We recently connected with Nicole Elizabeth Petriw and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Nicole Elizabeth, thanks for joining us today. We’re complete cheeseballs and so we love asking folks to share the most heartwarming moment from their career – do you have a touching moment you can share with us?
There was a nice gentleman coming to Yin Yoga that I was both teaching and taking classes alongside within the community. I noticed he was new and working through some heavy stuff physically, but also energetically. Our bodies keep a score and a lot of the time when you go through something in your life your body holds onto it in physical ailments. You could hear him moan out in pain, feeling his heavy release throughout class. Yoga is very much a safe space and we as teachers put an emphasis on creating this sacred container for all beings to feel safe to release, and surrender to their own personal healing journeys. Throughout my class I checked in with him helping with modifications, and afterwards went up to him to check in; he had previously shattered his bones within his legs about a year ago. He just now started to come to hot yoga to work through the pain, and to help improve his mobility.
We are not limited to these labels that are put on us from our experiences and from the world, we are only limited by what we tell ourselves we can and cannot do. The nice gentleman taking my yin class was determined that his accident would not dictate the rest of his life, and he was putting his energy and trust in the yoga community, and me in particular when he showed up for class to help guide his rehabilitation journey. This I very much understand as someone very near and dear to me was born with club feet, was never supposed to be able to walk, and yet is a walking miracle to this day.
This was one of the moments I really felt that this is my calling, my purpose, to empower people to heal themselves, to choose themselves, to love themselves. The feeling of helping others who have gone through hard life experiences that changed how they view themselves, whether that be mentally with a diminished sense of self or physically with limited mobility- to help empower, encourage, and guide them to tap back into their internal strength, fire, power and magic to rewrite their own stories, and beat the odds – this is my goal and I’m grateful for the opportunity and platform to do so.
There’s a sweet lady who comes to my Yoga Barre classes that had a double hip replacement surgery. Over time we’ve seen improvements in her mobility with her hips, her ability to stand in first, and second position, range of motion within the muscle groups increasing, the little improvements we celebrate all as wins. Every win matters – no matter how big or small.
These are just a couple of the stories of where I felt I was truly making an impact, and that solidified movement, wellness, and facilitating healing journeys, empowering others to be their own superhero as what lights up my soul, and is my soul’s path.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Thank you for the opportunity to share about who I am and on my vision of where I see my heart, brain and skills leading me in the near future within this wonderful community. Since I was very young, my parents always said you’ll never know if you like it until you try. So as a child, I tried every creative activity and sport that was available to me, without realizing at the time I was building a database of knowledge for myself of not only what I love, what I excel at, but most importantly, what it takes for ones body to accomplish any and all of these. Starting with dance and cheer and singing in the church choir, I absolutely loved these activities. I also remember taking tennis lessons at the park district one summer and looking forward to the side out so I could skip and dance to the next spot. My love of theater began with the phenomenal children’s theater program at my elementary school (shout out to Dr. Grube!), and those 6 years helped me grow into the person I have become. Academics were high on my list, and high school honors/AP classes along with dance and cheer made me realize I don’t have to fit a mold of only doing this or that, I can use my talents to make a difference; at that time, I just wasn’t sure how or where it was all going to come together.
My success in academics blessed me with a full ride scholarship to college and I became the first in my family to graduate from university finishing strong on Dean’s list, which coming from immigrant grandparents is something I’m proud of and very grateful for. Post graduation I was the creative interviewing creatives. I used my talents as a writer to interview artists at festivals both locally and around the country. I did coverage of unreleased music, songs, EPs, and albums which were sent to me ahead of time so I could give them an ear and write coverage on the fresh releases. My favorite part was getting to cover events, particularly the music festivals where I’d meet with and interview artists, tailoring questions to who they are, diving into their mindsets and what drives/motivates them, where their inspiration comes from, and then getting to see them perform and doing coverage of the live sets; these are experiences I will cherish forever. After publishing almost 200 articles, I discovered what a great listener I am, and how much hearing people share about how they evolved, their struggles and proudest moments brought me great insight into creatives creating for creatives, and that I need to use my talents to create something magical.
It wasn’t until later, and moving out to the South Bay LA, that everything started to take form. I wasn’t going to let the shutdown of 2020 slow me down. Having previously studied kinesiology, I wanted to dive into the things that make a body move, not limited to dancing on stage, spinning fire at Burning Man, or at my favorite festival and singing every chance I get, but specifically movements that both work the body and help it heal. I looked to yoga as the pathway to this knowledge. When completing my 200 hour yoga teacher training I ventured out to see what yoga studios are out there in my community, and fell in love with hot yoga.
