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Our Story: How a Happy Accident Turned into a Thriving Yoga Community
Movement. Education. Meditation. Service.
Gratitude for hard work + happy accidents.
Nicole got certified to teach yoga during college in 2015 and has been dedicated to teaching in various settings and platforms since then – though teaching was 'just for fun' for many years while she also built and ran a photography business.
In 2020, when local studios shut down in response to the pandemic, Nicole uploaded a few classes online in order to be able to share the class links with family and friends who could no longer practice in-studio. These videos unexpectedly picked up traction on YouTube, and Nicole was eager to share more with the new community of people practicing with her online. That same winter, she led a 30-day meditation group online and it became apparent that her community needed another place to connect after the 30-days was finished. Then was born the Kula which launched in April of 2021.
The Kula was originally hosted directly on our website, which was created from scratch by Nicole herself. As members joined and the Kula started earning money, Nicole invested in switching tech platforms, hiring graphic designers, creating an app, hiring her first team members and hiring a designer (hey Kindling Design!) to build a custom website. We are always looking for ways to continue growing and expanding, and still trust that we are only at the beginning. Thank you for being here for any parts of our journey that you are -- we are so grateful to connect with you + hope to connect with you over many years to come!
What does 'Kula' Mean?
Sanskrit is an ancient language that originates from India, and is the language that historic yogic texts were written in. The word Kula is a Sanskrit word for family, community or tribe. Our friend and Sanskrit teacher Marcy Goldstein says that Kula means 'family-by-choice.' The Kula got its name because Nicole referred to the original January Meditation Group as 'the Kula' without much thought behind it, and the name stuck.
Celebrating how we've grown + making goals for the future still.
We have big goals and visions for the Kula and our sister brands The Collective School of Yoga, and Collected -- our newest project which will hold a curated list of merchandise for sale including educational yoga materials, apparel + more. We are grateful for everyone that we cross paths with along the way and hope so deeply that those who come across our offerings find themselves with a bit of a fuller cup -- in a way that then lets them share their unique goodness in bigger ways with their own communities. We believe that healthy individuals create healthy relationships create healthy family systems create healthy communities and beyond. We wish for the health and the happiness of the collective, and we hope our offerings contribute to that.
Meet Our Founder: Nicole Wild
Hey all! I’m Nicole - founder and creator of this ever-growing and shifting and expanding community. I pinch myself often, in awe of just how lucky I feel to be doing this with you all.
When I look back over the timeline of events that brought this collective to life, it is easy to connect the dots in reverse - but it didn’t always feel so clear during those moments looking forward. I’m grateful for the journey of it all and am proud of what we are creating and all that is still to come!
I was born and raised in Bozeman, Montana. My family still lives in the home I grew up in, and though I’ve recently relocated to Seattle, Washington, Montana is a place I appreciate more and more all the time. I took my first yoga class at 17 years old while seeking tools to support my physical and mental health, alongside a transformative therapy journey.
I received my degree in Fine Art Film + Photography from Montana State University, and built a wedding photography business that kept me busy full-time for several years. I got certified to teach yoga in 2015 during a summer break in college, and began teaching yoga in studios around the Bozeman community right away. Though I loved photography, anyone who knew me could see the deep passion I held in sharing the yoga practice. I continued to teach anywhere from 10 to 20 yoga classes per week for several years while also growing my photography business.
On March 16, 2020 at the start of lockdowns during the pandemic, I uploaded my first online yoga class to YouTube. This was a catalyst in the growth of an online community of people who were interested in practicing with me. While a whole season of weddings got cancelled, downsized or rescheduled in my photography business, I had new time + space to pour my heart into offering yoga in a new way. The Kula’s online membership site launched in April of 2021, and we expanded to in-person retreats and trainings in 2022.
"I have such big vision for the growth of our in-person and online offerings and am so excited for all that is to come.”
Join The Kula Email List for new class uploads, our next yoga retreat locations, and love notes from Nicole.
Keep up-to-date with all upcoming Kula offerings. We are always expanding, and want to keep you in-the-loop about membership perks, guest teachers, upcoming challenges and in-person events. We'd love to stay connected with you!
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