Vickie Saito

Vickie is a Faculty Nia Trainer, Black Belt teacher and yoga teacher whose purpose is to Inspire through Movement. With over 20 years experience in the movement arts, Vickie brings somatic skill and playful self-discovery to every Nia class and training. She studied Human Sciences at Marylhurst University, and also yoga with SarahJoy Marsh, Julie Gumestead, Jennie Fox and Paul Gould. One of the first Nia teachers in Portland, OR, Vickie managed Nia's International Headquarters for 7 years, helping to spearhead an awareness of Nia in the Northwest.

A key leader in adapting Nia and yoga for teens, Vickie specializes in teaching high-schoolers through the West Linn/Wilsonville Wellness Program. In 2006, she developed the Holistic Wellness curriculum, where she also offers seminars on nutrition and the physiology of stress. Vickie's intent is to help teens connect to their body through movement - an act that supports them in making healthy personal choices inside and outside the classroom.

Students love her compassionate, grounded style of teaching blended with her effortless ability to make a personal connection with each individual. As Vickie says, "I believe that when we live in harmony with our true nature, we naturally increase our vitality." As a teacher, she aims to create an environment where students cultivate deep connections within themselves to find more aliveness, joy, and meaning.

When she's not teaching Nia classes and trainings, you'll find her upside-down in handstand; galavanting up Wind Mountain with her two awesome kids and golden retrievers; splitting her literary indulgences between meditation books and some action-packed, pre-teen series; and settling dinnertime arguments over who gets to eat the last piece of kale. Inevitably, the dogs always win.