My first hot yoga class I’ll forever remember- a true core memory. It was a 90 minute silent Bikram style class. I remember taking a break halfway through, and going through an internal pep talk, having to rally and be my own cheerleader to get my booty back in there. This feeling of successfully pushing past all mental blockages, anything inside that said no you can’t, overcoming that – I fell in love with that feeling.
With my already completed 200hr YTT, continuing to advance my knowledge I chose to complete teacher trainings specializing in Yoga Barre, Yin Yoga, and Yoga Sculpt, and subsequently was hired to teach these practices. As a yoga instructor, I love creating this experience for my students that nourishes their body, mind, and soul. As I lead them through their yoga practice, I am also lifting them with my curated music playlists, the songs I sing along too which time and again I get thanked for, and an occasional singing bowl. My playlists are as important to the experience as the movements themselves, and I work on bringing new music weekly, keeping the vibes fresh. It is after teaching these classes that it became evident to me how much I impact my students, from the giant athletic man who says thanks coach that was great, to the lady recovering from double hip replacement being so grateful I lead her through her practice, to the people unwinding after work, to the mom or dad having their “me” time by joining my class, or students just checking out what yoga is, it’s all very special and moving. After class I love talking to everyone to hear how they’re feeling, what goals they have for their own practices, what they have to share and their takeaways from my classes. I’ve learned so much through my trainings, through practicing, through teaching – life skills that have transferred off the mat into daily life. Yoga doesn’t make life easier but it makes you better at life.
What problems do you solve and what you are most proud of:
Keeping current on how to interact with students to help them with their special needs and limitations, offering modifications for all body types is of paramount importance to me. I aim to uplift their hearts, connect them to their inner child, while helping their bodies get the most out of their practice. My Yoga Barre class has a dance party vibe going, my Yin Yoga class has soothing vibes with spirituality and connection to oneness as a focus, and my Yoga Sculpt classes “bring it,” challenging students, while also encouraging them to have fun, as I’ve been told by many. The human anatomy is both fascinating and complex, so to teach a class for adults of all ages with different needs and capabilities, guiding students into proper alignment to safely move through their practice, that is the main focus. And to entertain with music (and singing) that lets them escape for an hour into this world, is magical.
What do you want people to know:
I am always evolving and seeking to take in all the wisdom I can, every conversation with people from all walks of life is so special. At the present I am diving into an Anatomy and Yoga Therapy training to get even more insight into how I can help people move with differently abled bodies. Also I have scheduled a retreat with my original 200 hour yoga training mentors coming up this summer. This is all building up to fulfilling my vision – to create a space where the mind, body and spirit can be uplifted. A wellness center where people can remove themselves from the daily hustle, and enjoy yoga classes, sing with singing bowls, meditate, do breath-work, movement classes, get a massage, an ice bath, and so so much more. The amazing people I’ve met since moving here, and all their feedback and wishes they’ve shared with me are all seeds for what I will strive to bring to life in the near future. I appreciate when people share their stories with me, and I am looking forward to growing more within this awesome community, and see how I can further make a difference.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
As a yoga teacher I am a forever student always learning more on this spiritual journey of the mind, body, and soul connection, and what I’ve found the most helpful for succeeding in this avenue is being able to relate to people, to listen to them, and to really hear their stories. I find connection and being able to give your eyes, ears, and heart to your students is the most important value to hold. When you are holding space for others, it’s important to leave everything at the door when you come in. You are there to provide this sacred container, where you make others feel comfortable to show up for themselves, to dive into their inner strengths, to feel safe to release whatever no longer serves them and the highest good of all. I ask the universe to help me to channel the energy, the love and the messages that my students need that day. It’s important that the class you’re sharing with others is for them, not for your own ego.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
Authentically showing up as myself – being weird, quirky, making jokes, getting people to laugh, smile, not take themselves so seriously – offering this safe space to escape from the real world where they can focus on just themselves for a moment and what makes them feel good is one of my tools in the toolbox. I often say in classes “laughter is medicine” when I hear a good giggle. I keep the music fresh, tapping into my arsenal that I’ve accumulated from years of music event production work and journalism. I’ve been known to curate classes with themes, such as Barbie Barre-tay. Creating fun, challenging, and fulfilling classes and private sessions tailored to a client’s personal goals that aim to have people leaving mats with their cups filled is my goal.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: NicoleElizabeth
- Other: Author Archives: http://www.ThatDROP.com/author/Nicole-Petriw/ http://www.RelentlessBeats.com/author/NPetriw/
Image Credits
Dogan Yahyaoglu