Yoga Teacher Spotlight: Niki Fitzgerald

What inspired you to start practicing yoga, and how did it lead to teaching?

"I remember feeling calm, rooted, and centered—a place that I don't usually reside in my restless mind and body. It felt really safe and expansive. Yoga can still often bring up feelings of irritation and frustration, so I have always worked on coming back to that initial feeling of being rooted, calm, and centered. From that place, I can breathe fully and anchor back to earth."

What does yoga mean to you beyond the physical practice?

"Over the years, yoga has become more of a daily walk through life and a mental process than a physical one in a class on a mat. I still reprimand myself for not getting on my mat more, then remember that I use yoga to navigate through my life daily.

I am on a metaphorical mat at all times, and I don't always show up in my best form. Some days, my 'poses' are sloppy, my breath erratic, and I may be hovering inches off my mat. But my practice always comes back to me, offering integration whenever I call on it. Because of my years on the mat, I know what it feels like when I’m 'doing yoga' in my life."

What’s your go-to mantra or yoga philosophy principle, and why?

"The mantra I turn to in times of high stress and fear is the Gayatri. It has never failed to lower my heart rate and return me to my body. I am so grateful for it.

I couldn’t sit here and give you a good answer to what it means, no matter how many times I’ve studied it. But I love that about it. Only the resonance sticks with me—the effects of it. It is beyond intellectual understanding for me. It is purely feeling and deep knowing."

What’s a key lesson you’ve learned from teaching yoga?

"I've learned that I don't really know anything. I am a flawed human trying her best... sometimes. I fluctuate between living consciously and aligned with my values, and other times, I rush from one thing to the next, seeking pleasure and escape.

Maybe because of this, I talk less now when I teach and let individuals explore more in their own bodies and minds. That can be frustrating for those looking to be distracted by a great playlist or a teacher’s life lessons, but I have no life lessons to give. So, look into yourself, feel into your body, find truth in quiet and breath and movement, be frustrated and irritated and angry; be blissful, steady, and centered—then move through it all the way to savasana. Then start again."

What’s your vision for the future of your yoga teaching and practice?

"A dual practice. One that is deep, calm, steady, and includes chanting, breathwork, deep stretching, and strengthening. Another that is fun, flowy, loud, distracting, and exhausting. And then, a third practice—one of living off the mat daily, moving toward a grounded alignment with more peace in my head and heart... and maybe a lot more rocks in my pockets (I need the help with grounding)."