For our 4th episode, I had the pleasure to sit down with Nikki Estrada. Nikki was one of my mentors when I did my Yoga Teacher training and I really like how she teaches yoga from a global perspective. She brings the big picture to class and into her workshops, and she encourages students to explore all that yoga has to offer. Together, we talked about the 4 pillars of yoga: Asana, Pranayama, Meditation, and Diet.

Listen to the podcast here :

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QUESTIONS SHE ANSWERED:

• Why do people do yoga/go to class in your opinion? (3:11)
• What are the 4 pillars to a complete yoga practice? (4:13)
• Why is there so much attention on asana practice compared to the other aspect? (11:45)
• Is there a lack of education about pranayama? (12:40)
• Do you think it takes more time to feel the impact of a pranayama practice than an asana practice? (14:15)
• What’s the first pranayama you teach? (17:09)
• Do you think that (fear/lack of knowledge/lack of teachings in public settings) might also be an obstacle to make pranayama more widely used? (22:30)
• Why is it important to have a meditation practice? (25:40)- Do you include guided meditation? (31:27)
• Do you talk about diet in your classes? (34:09)
• Is that in our scope of practice? (35:20)
• How does diet can support your practice? (36:32)
• Do you include/consider mindful eating? (39:20)
• What about the other aspects of yoga? Where do they fit in this? (43:10)
• What the end result of using the 4 pillars together? (44:34)

ABOUT OUR GUEST:

Nikki Estrada has been a prominent fixture in the yoga scene for more than twenty years, lecturing and leading workshops, teacher trainings, and immersions nationwide. She began her formal training in India, focusing on Ashtanga —a very physically challenging style of yoga. She is currently a senior yoga teacher and educator in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she teaches weekly classes and offers advanced trainings.

Nikki’s Vinyasa-based classes are a synthesis of her years of yogic study, Ayurveda and personal experience, with an emphasis on spirituality, intelligent alignment, meditation, and living life more joyfully.

She resides in northern California with her husband and two daughters.

Want to know more about our guest, connect or work with her? Check these links!

Her website: www.nikkiestradayoga.com (Check her 4 pillars of Yoga Workshop here)

Instagram: @yogininikki

Facebook: Nikki Estrada Yoga

REFERENCES:

Nikki mentioned 3 peoples/resources for meditation in this podcast:

– Erich Schiffmann

– Krisna Murty (Jiddu Krishnamurti)

– Joel Kramer