Nicole Nichols

Nicole Nichols (Narayani) has been teaching yoga for over 25 years. She was born and raised in northeast Ohio and has a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After graduating from UNC, she moved to New York City to work in fashion and study classical ballet. In 1997 Nicolediscovered Jivamukti Yoga and received her training directly from Sharon Gannon and David Life, co-founders of the renowned Jivamukti Yoga School. She is an 800-hour Advanced Certified Jivamukti Yoga teacher and served as a teacher and mentor at the Manhattan flagship school from 2002-2013. In 2004 she began a course of studies in Tibetan Buddhism, which continues today.

In 2013 Narayani left New York and founded Republic of Yoga in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. Nicole has been a presenter at Yoga Journal Conferences in New York City and Estes Park, Colorado, and has taught internationally at the Jivamukti Yoga Centers in London and Munich, as well as retreats and workshops in the Czech Republic, Spain, Greece, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica. On the Summer Solstice of 2011 she led over 2,000 yogis to stillness amid the hustle and bustle of New York’s Times Square. She has been featured in Vogue, the LA Times, The Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and the Raleigh News & Observer.

Nicole teaches in the flowing vinyasa style. Her classes feature Sanskrit mantra and chanting, breath and alignment awareness, hands-on assists, meditation and choreographic sequencing. She weaves a modern spirited take on ancient yogic and Tibetan Buddhist philosophy throughout. Accessible to all levels from basic beginner to advanced, her classes encourage each student to explore their own potential for personal transformation, balance and joy.