008. Travel is a Journey of Self-Love with Nikki Nie

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Kelly: All right. Hi, Nikki. Welcome to the pod. I'm so excited to have you join us today. Everyone here, I have Nikki Nhi. She is a international yoga and fitness instructor. She's a 500 hour registered yoga teacher in the Tantra, Katha, Yoga, and Meditation lineage, which is the same lineage the same, background in yoga that, that I have as well.

ence and deep respect to the [: 00:01:00

And she uses these modalities to initiate deep transformation in her clients so they can align with their true nature, have self love, and the tools to live out their Dharma, which I absolutely love. You've created a global community creating classes for Fabletics Fit, ClassFit Sugar, Hyperice, Tonal, and Kinergy, as well as sharing on Oprah's 2020 Vision Tour and virtual seminars with Tony Robbins, which just sounds so insane to be able to say that you've done that.

So cool. And Nikki has founded Wavelength Movement, a monthly subscription platform where you can practice with her on demand. And on the daily with a passion for surfing and a love for mama ocean, this down to earth beam of sunshine will calm your

Nikki: nerves on the mat. So you can stay present

Kelly: and confident in the water.

a part of the ripple effect. [: 00:02:00

Just being a well rounded, awesome person. So welcome.

Nikki: For sure. Thank you. Thank you so much, Kelly, for that. Welcome for having me on. I'm stoked to be here and chatting with

Kelly: you. Amazing. So Nikki and I got connected in Bali. I was in Canggu for an extended period of time and I was trying to find a home studio while I was there and Nikki was teaching at the practice in Bali, which is a beautiful yoga shala in the center of Canggu. And there was a workshop going on at, a free workshop at the practice on the vayus.

gn poses in a sequence to be [: 00:03:00

Yeah. And they all have different functions within the physical body as well too. And so this workshop truly changed the course in which I teach my classes and it's the way in which I view a lot of the ways that I sequence my classes, a lot of the ways in which I really move about my life as well. And Nikki was also there at that workshop and, and I followed you on Instagram and I just have been really following your journey for the last five years watching.

You travel all around the world. You've now hosted your first 200 hour teacher training on your own within the Hatha Tantric tradition. My, my lineage is, is very similar following along the Isha Yoga tradition with Alan Finger. And so I, I, I really love just the way that you've shared your journey.

en where you are now. I know [: 00:04:00

Nikki: Yeah, you know, just talking about that, it brings you back to almost, it feels like a different lifetime ago when five years ago when I was first living in Bali and, and, and teaching and starting my deep dive into yoga and spirituality. All the fun things that come with that and you know, it was really a full circle moment for me to lead that teacher training a few months ago with my colleague Kelly to go back to Bali and you know, it was like as a student sitting up like just wide eyed and bushy tail looking at my teachers and my mind being blown by these.

ring this one day. I want to [: 00:05:00

And so to have been able to now. So, led retreats, taught the teacher training, it's pretty wild how when we come into alignment like with our purpose, it just starts to all unfold. So I don't necessarily want to say easy because it required quite a lot of effort. But in a sense, easy, you know, I felt like a lot of my life, I wasn't quite aligned with what I was meant to be doing.

ith, you know, being a space [: 00:06:00

And so while five years ago can seem very long, it also went by really quickly. And, you know, my first call to Bali, which I think a lot of people get that same call to go to Bali to not just study yoga, but just to find a deeper connection with themselves. And I've always said that my first teacher training, what I learned the most, the big takeaway was how to love myself.

And that is a huge part of what has stemmed in all of the things that I share now through my courses, through my classes, through my retreats. It's, it stems from this. Ability to, to have self love and to have the tools and the capacity and to build that expansion of loving yourself more and more every day and through all of the trials and tribulations and the ebbs and flows that life will.

Always give us you know, I [: 00:07:00

So yoga really has, has catapulted me into continuing to, to love myself more and And being content with where I'm at and what my life is. And yeah, I think Bali is just such a, a magical place to have that time for self inquiry because Bali is primarily a Hindu country. It really aligns with the belief system of yoga.

study and be a yogini or yogi[: 00:08:00

What I know I was searching for of just feeling more sacred in life and like having that woven in to the day, no matter what you're doing. And it doesn't have to just be on the mat. So, I don't know, I think. Yeah, I think that my, my want so badly to have more confidence in myself, to have my own security in myself at a time when I was really looking to the external world for that.

le confuse yoga with is this [: 00:09:00

And I truly believe that yoga is more about being flexible in your mind and having that freedom in your thoughts to pivot, to shift, and to bend however life is throwing you around.

