We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nikita Desai a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Nikita, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Participating in a skydive! Which ultimately led me to the path that I am on now. Around nine years ago, I organised a charity skydive at my workplace where I was at the time. Upon landing, I injured my lumber spine which caused a fracture and I immediately knew something was wrong. After several appointments with specialists and doctors, I was advised that the only way to fix the injury was to have a major surgery where a disc would be removed and a metal cage would be placed around the area. I was also told that my mobility would not be the same as prior to having surgery which all made me feel quite overwhelmed. I began seeking alternative methods of healing and a few friends had recommended yoga which I started practicing straight away. I found this practice helped me heal physically and mentally and although surgery is still an option, I have now incorporated yoga into my daily life to help manage the pain.

Nikita, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am an Indian Yoga Instructor/Educator living in London. As discussed previously, I entered the yoga and wellness industry after sustaining an injury during a skydive after which I found the practice of yoga. After realising how much yoga was helping me to heal, I wanted to help others to do the same and took part in a yoga teacher training. Upon completing my training, I decided to leave my full-time job to teach however, the yoga world wasn’t all I thought it was and I quickly started to realise that making a living from teaching yoga wouldn’t be the easiest path, not only as a teacher but also as a person of colour. After a few years of trying to establish my business, I began to notice a pattern in the reduction of my culture, people and practices in every aspect of yoga and wellness. Yoga in the west centres predominantly white, thin, able-bodied people and usually excludes the origins of the ancient teachings from India. I wanted to create spaces that were more inclusive and decided to open up a studio in 2020 which closed after a year and a half due to the strains of the pandemic. Around this time I also began facilitating conversations around the issues that the BIPOC community face in wellness and the response was amazing! I also started teaching online including uploading videos on YouTube and people really resonated with my words and teachings. The feedback I receive up until this day is truly touching, many have expressed how much my work has helped them find their practice again after feeling excluded from western yoga and have let me know how comfortable they feel during my classes!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Being myself. I used to try hard to fit in and gave in to the pressure of social media way too many times. Ultimately, this always end up with you not standing out from the crowd because you’re just like everyone else and people can’t differentiate. Being unique and staying true to your morals and values is always a win for growing not on only your business but yourself with and value too.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Honesty, spreading awareness and sharing truths. It’s not always easy as not everyone likes hearing the truth but in my case, staying authentic and truthful is essential in keeping the roots of yoga alive. If you really care about the longevity of your business, honesty is essential. You can build a business on inauthenticity and it will thrive for a short period, but staying true to yourself and your roots is what will keep your business going forever.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.aryayogastudio.com
• Instagram: nikyyoga
• Twitter: nikyyoga
• Youtube: nikyyoga
• Other: TikTok: nikyyoga

Image Credits
“yogaandphoto.com”