Nicki Doane

Nicki Doane is an internationally recognized yoga teacher, known for her ability to make

the practice of yoga accessible to every body. She began her study of yoga at the age of 18

while attending the University of Massachusetts. From her first class, she knew she had found

something special and deeply familiar. While she began to practice yoga on a purely physical

plane and because it felt good, it became apparent some years later that there was more to

Yoga than she originally thought. In 1991, Nicki traveled to Mysore, India to study with Sri K

Pattabhi Jois, the master of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. She fell in love with the practice and

continued her studies with Pattabhi Jois until his death in 2009. What she experienced on that

first trip was a radical realization that yoga is much more than a physical practice. The yoga

affected her deeply on an emotional and spiritual level. After that she was hooked! As she

delved deeper into the Ashtanga practice she became curious about her teacher’s teacher and

his lineage. She learned that Tirumalai Krishnamacharya had been Pattabhi Jois’ teacher and

also the teacher of BKS Iyengar. This led her to study Iyengar Yoga with Mr. Iyengar, his

children and with many of his senior teachers as well including Gabriella Giubilaro and Patricia

Walden, at his institute in Pune, India. Nicki has always believed that her practice continued to

grow and evolve due to her study and practice of both of these systems of Yoga. Nicki

continues to study to study yoga with senior teachers and believes that a great teacher must

always remain a dedicated student.

Nicki’s teaching has grown out of her practice and her deep faith in yoga and she

chooses to honor her students as individuals first and foremost. Nicki’s style combines asana,

pranayama, philosophy, and poetry and her classes are strong and accessible to everyone.

Nicki uses humor in her teaching to set her students at ease and she is considered to be very

relatable and down to earth. She is known as a Teacher’s teacher and loves igniting the spark

of yoga in her students.

Nicki lives on the beautiful island of Maui, Hawaii, where she owns and directs the Maya

Yoga Studio on the North Shore of Maui. She has been featured in numerous articles and has

graced the cover of Yoga Journal magazine. She is featured in 2 Ashtanga Yoga videos

available through Gaiam and in 9 videos entitled Maya Yoga Vinyasa on her youtube channel.

Nicki teaches workshops and teacher training courses at her studio on Maui and travels all over

the world conducting workshops, teacher trainings, and retreats.