Kelly: Yeah, I think that's such a beautiful way of describing yoga is like, yeah, you get bendy on the mat, but you also get bendy in your mind and you get to choose.

What you pay attention to and you get to choose what you allow yourself to kind of, which, which direction you allow yourself to go into, because there's so many infinite possibilities for us now these days that it can be overwhelming just to be, just to be alive these days. It's overwhelming with all the different decisions and all the things that happen and to be able to be flexible and, and go with the flow and surrender.

cher. And now you're able to [: 00:10:00

When you initially went to Bali, was that for your first ever yoga training? Or did you go to Bali and then decided to do a training? Like what was, what was the first. The chicken and the egg. Like what, what came first ?

Nikki: Yeah. No, I definitely went to Bali for the first time to do my 200 hour yoga teacher training.

Okay. The first time that I did it, I had been teaching group fitness bar, hit spin row, like all these different things for a long time. And I, I didn't even go to be a yoga teacher. I was like, Oh no, I've got my gigs going on in LA. Like we're good. I just want to go because I want to understand the philosophy and like the subtle body and you know, so, so intrigued about more of all that stuff of yoga more so than the physical.

hat's exactly what happened. [: 00:11:00

Kelly: Yeah. And so I, I really love how you talked about Bali, how it complimented your yoga teacher training. Cause you can do yoga teacher trainings all over the world.

You can do them at your home. You can do them online now. But there's something about Bali where the spirituality is woven into the tapestry of their society. It is, like you said, every morning there are little offerings in front of every business, in front of every home, in front of every statue of a deity, of a god.

They have festivals and ceremonies for everything. I remember there was like a three hour traffic jam because there was a festival for appliances in their homes happening and they go out and bless all the appliances in their home. But it is such a reminder that every day, every interaction, everything that happens in your life is a chance to meet the divine, which is...

ctice? Did you know you were [: 00:12:00

What was that like for you to kind of be in such a Powerful such a powerful sacred island while also learning such a powerful sacred ancient tradition

Nikki: You know, the, the very first things that I started getting curious about. was was with meditation and with Reiki. So I ended up doing my Reiki 1 and 2 trainings, gosh, maybe 8 or 9 years ago.

I was meditating at the same time and the meditation teacher that I had found was also a Tantric meditation teacher. I had no idea what Tantra was and it, it really found me. You know, I really, I really feel like Tantra had Come back to me and been like, Hey, remember, remember us?

ay a little bit. We're right [: 00:13:00

Yep. Like, like, no joke. Like, that was the big thing that I was looking for. I looked up a lot of different teacher trainings. And Ubud

Kelly: would have been out for you because that's too far from the

Nikki: beach. Oh, for sure. Like, and so many teacher training in Ubud and I was like, yeah, no, I don't want to be in the jungle, which is cool.

on and pranayama and mantra. [: 00:14:00

I wasn't looking to like learn how to do handstand and things like that, because that was already part of. My facility, that was, that came easy to me, the body. So that's what really called me to it. And then, you know, now, now that's what I seek out. Like after I got that initial foundation of my two and 300 hour trainings my teachers now are, are all you know, primarily from, from the lineage of Sri Vidya, so coming from the Himalayan Institute and.

Pundit Rajmani Tiganayak, who is the, the headmaster of that institute it's either learning from him or learning from students of his that I feel so called to do and just continue to dive deep, you know, it's like, what is that saying that the, you could dig for water and I dug, I dug a hundred holes for the water, but you know, you just need to dive, dig one hole.

All the way deep down [: 00:15:00

Kelly: my practice with. Yeah, and for those who are listening who are interested in yoga or maybe even on the verge of going through a teacher training You offer a 200 hour yoga teacher training your next one's coming up in August Which I'm like, I'm really hoping my schedule aligns because I really want to continue to learn from you Why would you say it's so important for?

Your head teachers of your program to know where their lineage is from to have a direct I know my teacher's teacher was this teacher and his teacher's teacher was this teacher Not a lot of people know that at all like at least where i'm practicing and training and also teaching Not a lot of people have a direct And why do you think that's so important for teachers to have

Nikki: that?

is hard to find but it's out [: 00:16:00

I like the intention behind it. It's like, no, these are the practices that have been practiced millions of times by the teachers before me. And so it's already infused with so much Shakti, so much power that I know I am being held by this mantra or this meditation Kriya or whatever it is that I'm practicing.

