Nadiya Nottingham

Nadiya Nottingham is a Taoist Meditation and Energy Medicine teacher in teaching practice for over 30 years.

Her personal meditation practice began in Ireland age 13 in Dalkey and Sandycove, County Dublin where she grew up.

In 1982 she left Ireland for New York where she had a successful career in fashion.  During the AIDS crisis Nadiya lost many friends and work colleagues; these events were pivotal point from which turned her life around and began to formally study meditation and yoga at the Integral Yoga Institute in New York and India, eventually becoming part of their teaching staff and hosting workshops in New York and Internationally.

A deeply saddening loss of a pregnancy through abortion at age 28 became the inspiration for Womb Healing workshops at New York’s Integral Institute, where Nadiya’s transformational women’s circles were offered for many years.  Through ceremony and ancestral Journeying and storytelling, this work became a foundation of her offerings, first as a younger teacher and now as an Elder. 

“Grief does not take her leave, she waits for her place at the table of life to be set with gleaming knives, a silver cup; drink her in and she will sustain us.  Leave her thirsty and she will never be satisfied. “ — NN

In 2005, Nadiya began to explore psychedelic plant medicines with a renowned Columbian shaman, she traveled to Brazil and continued to sit in sacred ceremony on a regular basis for almost 20 years with Ayahuasca, Ninos Santos (mushrooms), Wachuma (cactus) and Tobacco.

During an Ayahauscha ceremony in Brazil she received a prompt from the plant medicine to return to Ireland. 

Taoism eventually was a deeply inspiring influence on Nadiya’s Irish roots; the similarities with Celtic Shamanism are most compelling to her; the three Dan Tiens in Chinese Medicine and the three Cauldrons of ancient Druidic teachings are one example.

In 2012 Nadiya was initiated as a priestess of Bridget by Dr. Isabelle Weber.  Bridget or Brighde, is Ireland’s primary goddess and saint.  In this past several years of working with this primal feminine force and after 40 years of living in the USA Nadiya and her husband are returning to live in Ireland in County Wicklow, one hour South of Dublin.

This call to return to Ireland was also strongly influenced by the separation from her siblings Patrick and Sheila and their extended families. And something more: having taken a online study of Irish Scoil Scairte, language, mythology, her/history led by Kathy Scott and author Manchan Magan a deep level of respect and a kind of bone deep love of her Motherland was unearthed, if not now when?

“When I was a little girl of about nine, or so, I was so moved by my mother’s kindness to strangers, she especially had a soft spot for the old, confirmed bachelor neighbours of ours in Sandycove, and the older ladies she’d meet at the shops there and in Dalkey where we later moved to be with my grandmother.  Somehow I longed to know that little snug spot that it seemed old ladies were so at home in: an easeful confidence, a world knowingness, weary yet not jaded and always ready for a laugh that made you cry.

Now I am that crone/calliach and it’s a good place to be.  I’m so gratful for my life in New York, for all the incredible friends, colleagues and family connections I’ve made there.

Nadiya honors the Celtic cross quarter holidays with Fire ceremonies she hosts meditation and Taoist Energy Medicine sessions which incorporates Qigong, breathing, sound healing and chanting.

Stay tuned for updates on her in person Cross quarter ceremonies, Meditation classes in person and on zoom.  Email to nadiya108@icloud.com to be added to her mailing list.

Amongst her primary teachers are the following:

Master Robert Peng (certified her Qigong Energy Healing)

Master Liu He & Dr. Liu Dong (certified Senior Qigong teacher and Taoist Meditation, Nadiya is in a Master teaching training programme with these teachers whom she has studied with since 2007)

Integral Yoga Institute New York City (certified senior yoga teacher)

Nan Moss and the late David Corbin (Shamanic Journeying/Soul Retrieval/Drumming circles/Weather Shamanism)

Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, author of Women Who Run with the Wolves

(Finding your Voice in Roseland Colarado)