The invention discloses a nesting type shape memory alloy pneumatic artificial muscle. The nesting type shape memory alloy pneumatic artificial muscle comprises an upper fixing disc, fixing rods, axial SMA wires, a sliding disc, a pneumatic muscle body, a PM lower installing disc, a lower fixing disc, a sliding square shaft, a rotating shaft, a PM upper installing disc, springs, radial SMA wires, a drive circuit, upper fixing disc wiring holes, a rotating shaft hole, sliding disc rod penetrating holes, sliding disc wiring holes, lower fixing disc wiring holes and a square hole. The pneumatic muscle body is nested in a fixing frame, and accordingly the device structure is compact. The axial SMA wires are wound many times, the effective length is increased, large deformation is generated, muscle bundles are pulled, the contraction amount of the muscle bundles is increased, and through the wire delaying circulation effect generated due to superelasticity of the wires, influences generated by load vibration can be relieved; through contraction of the radial SMA wires, muscle bundle rotation is achieved, and the rigidity of the pneumatic muscle body is changed; and compared with the same-type pneumatic muscle on the market, the pneumatic muscle is compact in structure, large in contraction amount and wide in rigidity changeable range.