And I know the ways to get myself there and even. It will pull me back if I kind of go off path a little bit

Kelly: we all do. We all [: 00:17:00

Nikki: human. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And so for me being part of a lineage just feels like I have this container that's always there, always holding me, always calling me back.

And what that gives me is a huge amount of trust. In the practices, because I think there's one thing to do the practices, but if you don't really know, like, is this going to work? Is this going to make me feel better or have more peace of mind or whatever it is that you're looking for. And for me, it's like, I have so much deep trust.

And when you have that trust, then you can surrender. Then you can let go and say, yes, I will do this 40 day sadhana. I will have these herbs. I will, you know, bless my food every time I sit down and eat, because I, I have so much belief in. And where this is coming from. Yeah,

ou said like it's not always [: 00:18:00

I think like you said There's so many practices out there. You'll see something on instagram you'll see a friend's doing this type of breathing and then a friend went and did this and And it can be really easy to get distracted by all the different practices, all the different wellness techniques, everything that's out there.

But to be able to see in real life, how your teachers or their teachers, teachers have lives have unfold in the impact that they've created with. Relative ease because of the practices that they've done to help up level their systems, it helps you believe, okay, I, like, I can see this with my own eyes, how this is directly relating to somebody in my own circle and in today's modern world, which is even harder because sometimes you think my group that, you know, there's a guru from India from 100 years ago and he did this and he's like, well, that's not the same world as it is now.

in alignment with that. And. [: 00:19:00

So you mentioned. You mentioned surfing a couple times in that with going to Bali, how has like surfing impacted your, I guess maybe how is it involved in your spiritual practice, like how is surfing evolved over the course of your life to become what it is now, which it really is truly like. Part of your spiritual practice, part of your, part of your journey.

rs. And so at that point, me [: 00:20:00

And we just said. Every Tuesday, Thursday, we're going to show up to the beach. No matter what, we didn't know how to check a surf report. We didn't know much about anything about surfing and we just did it. We committed to that for like a year and we're like, just came back with bumps and bruises and cuts all the time because we were just pumped and going for it.

And then, you know, it just became something that. That brought me so much childlike joy, and just so much stoke as an adult. I think when I turned 30, you think that you're like, Oh my gosh, I'm an adult now, like I'm old. I'm serious now. I mean, yeah, I'm serious now, you know? And so at that time it felt like it still tethered me to this feeling of like, we're just going to play.

ection, maybe that I wasn't, [: 00:21:00

But now it's so easy. To see that correlation because I find that what yoga and ultimately what the practice of yoga and meditation does is it, it connects me back to God, divine source, whatever you want to call it. It's all the same and it reminds me of my own true nature. So when I'm in that place, everything feels at rest and content.

when I'm in the ocean, it's [: 00:22:00

I'm just so present. I I'm so connected to everything and I'm just right here and aware and in love. And so now it is like surfing can be my spiritual practice. In some ways, because I can have that same, that same connection where I just feel so deeply held and protected and guided. And it's just so fun.

Yeah.

Kelly: I love when you mentioned trying, when you were just trying something new and you had cuts and bruises and bumps, and it's like, yeah, that's, that's what it's like. You got to try something new and you're not going to get it right the first time. I remember my surf coach in Sri Lanka said I wiped out and I was like.

ing go to this bigger power, [: 00:23:00

You're not going to make it down that wave in one piece. You have to be present. So what I really love is that you combine some of the retreats that you do, because you do host international retreats as well. I love that you combine surfing with yoga and how have you found that people that might not have tried either very much?

How, how do you think that's helped your clients? transform their own lives just by trying surfing or yoga in combination for the first

Nikki: time. Yeah. I'm super pumped. And next week I leave to Morocco to lead two back to back surf yoga sound retreats with Cassia Metter and Michaela Smith. And, oh, I'm so, so pumped to be able to share.

I

Kelly: wish I could be there. I mean, I'm hosting my own retreat next week, so I'm excited, but I really wish I'll be there at the next one. I promise.

