Nikola Ellis

Nikola Ellis

MCAP, Grad.Dip Public Health (USYD), C-IAYT, BA (hons), Dip. Health (Yoga), Dip. Shiatsu

Nikola Ellis is a certified yoga therapist, psychotherapist and counsellor who has been immersed in yoga for over 25 years. She is was Vice President of Yoga Australia, the peak body for yoga in Australia 2019-2022.

She has studied with leading international yoga, meditation and psychotherapy teachers including TKV Desikachar, Bessel van der Kolk, Judith Lasater, Donna Farhi, AG and Ganesh Mohan, Saraswathi Vasudevan, Michael de Manincor, Ani Pema Chodron and Eve Grzybowski.

In 2002 Nikola founded Adore Yoga in Sydney where she and her team offer personalised therapeutic yoga to individual students and small groups. Since 2014, Nikola has developed evidence-based yoga and mindfulness programs for a number of special needs populations, including:

  • Sydney Children's Hospital Network
  • Domestic violence refuges
  • Drug and alcohol recovery centres
  • Aged care facilities

She also develops evidence-based yoga and mindfulness programs for organisations including:

  • Cancer Council NSW's ENRICH program
  • The Butterfly Foundation
  • The Kinghorn Cancer Centre at the Garvan Institute
  • A Sound Life

Nikola has undertaken research on yoga for adolescents with anorexia nervosa as part of her Master's degree in Counselling and Applied Psychotherapy. She has consulted for RSL Defence Care on trauma-informed yoga programs for veterans and is the founder of Pink Yoga, a project dedicated to making yoga available to women with cancer.

An experienced public speaker, Nikola has presented at several Yoga Australia Conferences, World Yoga Day, the Global Network Initiative at SYTAR (USA) and the NSW Palliative Care Volunteers Conference.

"I so enjoyed your presentation and thought it was an incredible way to finish the day. Thank you so much again." Sarah Potter, Dept. Palliative Care, Sydney Children's Hospital Network.

For more than a decade Nikola has been training both yoga teachers and health professionals to use the tools of yoga and meditation in health care settings. She developed Australia's first accredited 650hr Yoga Therapist training, the country's most advanced recognised qualification in yoga.

Nikola is passionate about working at the intersection of yoga, health and social justice and her teaching reflects this commitment to making yoga a force for positive change in the world. She co-facilitated Australia's first Yoga in Action program with Off the Mat, into The World, and is active in the support of many community organisations that are striving to improve health, fairness and quality of life for all.

“Over the past 7 years Nikola has been a major influence in the development of "balance" in my life, not only in the physical arena, but also for my mental, emotional and spiritual well being. She is a gentle, persuasive and creative teacher and has developed wisdom across many fields of practice. Whether working with Nikola in a group setting or one on one, she always maintains a high degree of professionalism, attentiveness and care for the whole person”. Audrey McGuinness, Executive Coach, Psychotherapist & Adore Yoga student.


LEARN WITH NIKOLA: ACCESS THE INTRODUCTION TO YOGA THERAPY E-COURSE FOR JUST 99c WITH CODE YOGATHERAPY99.

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