Our Story

Nin Yoga began in September 2017, when I decided it was time to stop hiring the local neighbourhood centre and take a bold leap, signing my very first lease on Queen Street, St Marys.

Honestly, I never imagined outgrowing the Colyton Neighbourhood Centre. But our classes were full, the energy was growing, and deep down I knew the next step was coming... even if it terrified me. Who was I to open a “real” studio? I just loved teaching yoga and bringing people together.

Then an affordable little brick shopfront became available on Queen Street. I jumped. Signed the lease. Painted the walls. Rolled out a schedule.

All I needed was a name.

I thought it had to be something deep, meaningful and spiritual. But time was short, and my high school nickname “Nin” was quick to write on the window. I figured I’d change it later.

Spoiler: I never did. I was too busy laying floors and building a community.

And that’s how Nin Yoga was born.

What started as a little yoga studio has grown into something much bigger than I imagined. Over the years, it became increasingly clear that the thing that made Nin special wasn't really the yoga.

It was the people.

It was having somewhere to go. Seeing familiar faces. Moving your body without needing to look or perform a certain way. Learning ways to befriend your mind. Having a chat before class, making a new friend, trying something completely outside your comfort zone, or simply having a place where you feel like you belong.

Nin Yoga is now a not-for-profit

In September 2026, we began a new chapter as Nin Yoga Community Incorporated, a NSW incorporated not-for-profit organisation.

Becoming a not-for-profit reflects what Nin has grown to be and where we want it to go next.

Our purpose is to create an accessible and inclusive community where people can move their bodies, build meaningful social connections and develop practical skills to support a healthier relationship with their minds.

We want to help reduce loneliness and social isolation by giving people genuine opportunities to participate, connect and belong.

Our community includes people of different ages, backgrounds, abilities and experience levels, including neurodivergent people and people with physical, sensory, communication and learning needs.

Through yoga, reformer and mat Pilates, meditation, dance, community events, creative programs and outreach, we want Nin to be a place where people can show up exactly as they are.

Being a not-for-profit also means that Nin Yoga doesn't exist to generate profits for an owner or shareholders. Money generated through the organisation is used to support its purpose, its programs and the community it serves.

As we grow, we hope this allows us to do even more: offer affordable and subsidised opportunities to participate, work with schools and older people, support local artists and musicians, run community events, develop volunteer opportunities and take more of what we do beyond the walls of the studio.

Movement might be what gets you through the door. Community is what we hope gives you a reason to come back.

Nine years after writing “Nin” on that first shopfront window, the purpose feels clearer than ever.

Thank you for being part of it.

Annika xx