Nikki: Yes, absolutely. So, [: 00:24:00

And I think that being able to be completely immersed in the whole retreat, where a lot of times I've gone on surf yoga retreats and it's like, we go surfing with the surf people and then we go do yoga with the yoga people and they're not mixing together. It's like two separate things. There's just like a miss of, of being able to weave both things together, right? That's tantra is like that weaving of, of it all. And so you know, I really want to be able to stay really open and present in this retreat so that it doesn't have to feel like this is what I've planned. This is a yoga class I've planned.

re going to do a restorative [: 00:25:00

I'm going to do some sound healing with you all. Like do something that feels really relaxing and maybe the next day, Oh, the waves were crap. And so we didn't really surf and we're going to have to do something a little bit more rigorous practice wise.

I think it's important to have. That mental state when you're surfing of being confident and present and calm. It's cause the ocean will show you who's boss real quick. Oh yeah. And if you're not able to like keep everything chill and quiet when you're just getting tumbled and pounded on. That's not a good place to be in, in the water.

then bring it into the ocean [: 00:26:00

Fluidity and, and flow on the water and like deepen that inner connection. I think it just goes so, so hand in hand. If you surf, you're going to want to practice yoga and meditate, and if you practice yoga, meditate, you're going to love surfing. Yeah. And it

Kelly: seems like a lot of it is harnessing the power that you create within your own self through yoga to kind of release a lot of the fears for if someone who's starting surfing for the first time may not, may not have ever been near the ocean.

It really does help bolster your confidence. And also there's like, there's no better feeling in the world than popping up on your board and realizing like, I'm doing it. I'm doing it. I did it. And the confidence and the camaraderie amongst your group. I think it's just going to be such a beautiful experience for all of your guests.

y excited for, you know, our [: 00:27:00

Nikki: You know, I think the first, the first thing was I had to get really clear of like what it was that I wanted out of my life. I think for so many years I had my focus dispersed in so many different directions that I didn't know where I wanted to go. Possibilities were endless, and so it felt like I was leaking a lot of energy in a lot of places that I...

, like what really lights me [: 00:28:00

And I think that's totally okay. Sometimes you are at your job and your, your Dharma is. You know, taking care of your family or, you know, rescuing dogs or whatever that ends up being for me right now at light and life, at least they're going hand in hand. And what I just saw like big dream, I'm still getting there.

Big dream for me is to own my own retreat. center, healing center where, you know, I, I can live half the, half the year and run all my things out of and have all my colleagues and friends run their things out of. We'll be there. Right now what I We'll be

Kelly: there. We'll support you.

ht now for pure fun. Because [: 00:29:00

Like I is just for the pure joy of it. And so I just started seeing. Like what, what was going to make me the happiest? I love to travel. I love to experience new places. I love to be in environments that lend itself to deep connection and conversation with people so that. It's beyond just the surface level.

It's beyond just like, Oh, we're stoked getting waves. Like there's actual depth to what's calling our heart. What's making us feel anxious or sad or, or whatever that we're feeling. And, you know, how can we support one another in our own growth and healing? And so as I just kind of started to see that it was.

hat I, what I'm doing is, is [: 00:30:00

For the last, like. Couple of years, two, three years, maybe at most. And that's, you know, really only the last year where it's been just, just for myself and not with other business, other companies. And so what I've had to do about six months ago, I was like, man, this is a struggle, like I'm having a really hard time.

Living the life I want to live and eating the way I want to eat and all, all the things, right. And, and still doing, doing what I love, like financially, this feels really hard and I'm not quite sure what to do. So I'm not feeling so much stress about how I'm going to pay my mortgage every month and my bills and all of these things.

for, for two weeks while I'm [: 00:31:00

You know, that, that was like a big decision to move all of my stuff out to you know, when I am home, a lot of the times I'm living out of my van and but you know what? When I thought of that idea, it just was like this huge weight lifted off my shoulders, like a big exhale. It was like, oh, this is what I need to do.

As much as I love the comforts of my home and cooking for myself every day and this, that ease of, of doing that. I knew what I wanted my, where I'm going with, with being able to be this yoga teacher, retreat facilitator and letting that be what is my primary source of income. I knew I needed to make some adjustments for a little while.

week I was living in my van [: 00:32:00

And you know, right now in my life I'm single and I don't have kids. And so I have that, that freedom to just choose me in every situation for the most part. And yeah, I think, I think to me that's like a really big. Lesson is that when you want something, what are you really willing to sacrifice to get it?

