What Ever Happened To… Nikki Scarborough?

How has your Bikram Yoga journey unfolded?

I practised regularly and taught mainly at the Kits Bikram Yoga Studio for years, but left Vancouver in March to be closer to my family in Toronto. I grew up in Ontario and my parents are both here, so I decided it was time to move back. It was weird moving back here after being on the West Coast for 16 years. I feel like I am a Vancouverite!

I’m now working in Toronto and live about an hour away, so I practise at two studios depending on my schedule: Bikram Yoga Hamilton Dundas and Bikram Yoga East York. I teach on the weekends at Bikram Yoga Hamilton Dundas. I’m also learning to golf and enjoying the outstanding Ontario weather – sorry, B.C., but the weather here is so great! So much sun and heat! Maybe I won’t be saying that come December, when it’s -15 C and snowing!

What do you miss most about BYV?

From a teaching standpoint, I miss knowing so many students. It’s so great when you can see someone progress – they’re in your class often and you know their practice well. On the practising side, I miss my fellow instructors. There’s a tonne of senior teachers in Vancouver, and I’ve worked and practised with them for so long that they know me and push me in my practice. They’d never let me get a way with slacking off! But the Bikram Yoga community here in Toronto is growing, and it’s fun to be a part of that. I’m also enjoying working at a studio with newer practitioners.

Notice any major differences between practising in each city?

Yes! The humidity! Vancouver is more humid in the winter and Toronto is WAY more humid in the summer. You start sweating here before class even starts. I’m not complaining; I love the heat here. It just takes a bit of getting used to.

We miss you! Will you be coming back to see us soon?

I’m hoping to visit Vancouver in September and will definitely try to teach a class if I do. I’ve been lucky enough to have been back twice already in the four months since I left but, since I was there for work, I didn’t get a chance to teach. (I’m also looking forward to some delicious sushi – it’s just not the same here!)

If you’re ever in Toronto, be sure to look Nikki up; check the schedules at Bikram Yoga Hamilton Dundas and Bikram Yoga East York to see if she’s teaching!