Meet nicOLE

Meet Nicole Zornitzer

Founder, Niyama Yoga Shalas, Retreats & Ayurveda
C-IAYT Yoga Therapist · Certified Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant · Integral Sound Therapist

Nicole Zornitzer brings more than 30 years of experience in the wellness industry and over two decades of leadership in Corporate America to everything she creates. After a successful career in upper management at the world’s largest global cosmetics company, Nicole chose to devote her talents to work with deeper meaning, founding Niyama Yoga in 2005 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Nicole’s work is guided by a commitment to education, rigorous training, and a community of practitioners who share her values. That foundation has shaped every chapter of Niyama’s growth.

Growing Niyama

In 2019, Nicole opened her first large brick-and-mortar Yoga Shala and quickly expanded to three locations in New Jersey, along with a satellite studio in Delray Beach, Florida. Responsive to the needs of her community and the evolving wellness market, she has continued to nurture her New Jersey presence while expanding throughout the Southeast. In 2024, she brought Niyama Yoga Shalas & Niyama Ayurveda to Northern Florida.

Known for her forward-thinking vision, Nicole has consistently been among the first to bring emerging healing modalities to her clients, often well before they reached the mainstream.

Niyama Yoga Retreats

In 2020, Nicole founded Niyama Yoga Retreats, an international wellness and adventure retreat company offering thoughtfully curated, intention-based travel experiences. Her retreats have become a source of connection, acceptance, and community for yogis around the world.

In 2024, she partnered with a company in Ayampe, Ecuador to open Niyama Yoga Shala Ayampe, home to her quarterly retreats, immersion programs, and annual residential teacher training.

Training & Certifications

Nicole is a C-IAYT Certified Yoga Therapist with more than 30,000 hours of teaching in the Integrative Yoga Therapy modality. She holds a post-baccalaureate degree in Ayurvedic Medicine and is a Certified Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant (C.A.L.C.) and Certified Ayurvedic Body Treatment Technician. In 2020, she earned a Level 2 Diploma from the International Sound Healing Academy, becoming an Integral Sound Therapist.

Her additional certifications include:

• CPYT Prenatal Yoga
• Radiant Child Children’s Yoga Instructor
• Certified Aerial Yoga Instructor
• Advanced Yin Yoga
• Mindful Barre Fusion
• Reiki Energy Healer
• Fire Cupping Practitioner
• Teacher Training Leader (200-hour, 300-hour, Yin, and Yoga Nidra programs)

Schools, Healthcare & Athletics

Nicole has partnered with public and private schools, including The Fusion Academy in Englewood, NJ, the Livingston, NJ school system, and the Arc Morris Center for Rehabilitation serving Essex, Morris, and Sussex Counties. She has also worked with medical institutions nationwide, offering yoga therapy to children and adults with special needs, those recovering from injury, and anyone seeking to bring yoga into their daily lives.

Her corporate and athletic partnerships span businesses, community centers, and professional sports organizations, most notably the New York Jets, along with professional lacrosse teams, helping athletes achieve the full benefits of yoga and meditation.

The Creative Kids Movement Network

In 2025, Nicole became Regional Owner of The Creative Kids Movement Network in Jacksonville, Florida. In this role, she brought yoga, fitness, and mindfulness programs to preschools, daycares, and wellness centers throughout the Jacksonville area, serving children ages 2 to 10. Sharing these practices with the youngest members of the Northern Florida community has been a deeply meaningful extension of her mission.

Bridging Beauty & Wellness

With more than 25 years of experience across the beauty, wellness, and business industries, Nicole thrives where business, innovation, beauty, and wellness intersect. Her corporate career in global luxury beauty, combined with her entrepreneurial journey building Niyama, has given her a unique perspective on leadership, client engagement, education, and growth. She believes that successful businesses are built on trust, strong relationships, and a genuine commitment to people. Today, Nicole continues to weave these worlds together, embracing new opportunities in the aesthetics and beauty space while staying rooted in her yoga practice. Whether she’s guiding a student on the mat or helping clients look and feel their best, her focus remains the same: building lasting relationships, creating meaningful impact, and bringing purpose to everything she does.

Nicole’s Why

In 2015, Nicole faced a personal health crisis and turned to yoga to heal. That experience revealed the profound importance of weaving Ayurvedic principles into a life already full with yoga, a corporate career, motherhood, and relationships, and it continues to shape how she guides others today.

Her greatest inspiration is her children, Jared and Larissa. When she isn’t in the Shala or traveling the globe, you’ll find Nicole cycling, hiking, taking Pilates reformer classes, cooking, reading, and savoring time with loved ones, often with a good glass of wine and her beloved pups Steel, Coda-Bear, and Monte close by.