And that's kind of what's shown me the way as I navigate life right now. Yeah. I

Kelly: mean, I really, I appreciate the vulnerability and the candid, the candidness of that. Cause a lot of times you'll hear I'm a mom. I have two kids. A lot of the times you'll hear with moms say. You know, you can't have it all, but you know, you got to figure out what your all means right now, right?

a sacrifice that you have to [: 00:33:00

It looks great on Instagram and everyone thinks you're living the best life ever, which 90 percent of the time it feels like that, but it's life. And there are times that feel like a sacrifice and feel like a challenge. So I appreciate the honesty in that. And I would love to hear a little bit about van life, what that was like for you.

I know you did an extended period of time living out of your van and surfing. And of course, on Instagram, from my perspective, it looks glorious. And I'm sure, like I said, 90 percent of the time it felt that way, but. I'd love to hear like the process of getting your van set up and what that was really like for you on a day to day basis.

Nikki: Yeah, I mean, I, I'm looking at my van right now, it's just parked out the window.

Kelly: What's her name?

re going to go the right way.[: 00:34:00

You know, I had the plan and I don't know how to build anything and did not trust myself to do that. So I hired somebody to, to build that out for me. In, you know, during pandemic time, COVID time, I was living primarily out of the van and kind of popping into my parents house and doing laundry and having a home cooked meal every once in a while, and then now as I'm subletting my condo, same thing.

It's like I have. The van to kind of come back to and that's, that's home and it's been, it's been great. It's an adventure. Like I really do love the van. Like I'll go stay with people and like visit friends up and down the coast and they'll be like, you know, you can stay in the house.

lly really like being in the [: 00:35:00

Everything is just right, you know, arms reach distance because it's very small space. And, you know, I think that's also what, what is a reason why I can travel and kind of. Be all over the places because it just requires a few, you know, key things to keep me feeling Grounded, you know, it's like I just need a place to hot boil water So I can like make my tea and oatmeal. If I could do that that's gonna Take care of a lot of stuff on the physical side of things.

. It's just so simple. What, [: 00:36:00

And, and yeah, I just, I, I love the, the freedom of it that it gives me to just Go anywhere and go to places that I normally wouldn't maybe go to and meet people that I wouldn't normally meet. And there's definitely times where it's. A pain in the butt. And I'm like, man, I just would like to go take a shower in my shower and use the bathroom and sleep in my bed and cook a dinner in my kitchen, you know, it requires a lot more effort to like bring out the stove and to do all the things But it also, you know, it just gives me, gives me that, that, that freedom, that space to, to really feel like, ah, I can, I can go anywhere.

I can do anything. Yeah.

Kelly: The, like you just mentioned, the freedom, the freedom of the simplicity, and you realize how little you actually need to, to feel good. Like oftentimes the more that we take away a lot of the distractions in our life, the, the more freedom, the more light we feel, the more spaciousness that we feel.

Cause [: 00:37:00

Nikki: One of the beautiful things about traveling like whether that's in my van or going to Bali is like when you have less choices, it frees up space for more energy to think about other things, right?

You're like, these are the three clothes, the outfits that I have to wear and this is where I will sleep. I only have this to eat. So if you crave something else, like you can't just go get it. This is it. So I think like having less choice sometimes makes life easier.

Kelly: Yeah, for sure. And You mentioned a couple of things that you do keep in your van, although it's a small space and you can only have a couple of things on you.

o, what are some of the like [: 00:38:00

Nikki: Yeah, so Ayurveda is, Ayur means life, Veda is knowledge, and so it's the science of life. And it's really tuning into the cycles of nature and to feel that alignment in where you're at and what you're doing so that you can have the tools to create a life that you love and that loves you back. So that's what Ayurveda has done for me.

onment, which sometimes, you [: 00:39:00

But. It just offers so much more beauty, I think, of life when we're not looking at it from the lens of being foggy and tired and not, not having the ability to really taste life, right? Yeah, the fullness, the

Kelly: fullness of life. Yeah.

Nikki: Exactly. And so, you know, one of the things that we can do is Dhinacharya.

And so Dhinacharya is these daily rituals or daily routines that we can do to keep our senses really clear and to keep ourselves connected to how we feel. And so that hopefully we make the best choices throughout the rest of the day to honor where we're at in that moment. And so one simple thing that I encourage everyone to do is to, to scrape their tongue in the morning.

how much toxins are on your [: 00:40:00

And so in the morning it's important for us to scrape that off so that we don't swallow it. And then the body's like, Oh really? We got to do it all over again. And you know, you can look at it. You can see like, Oh, wow. There's a lot of film coming off of it. A lot of Alma today. What did I eat yesterday?

