Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Sciacca.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I began dancing at age 2. It was all I cared to do my entire adolescence and into adulthood. Entertaining and movement were my life, and in many ways, they became my identity. At the age of 24, I severely injured myself rupturing four discs at once while rehearsing for a charity show performance. I was heartbroken, bedridden, and faced with some life-altering decisions. I began seeking out physical therapy, Network Spinal Analysis, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, yoga, indoor cycling, group fitness, and life coaching. As I lost the ability to express myself through dance, I had no idea who I was. Dance was my passion, my therapy, and my life long dream.
Even though my back had begun to heal when I went back to dancing, I never fully trusted my body again. I felt betrayed by the pain.
Yoga and indoor cycling quickly replaced the endorphin rush and flow state that I had known my whole life training as a performer. A few years later I opened my own indoor cycling and yoga studio on Abbot Kinney. Hustle & Flow Fitness was a dream come true. I wanted to create a community. Bringing my adoration for fitness, yoga, kid’s yoga, community outreach, and business into reality was thrilling and incredibly tough.
As if business wasn’t challenging enough, I’d gotten married, gotten pregnant, given birth, got divorced, and closed the business within three years. This area of Venice was blowing up with tech companies buying up real estate, and my personal life was imploding along with it.
Within months of closing Hustle & Flow, Jordan Cohen of Playlist Yoga reached out to me with a killer idea, and we went to work on creating a yoga studio that featured music, community, sweat, and a welcome atmosphere for all levels of practitioners. We are often called the “Soul cycle of yoga.”
In the last two years, I’ve also been immersed in mobility training through Functional Range Conditioning. I have learned more about anatomy, joint health and how to translate this into my yogic teaching. FRC is an absolute game changer and has altered the way I see the human body. To this day, I would say that I am beyond fortunate to have found multiple careers that I’ve utterly loved!
Please tell us about your art.
I love helping people come alive in their own skin. Whether that is through the practice of slowing down and paying attention to their breath, moving their joints in a way that stimulates blood flow and articular resilience, building strength on their own terms, or just laughing at the hilarity of life on this planet.
I love making people feel something. As a young performer, that was a byproduct of the expression of dance. I embodied that every day. As a yoga teacher and mobility specialist, I can do this multiple times a day with private clients, corporate clients, public classes, and even on an app with people around the world. As a fun-loving human, I can make ridiculous content on my IG stories or just bring a sense of joy and lightness to whatever comes my way.
I lead with passion and laughter because that is what makes ME come alive.
I want people to remember to soak up the beauty and grace surrounding them. It’s everywhere.
This morning I was in a room filled with adults and children and the adults looked like zombies.
Detached, static, bored. It was painful. I chose to hang out with my son and the other kids asking them questions.
When you look at the world through a lens of joy and wonder, everything becomes more interesting.
As an artist, how do you define success and what quality or characteristic do you feel is essential to success as an artist?
Success is a variable that evolves with talent and hustle. When you strip yourself down, and you can clearly and honestly figure out how to navigate your strengths, you’re winning. No small (or big) failure lands without a lesson. The way I see it, if I’m learning, I’m succeeding.
That is my God given gift; I can always learn.
If I want “more” success, I need to identify my strengths, put in some serious hustle, and then show up in joy and gratitude.
When those concepts are aligned for me, I am successful.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
You can take a public class with me at Playlist Yoga, a yoga + mobility class at Victory Performance Physical Therapy, a slow flow class at Equinox Culver City, or a meditation, stretching, or yoga class on AAPTIV, the number 1 audio fitness app on the market!
You can also join my email list at http://eepurl.com/dwOOx5.
I strive to drop nuggets of inspiration, humor, and hard truths all while bringing you the most mediocre, sub-par content in all the land. LOL
Contact Info:
- Website: www.NicoleSciaccaYoga.com
- Email: Nicole@nicolesciaccayoga.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolesciacca/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicolesciacca333
Image Credit:
Letticia Bissondut
Caddie Hastings
Higinio Martinez
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition, please let us know here.
