Nitya Lisa Keenan

Nitya started her yoga journey in the spring of 2015, at the suggestion of her oldest daughter who had attended a hot yoga class and thought she might like it. She was drawn initially to the physical practice. She had a regular exercise regimen and had been consistent for most of her life but thought yoga might make a nice addition.

She spent the first two years of her journey working on perfecting poses but not giving much though as to why she always felt so good after a class. She started attending two classes per week but quickly progressed to five plus. Nitya found that she enjoyed more than just vinyasa, as hatha, restorative, and yin became a part of her weekly plans. Her husband, daughters, and extended family noticed a shift in her being, a calmness, a happiness.

At the end of 2016 Nitya’s foundation was shaken by the sudden death of a child in her neighborhood. Yoga, was where she turned with her grief. It was the only place that she could go to rest her mind. It gave her clarity which allowed her to support her family and a grieving community.

This was the major turning point for Nitya in her practice. The realization that there was so much more to yoga then just the physical movements. It became a spiritual moving meditation. It was the place that she could go to clear her mind and leave renewed. It gave her a new way to look at life’s challenges and the value of community energy. Every dharma seemed to be intended specifically for her and could always be applied to her life if she just listens to the message. She began to wonder how she had ever existed without it.

Nitya completed her 200-hour teacher training at Onyx Yoga Studio led by Shannon Elliott and Jane Lindemann in May of 2021. She spent the first few months as a newly certified instructor filling in for as many classes as possible to give herself a well-rounded experience over multiple yoga platforms.

Nitya wants every student to feel comfortable and confident in class whether they are on chapter 1 or 25 of their yoga journey. She enjoys moving students through asanas while seeing each of them witness their own growth and appreciate the progress they make each day. The dharma is the heart of each of her classes and the theme is carried throughout. Nitya believes that Yoga is a practice that follows you off the mat and will shape the type of life you choose to lead.

Nitya is married, has two daughters, a few pets, and lives in Basking Ridge. She is also a Certified Public Accountant with her own private practice.