I view the practice of yoga as a means by which to tune to our underlying essence/spirit/presence and thereby find healing, relief, insight and wellness from which to direct our actions in the outer world. My moderately paced flow classes are creative and engaging while aimed at deepening an understanding of the body through which to cultivate meditative awareness and a deep calm from which we can experience our essence.

I've been a Boston area teacher since 2005. In 2010 I opened Samara Yoga in Somerville, MA where I enjoyed cultivating a dedicated yoga community with some of my dearest friends and colleagues for 10 years. I'm looking forward to bringing what I've learned in both inner and outer leadership to the yoga community in Rhode Island, where I'm thrilled to have recently relocated. I also enjoy more in-depth one-on-one work with yoga students and life coaching clients. In my early years of teaching I trained in Prana Flow with Shiva Rea, who has been one of the biggest influences on the Vinyasa format in which I teach. I deepened my skill in asana and in learning to feel the body more deeply through years of attending Barbara Benagh's weekly class for Boston area teachers. I have since been learning in a mentorship format with Fez Aswat and Tom Alden in Alden's wellness framework, a wellness and personal growth curriculum based in yogic and buddhist practices, which I apply in classes and life coaching work.

Visit www.nicolinevalkenberg.com to learn more.