What did I do? How did I sleep? It's this color it's white or it's yellow or gray. Like it starts to already be like, Oh, I think I'm a little bit out of balance with my, my coppa. So I'm going to try to maybe eat a little bit less dairy today and heavy meats and things like that, because I can see that that's already out of balance.

you know, I'd be on the oil [: 00:41:00

And then, you know, getting warm water in my belly first thing before anything else is also very, very helpful. Ayurveda says, all disease stems from the gut from digestion. And so if we're digesting well, then everything else starts to work well. So for me, I found that warm water first thing is going to be really soothing.

d feel sluggish after we eat [: 00:42:00

You know, fixed and healed from, from just that little, little shift. So those, those would be my two simple things and I'm leading a fall cleanse in October, so if anyone wants to learn more, that would be a deeper dive and an invitation to do a seven day. Ayurvedic cleanse and, and learn a lot of the different tools that I think keep me in balance when I'm traveling and reach towards options that are going to benefit me for my dosha, my constitution, where I'm at today, rather than always being the same.

Yeah, I think that could be a really great way if. If, if somebody's listening and it's like, this sounds interesting, what do you mean eat for your dosha? And what is a dosha? And all that stuff. Yeah. We'll go really deep into that, that workshop where we'll, we'll learn and you'll cook for yourself and you'll understand how to take some of those tools away into the rest of your life.

the show notes so people can [: 00:43:00

And I really love that because when it's really accessible, you can find water everywhere. I mean, you're not going to travel somewhere that you can't find at least at the very least bottled water that you can heat up for the warm water. And then tug scrape, scraper is super small. You could fit it into your toiletry.

So that's really easy too. So I love those two tips. So the very last thing that I'd like to kind of wrap up with is just. You've traveled all over the place. You've lived in Bali, you've run retreats. I know you did a retreat down in Mexico. You're going to Morocco for retreats. Half of your family's from Hawaii.

So you really do have like a good sense of, what the world has to teach you and has to offer to you. And I'd love to hear like, what's the biggest thing that you've really learned about yourself through traveling and through kind of surrendering to, life's plan that's kind of unfolded for you.

Nikki: You know, I had a [: 00:44:00

And I had a moment where I was like, this is. This is really awesome that I have this trust in myself, that I will be okay, that I will make the right choices and be present and like keep my head up and be respectful of the cultures. And I think. You know, when you travel, it can be scary, especially as a woman, especially alone and, and stuff happens, you know, I've, I've seen it in, in, in Bali and in all over the world where [00:45:00] people get robbed or, you know, get hurt and, and things like that.

And I think a big part of what has kept me safe through all my travels is. Is staying very, very conscious with my actions and what I'm doing and being really present to the situation and being really in tune with my intuition and that feeling you get when something doesn't feel right. That person doesn't feel like I should trust them and, and being very strong about the choices to say no to certain things.

And, and also to, to be open for the possibilities that can exceed your expectations. And so I've been very, very lucky to, to meet some amazing people through my travels. The one thing about traveling alone, it just really affords you the space to connect with other people. When you sit alone at a restaurant, all of a sudden you're like talking to this person next to you.

body, you're like, Oh, we're [: 00:46:00

So that when I do find that man, like he doesn't have to be the reason why I am doing the things I'm doing or not doing. And then another big thing is just, it's just respect, you know, a lot of the times when you travel to other places is just, just being respectful of how they do things, even if you don't agree with it, you know, like, it's a Muslim culture in Lombok.

ll respect that this culture [: 00:47:00

Yeah. Yeah. And so I think it's, it's important to be able to, again, be flexible, be pliable, to be adaptable in these situations and to look around and be like, Oh, every woman right now is, is covered up and I think I'm, I'm going to just put my sarong over my shoulders or whatever that is. And gosh, every, everybody is like super smiley and kind and loving right now.

Like I'm going to just let myself. Say yes to the situation and, and, and then relax a little bit and hang out. And, you know, really being able to read that again, it goes back to like that importance of having a spiritual practice and being in tune with yourself so that you can feel when things are funky.

