I love isRemember by Rochelle Penn, who
is an amazing, amazing person.
That's a book that I ask aquestion and then I open the
page and usually it gives me ananswer.
(42:06):
So that one's a lot of fun.
And you know, always just maybethe question seems silly, but
it keeps me playful.
And then the daily readingkeeps me accountable the daily
reading keeps me accountable.
Speaker 1 (42:27):
Yeah, both of those sound amazing.
I would definitely check themout.
I really, yeah, enjoy thosekind of like snippet philosophy
moments where you can like shiftyour perspective or feel
inspired or maybe you receivelike an insight related to
something that's going on.
It's like very kismet.
So that's really.
That sounds really really nice.
Speaker 2 (42:47):
Yeah, get that book of awakening.
It's like I probably read itcontinuously for three years
just because I get to open it up.
And it's always so funnybecause there's certain times
you start to notice certaintimes of the year that, like you
read, or for myself, where I'mreading it, I'm like'm like man.
I never know what's going on.
In January, for example,because that's usually when I
(43:09):
take on, like my, I'm going toread a book this year.
So, um, I definitely wouldcheck it out.
Both of them are are just greatreads.
Speaker 1 (43:17):
I love it.
I love it.
Well, nikki, this has been anawesome conversation, um, like I
said.
I said, I just admire so muchof what you've created and
everything that you're up to,and I'm super excited to hang at
Transcend Fest.
Speaker 2 (43:32):
Thank you.
Thank you again for having me.
I'm so grateful for you and I'mso excited for all of the
collaborations that we havecoming up this fall.
So thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (43:43):
Collaborations that we have, you know, coming up
this fall.
So thank you for having me.
Thank you for being here andtuning in to somatic healing for
wellness focused women podcast.
If you were moved or inspiredby today's episode, please take
a moment to leave a rating andreview on Apple podcasts.
It truly helps the podcast growand helps more people find me
on their healing journey.
Make sure to check out the shownotes, to sign up for the
(44:05):
monthly newsletter, links tomore resources, opportunities to
work with me and ways that wecan stay connected.
If we aren't already connectedon social media, head over to
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