Nicole Woodford-Shell

Title: Special Lecturer
Dept/Program: School of Dance, Theatre & Arts Administration
Email: nwoodfor@uakron.edu

Biography

Nikki (she/her) is the founder and co-owner of Yoga Squared and the co-founder of The Highland Square School of Yoga. The Highland Square School of Yoga includes Yoga Alliance approved 200 and 300 hour programs, which have graduated well over 100 students over the past five years.

As a 500-Hour E-RYT, Nikki has helped to guide ten 200 and 300-Hour trainings, and is passionate about teaching future teachers! As an RN for over a decade, Nikki learned firsthand the inextricable connection between body, mind, and spirt, and this led her down an
unexpected path. She became a yoga student first, and eventually took her 200-Hour teacher training. During training, she recognized that she was ready for a career shift, but it was imperative that she continue to fulfill her passion for helping people recognize their own capacity for healing. As an enthusiastic Highland Squad resident for many years, she had the desire to help create a more vibrant neighborhood, too, and Yoga Squared was born in December 2016!

Now, Nikki works full-time for Yoga Squared, teaching weekly classes, workshops, facilitating trainings, and helping lead retreats all over the world through the YS Retreats platform. In her free time, Nikki loves to spend time with her dogs Raja and Haze, read, bake, and research new retreat destinations! She also runs, strength trains, and practices yoga regularly.