Go to go to away from those places and towards the places that make you feel safe and warm inside.

in India and it was, I mean, [: 00:48:00

They were past my knee, and we were mainly in the North. We weren't down in like Goa where they're a little more free, I guess you could say, but it was very clear when there was a Taurus and they did not care like that. There was, there was societal norms to be kept there. You could see all the Indian men, all the Indian women.

basically pointing, like straight up pointing at the girl in the short shorts and the tank top. So like you said, it's just about like being conscious and being present to what's going on around you. And what you mentioned, I think the third thing you mentioned was around that self love and, and being brave and doing things on your own because you want to do them.

go out on their own or maybe [: 00:49:00

There's so much that you can learn about yourself and so much that you can. Recognize within yourself while you travel. And I think that's been such a beautiful part of your journey. And I appreciate you for sharing that. So the very last thing that I do is I end the episodes with short, like travel pop quiz, basically about your top favorite things.

So number one is if you could only go back to one country place or town in the world, where would it be? And why?

Nikki: Oh, man. I think because Bali is just so fresh on my heart and I have such great community there. It, and I see myself going back there a lot. I think that's, that's what I'll say for today.

Kelly: Where's your go to in Bali? What part of the island do you like going to?

Nikki: I really like going to Uluwatu. Home was, was Canggu, though, for a while.

So I still have a special place in my heart there.

your bucket list right now? [: 00:50:00

Nikki: Hmm. India. I haven't been to India yet, and I really am called to go there to study Ayurveda, to study with my teacher so I know that's, that's in the making.

Even as I say it out loud, I'm like, yeah, it's happening soon. Oh yeah,

Kelly: I can feel that. Where in India is your teacher base?

Nikki: Oh my gosh, I can't think of where the Himalayan Institute Shrine is there.

You know, until you've actually, like, had your feet in the ground there, everything kind of just feels like... So far away. Far away land. I, I mean, I,

Kelly: I spent five weeks there and it still feels that way. Like, I'm like, wait, did that really happen? Did I, was it just a portal that I jumped through? I don't know.

Okay. Also, so number three, we kind of touched on this with this last question, but your number one biggest life lesson through travel.

and you will be led down the [: 00:51:00

Kelly: Oh, that's a good one.

And number four, if you could give a piece of advice to an aspiring explorer, someone who is just ready to get going, but they're not sure how to go yet what would you be your biggest piece

Nikki: of advice for them? Yeah, take the leap. Like feel that it's a very, you know. Interesting, double sided coin of that fear and excitement and I would just say, you know, go for it.

When you start to feel that call to travel, a lot of I work primarily with women and a lot of women will reach out to me before they go on retreat and it's like, I've never gone out of the country by myself or even, you know, done anything like this. Like what am I, I don't know if I should do it. And I think that.

s us to play in the field of [: 00:52:00

Doesn't have to be all the time, but get uncomfortable, to be adaptable, to be flexible and, and to leave space for possibility, you know, not to be so attached to your expectation of everyone and everything and, and to be open to explore.

Kelly: Oh, that's so beautiful. I love when you said to play in the field of growth and expansion.

I think that's just, I got goosebumps when you said that. So beautiful. Well, thank you so much for sharing your story and for sharing just so much wisdom. We, we really touched on a wide range of topics in this episode, which is like my favorite conversations. Cause that's just, I always love to dive deep in a million different things.

So for people who are listening that are like, I need to connect with her. She sounds rad. How can people connect with you online? And it's just. What are the upcoming things? What's, what's next for Nikki knee?

Nikki: Yeah, I would say just go follow me on Instagram. That's a really easy, direct way to message with me.

I'm Nikki N I [: 00:53:00

I, I lead that on there once a month. It's just a way to have sangha, to have community and connection. So once you go there, then you can be led to my website, which is nikimii. com. You can find all of the ways to work with me, whether that is one on one Ayurvedic coaching or going into my Lahari 200 hour Tantra Katha yoga training or, you know, doing my fall cleanse.

ay in touch in all the ways. [: 00:54:00

It's a half online, half in person. So we do two months online and two weeks in person. And yeah, those are the main ways right now to, to stay connected and to, to practice and to play.

Kelly: Awesome. So everyone, please go rush over to her website, get all the information. And I'm so excited. Just continue to, to follow your journey.

And who knows, maybe one day we'll collaborate on a retreat one day. The best of both worlds together and I just appreciate you taking the time to share with us Yeah,

Nikki: thank you so much for having me kelly.

This allows us to Spread the [: 00:55:00

As always, we'd love if you could share the episode with someone in your life who you think will benefit from this conversation. Thanks so much for listening. This is your reminder to get out there and keep on exploring.