Dear Yogi,

SUMMER’S OVER IN OUR HOUSE
The weather is still warm and beautiful, and it doesn’t yet feel like fall is coming, but school is in session and we are back to routines. I hope you have had a wonderful summer, soaking up the warmth, enjoying outside time and eating all the incredible seasonal food mother nature delivers this time of year.

I am really excited because in two weeks I head off to Italy for almost a month. My trip begins with a couple of days in Rome before I then head north to Umbria to lead a week long retreat in the Italian countryside. While in Rome, I will be teaching a one-day workshop at a local studio there. It’s a dream come true. And it’s a dream many years in the making. I hope you’ll follow my journey on Instagram, where I will be posting and covering my travels on Instagram stories.

A REQUEST
Can you help me spread the word? Naturally, I don’t yet know the Roman yoga community… but I’m thrilled to get to know them and share my love and knowledge of yoga! If you have friends living in Italy or who are traveling there in September, will you let them know I am teaching on Friday, September 13th, 6:30 – 9:00 pm at Zem Yoga Studio? It’s a beautiful local studio in the heart of Rome with a thriving community. The workshop is titled “Body, Breath, Mind, A Complete Practice with Nikki Estrada”. I will give an overview of asana, pranayama and meditation followed by a deep and skillful practice. It will definitely be worth their time. You can simply forward this email.

I am always studying, reading and listening to podcasts that are related to yoga, wellness, Ayurveda, meditation and basically anything that supports my personal growth and development. I listened to a beautiful podcast a couple of weeks ago and wanted to share it with you:

A RECOMMENDATION
Goop Podcast “The Beautiful State”. I highly recommend giving this episode a listen. Preethaji is a spiritual teacher and author who is interviewed about our state of being and how to meet the challenges of life. First of all, her message is clear and quite literally beautiful. She explains how we are either operating out of fear or out of love & beauty. I know this to be true from my tantric studies. Secondly, the quality of her voice is soothing and sattvik (clear, balanced and beautiful). You can hear the beauty in her voice. The energy vibration of her voice is calm, balanced and a vibrational expression of her practice. I am always struck by people who emanate this vibration because achieving a sattvik state is in fact a sign of spiritual wellness. She offers a very practical and relatable explanation of how we can live in harmony with ourselves. Enjoy.

THIS WEEK’S LOCAL TEACHING SCHEDULE
Wednesday, August 28, YogaWorks Larkspur 9:30 am Level 2/3
Sunday, September 1, YogaWorks Novato 11:30 am Level 1/2
Sunday, September 1, YogaWorks Larkspur 6:00 pm Restorative Yoga

I may be physically gone from the area for awhile, but you can find me online anytime! I have practices for everyone to be explored any time of day, from beginners to more experienced yogis.

Love,

Nikki