Devon Wilson-Hill

Say Hello to Devon Wilson-Hill, one of our newest teachers at Ompractice and the next star in our Teacher Spotlight Series!

Devon will lead the last class of your Vitality Series: Focus & Foundation Setting Guided Meditation & Gentle Seated Stretch on Thursday, January 25th, at 8pm ET / 5pm

You'll find Devon's regular classes on Sundays:

• Prenatal Yoga (30min) on Sundays at 10:30am ET / 7:30am PT
• Slow Flow Express (30min) on Sundays at 11:45am ET / 8:45am PT

Who are your classes for? What kind of vibe can people expect in your class? What is your teaching style like?

My classes are for people who need to slow down or like to slow down! BUT they're for people who like to move and are okay with spontaneity. One of the things I've learned about myself is that I'm happiest when there's movement in my life. That can be going for a walk after a meal, walking around a new city, or learning something new like teaching my kids how to ice skate. And, I like working hard. So while I move slowly at times, I like challenges. I don't always teach right side, left side, repeat. I sometimes do lots of things on one side and then lots of things on the second side. That is my way of letting my brain SLOW DOWN. I tend to rush when I anticipate what's next. I also want to emphasize that my classes are for all bodies. We are constantly transforming and evolving. I don't often teach inversions or things that are labeled "advanced". Sometimes my mantra is "just because we can, doesn't mean we should". Of course, sometimes we should do things that scare us or challenge us, but [not] if we're just chasing.

We're so happy to have you on the team supporting bodies with prenatal yoga! Did you practice yoga while carrying your own children? How does your parenthood experience inform your classes?

Yes! I practiced yoga before children but what I've learned in my years of teaching prenatal yoga is that many come to yoga because of prenatal yoga. There's no experience necessary for any of my classes! I practiced and taught yoga full-time when I was expecting my first. This was really the time I learned that movement was essential to keeping me happy and connected to my own body. I find that I can make better choices when I'm grounded in my body. Another thing I tell my yoga students is that every body is different and every baby is different. So pregnancies are different because we're different and babies are different because they're different people. Learning not to superimpose a way things are supposed to be or should be because they've been that way before or because your friend, mother or sister experienced something is really healthy - they're different and your baby is different. And there's a whole lot of difference in ranges of normal. When I'm in my head or my heart is busy or heavy, it's easy to react instead of respond. In a time of great transformation, I was able to advocate for myself in some unexpected ways because of my yoga practice. Now that my children are a bit older, yoga continues to keep me grounded. I'm more patient and I'm able to really lean into my values because they're my values. In the time of mom wars or many moms not feeling like enough, yoga reminds me that I am exactly who I'm meant to be and my choices for my family are what they need to be for us.

How did you get into yoga?

In 7th grade, I got a book out from the library and I taught myself poses from the book. It made me feel great! This was before there were lots of yoga studios. I grew up in a rural town, but even closer to the city, there were only 2 yoga studios. Yoga was more homegrown and occasionally there'd be classes at the community college. When my mom's friends signed up, they would take me. In college, I started practicing Bikram yoga. It's a style that's completely out of fashion for lots of reasons, but at the time, I enjoyed the method because it was predictable. And they encouraged practicing every single day. So by the time I figured hot yoga and this teacher were not for me, I had established a routine. In some ways I think this is one of the most important lessons, especially in the time of cancel culture, not everything is all bad and nothing is all good, either. I have since practiced Ashtanga and Iyengar yoga, and then found my own way.

Do you have any pets? We love our #petsofompractice ❤️

I do not have any pets, but I love seeing all of yours! One day we'll get a dog.

Tell us a bit about your morning routine and what gets you revved up/excited for the day? Especially in the winter - it can be so brutal in New England!

I fantasize that I wake up, do some yoga stretching and twists in bed. After I slowly wake up, I slide out of bed into a warm pair of slippers, get my tea and sit reading the paper, doing a crossword before going for a walk.

In real life, I hit snooze once or twice, throw on clothes while commenting aloud that it's "so cold!!" I get my family ready and we dash out the door. But I love going for a morning run and I love snow shoeing! Especially when I'm one of the first one's out and the snow feels fresh and new. I've found finding something you like to do outside in winter is key.

For fun, we always like to have a few extra credit questions:

• What's one life-changing product under $25 you'd recommend? I don't know if I'd recommend. I sign a lot of letters at work. And I love a good felt tipped pen. And I love that they come in different colors. A simple pleasure is picking the color of the day. Clearly this is not for everyone, but it really makes me happy!

• Most delicious bite of food lately? I love grain bowls and as much as I try to recreate them, other people make them better.

Find Devon outside of Ompractice at:

• Instagram: @dwhyoga
• Website: www.devonwilson-hill.com