Abide Yoga

Hope Hamling has been practicing yoga since she was 15 years old. Prior to opening Abide Yoga, she taught yoga for 4 years before deciding to open her own studio: "I was ready to open my own studio to offer what I hadn't yet found in the community. I was interested in offering different practices," says Hope.

Abide Yoga is a yoga and movement study that is geared towards helping people chill out. Abide offers different community events and provides different community services such as a free cycle rack, which consists of a rack of clothing open to the public for people to grab, a lending library, and a tea bar. "We also host different events like a clothing swap once a year that fills up the entire studio, poetry workshops, and different art workshops." 

"These events were created as a response to the community. I wanted the studio to be more than just a place for people to come and work out." 

Located at 13001 Larchmere Blvd., Abide has served the community in this location for 6 years, and before this location was further up the road on Larchmere in Cleveland. Abide is 10 years old, and Hope opened the studio impulsively: "I didn't have a business plan. I wanted to open a place for my hobby and to have an open schedule for my kids. I saw an open storefront and called." Four years later, she decided to move down the street, still on Larchmere, but into Shaker Heights. 

"I loved this corner space, so when I received an email that this place was opening up, I took the opportunity to leave my first location. I have loved my time in Shaker for the interaction with the City; it's a pleasure." 

After a divorce, Hope needed this business to become a long-term business plan. She wanted to get serious about what she was doing and wanted to differentiate her studio from others. Her philosophy? Make it less fitness-oriented and more play and community-oriented. 

Ten years later and Abide Yoga is a staple in this community. The community has found a gathering place in the studio for both classes as well as intentional events. This purpose has served well, allowing her to open a second location in Lakewood, in the Willow Room Creative at 15810 Detroit Ave. The Lakewood location is almost a year old. 

As a small business owner, Hope notes that some of that the main reward is the flexibility: "I work when I'm available so I can be there for my kids, have more interaction with them, and be more present." It also allows for flexibility in scheduling classes. If she's not feeling so well, she can take the day off without needing to ask for permission. And the biggest reward? "I have met so many amazing people and formed webs of community. I feel connected to so many different people." 

Within the industry specifically, yoga is creative and mindful. It is involved and intentional and pulls from whatever is going on in the moment. This intentional and purposeful work is another reward of the business. As Hope expresses, "I think about all of these hard times in my life and how I don't have to go into a different place of work and put on a face. I can just be myself." 

Of course, the business comes with challenges or not-so-fun responsibilities. For Hope (and others, we'd argue!) this includes navigating things like insurance and other administrative items. Part of solving these challenges and avoiding burnout is to hire people to accomplish these parts of the work, like an accountant. It can also sometimes be difficult to find someone to cover a class if she's unavailable, as hiring difficulties ebb and flow. 

Hope has advice for those hoping to become business owners: “It’s not always about the bottom line, and I know this is counter to good advice. There’s more nourishment for me than just financial, like watching people feel better.” 

For instance, the studio was closed during the pandemic from March 2020 through May 2021; that’s one year and two months! Hope and her team had to pivot, transitioning to virtual teachings, all within a day’s notice. “You have to pivot and lose expectations on how things should look and take another good look at how things could happen beyond the bottom line.” 

Hope and her wonderful team love to have fun. The yoga world can be serious and sterile, and her team wants to insert the play. She encourages us to “be silly!” Fun fact: the name and vibe of the studio were inspired by the movie The Big Lebowski. 

For more information on Abide Yoga, including the class schedule and different fun events, check out abideyogacleveland.com.