ABOUT NICKYNicky’s dedication to yoga is infectious. He is a deeply knowledgeable teacher known for his inspiring, relatable and heartfelt approach.
Nicky Grimsdale is a passionate yoga educator devoted to making the depth of yoga philosophy practical, accessible, and genuinely lived. His work bridges rigorous study with simplicity, offering practical pathways into complex ideas without dogma, mysticism, or unnecessary abstraction.
At the heart of Nicky’s teaching is a commitment to clarity, relevance, context and integrity. He is known for demystifying ancient teachings, presenting philosophy in a way that feels practical and lived, and guiding students beyond yoga as a physical practice into yoga as a way of being. His teaching emphasises lifestyle integration, self-awareness, and discernment—supporting students to apply yoga off the mat, in daily life.
What Nicky offers is not a style of yoga.
It is an education in what yoga actually is - a complete, integrated system of practices designed to work together toward a single purpose: clarity of perception, and the reduction of unnecessary suffering.
His teaching spans asana, pranayama, meditation, and philosophy, not as separate disciplines, but as interdependent tools within a coherent whole. The physical practice, in this context, is preparatory.
His studies span Advaita Vedanta, classical Raja yoga, Hatha yoga, Mahayana Buddhism, Samkhya, Tantra, Buddhism. While this breadth informs his teaching, Nicky currently works most deeply from the non-dual perspective of Advaita Vedanta. Importantly, he teaches non-duality through accessible, dualistic frameworks - using yogic practices to give grounded methods of self-inquiry in Karma and Bhakti Yoga - so that profound insights remain relatable and embodied rather than abstract.
Over the past decade, Nicky has become widely respected for his ability to train teachers and lead in-depth programs that produce highly skilled, thoughtful, and grounded educators. He has taught over 10,000 hours, led over 20 teacher trainings, and certified more than 150 teachers, many of whom are now leading voices in the Australian yoga community. He has designed and facilitated long-form trainings, retreats, and workshops across Australia and internationally, and has worked closely with numerous well-established and renowed studios.
Nicky’s journey into yoga began through a curiosity about life’s deeper questions on the nature of reality and the Self. While working in a bookshop and reading extensively on Buddhism, he encountered yoga philosophy for the first time - an experience that immediately resonated with his own intuitive understanding of human nature and the universe. That moment marked the beginning of a lifelong relationship with yoga which led him towards the non-dual teachings of Advaita Vedanta.
His insatiable curiosity with self-inquiry eventually led him to India, where he lived and studied extensively, immersing himself in both the philosophical and practical dimensions of yoga while working in the film and television industry. India felt like home, and it was there that his practice deepened profoundly through sustained engagement with asana, pranayama, meditation, and study. He completed his teacher training in India and made a natural transition into full-time teaching. Later in Australia he found wonderful mentors and senior teachers that furthered his education in specific area of study.
Nicky’s foundational training began with Iyengar Yoga, establishing a strong base in alignment and functional understanding of the body. From there, he developed his own systemised methodology of creating fluid and intelligently progressive vinyasa, alongside a deep relationship with pranayama and a broad exploration of meditative practices. Throughout his journey, yoga has always been a means of inquiry into the self and the nature of reality, with philosophy at the centre rather than as an afterthought.
Now based on the Sunshine Coast, Nicky continues to teach classes, workshops, and advanced trainings, offering students a grounded, inclusive, and deeply informed approach to yoga—one that honours tradition while meeting the realities of modern life.
PODCASTSListen to Nicky talk about his personal journey with yoga on these engaging podcasts. Then join him on his Podcast: Self Meditated where he shares his teachings on Vedic philosophy.