Hillary Helmling:

Hillary makes you feel at home when you interact with her, no pun intended. She has this way of welcoming you into her world that makes you feel like an old friend--even if you've just met. As if you were over to her house for tea and she not only offered you cookies, but also gave you the best seat in the room.

Her hospitality and selflessness is palpable and genuinely comes through in her teaching. She waltzes through the studio with ease and care, gently adjusting and assisting individuals as she verbally guides the rest of the class through the sequence.

Always the voice of reason, Operations Manager Hillary provides grounding and organization for the hOMteam. Her cool, calm and collected demeanor is one that demands respect and consideration and she has incredible insight.

You will walk away from her class learning something new about your body, guaranteed. @hillaryyoga

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1. Being a hOMie is not just a job, it’s a lifestyle. What does it mean to you to be a hOMie?

• Being a hOMIe allows me the ability to create freedom and ease in our students minds and bodies and teach them that what we practice on our yoga mats translates to all aspects of our lives. It’s important to find opportunities to explore movement, breathe deeply, practice stillness and establish connection. As a hOMie, I strive to live my truth, be a kind, thoughtful person and live each day with intention and presence.

2.  How does your personality come through in your teaching?

• I consider myself to be pretty laid back and try not to take myself too seriously, so that’s generally the vibe I want to create in my classes. I try to teach from a very grounded, authentic place, but also leave room for playfulness and humor. In my classes, you’ll be reminded to relax and breathe (a LOT!). I often look at my classes like I’m teaching a dance and the poses are like choreography. I want to create a very fluid quality to the movement in conjunction with the breath, and I always spend a good amount of time guiding alignment and explaining why these yoga poses are good for us!

3. Are you a vegan yogini? Or how do you prefer to fuel your body?

• I would not consider myself a vegan, but I eat a plant based diet. I do eat seafood occasionally (gotta feed my sushi cravings!), so I guess the proper term would be a pescaterian. I love eating vegetables, but I also have a sweet tooth, so I try to live by the everything in moderation philosophy focusing on whole foods. If I know I’m going to splurge on a meal, I make sure I eat light and healthy the rest of the day to balance it out. When teaching multiple classes a day I tend to eat a lot of small meals/snacks to keep myself fueled without feeling stuffed.

4. Amidst a busy schedule, it can be challenging to find time to practice. What does your self-practice look like these days?

• I don’t get to take class as much as I’d like, so it’s about finding time every day to fit my practice in. Maybe that’s ten minutes of meditation, 25 minutes on my mat at home, or some days it’s just some deep breathing on the subway. Physically, my body can get pretty tired with all the classes I teach, so I look at my yoga practice as more of a self care practice. I do try to take class at a new studio or with a new teacher every so often to keep things interesting.

​5. What’s your favorite way to break a sweat?  

• Running. I live by Central Park so you’ll often find me logging miles around the main loop. I’ve run a handful of half marathons and one full marathon. Running helps me destress, gives me time to sort through my thoughts and I love the endorphins!

​6. Most embarrassing teaching moment. Dish!

• I had just gotten my first iPhone. I didn’t really know how to use the phone yet, but plugged it into the studio’s sound system to play my music. About halfway through the class, my phone starts ringing and blasts throughout the studio. I rushed over to turn it off and accidentally answered the call. It was my friend on the line saying “Hello, Hello, Hillary, are you there? Hellloooo?” which the entire class could hear. I quickly learned how to turn the ringer off!

7. We know family is hugely important to you, what do you love most about being an aunt?

• ​I feel so lucky to have the most amazing, supportive family and my 5 nieces and nephews are my favorite people. I love seeing the world through their eyes. We have dance parties and dress up and play pretend and it’s the best. Life in the big city can be stressful, so it’s soul-filling to visit my family in the Midwest as much a possible.

8. Congratulations on your recent engagement! If you could go back and give yourself one piece of dating advice, what would it be?

• ​Thank you! I feel like the luckiest and am so grateful that I found an amazing man to spend the rest of my life with. I think I’d tell my younger, single self to BE myself! You shouldn’t have to change who you are in order to make someone like you.  

9. Finding a physical practice can be a difficult process. How did you come to find yoga in your life?

• Growing up, I was a gymnast, dancer, and athlete, so I’ve always been very active. I majored in Music Theatre in college and first started doing yoga poses as a warm-up in some of my dance classes without even realizing it was yoga. I thought I was just stretching. Cut to my first year in New York. I was fresh out of college trying to “live the dream” as a performer (which included a lot of auditions and a lot of rejection). I found it to be very overwhelming. I had heard yoga was supposed to be good for you and thought I’d give it a try. I started taking classes at a studio near my apartment and soon discovered that it was more than just stretching. It made me feel strong and gave me a sense of balance and clarity.  

10. If you could do anything right this instant, what would it be?

• See question 7 (being with my family!).  Or maybe hiking in the mountains somewhere warm. That sounds nice.

11. Words to live by:

• Mantras I often say to myself: “Strength comes through struggle” “Onward and Upward” and “This too shall pass”

12. Any other questions or points you’d like to make!

•  Yoga is for everyBODY!

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XO
AG

Annaliese Godderz: Interviewer + Photographer
@yogaliese