All photos courtesy of Nina Endrst
Nina Endrst—a Hudson-based Reiki master, movement teacher, meditation practitioner, tarot reader, and podcast host—is no stranger to transformation. She offers her services virtually and in-person, including retreats on her expansive farmstead.
In her early 20s, Nina Endrst was strutting around the concrete jungle, cigarette in hand. She had escaped a small town in Connecticut to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, which she describes as a “baptism by fire” with protracted hours, demanding bosses, and high expectations. After years of ascending the ranks, the constant pressure took a physical toll, and she fell ill. “I just didn’t want to believe that my lifestyle had anything to do with my pain,” she remembers with a laugh.
Some years later, Endrst took a position at IMG, an agency which represents more than half of the worlds highest-paid supermodels. “That was what broke me,” she says. “That was my limit.” Her illness returned, and she knew she needed to make a change. Around this time, she began attending yoga classes more frequently. After one session, she had a moment of clarity, quit IMG, and began what would be her journey to today.
While supplementing her income with freelance work, she earned her certification to teach yoga. After spending a year teaching in New York, Endrst went on a retreat in Mexico—the place that would become her new home, and where she would meet her future husband, the abstract painter Huê Thi Hoffmaster. At that retreat in Tulum, she was offered a job and made the move, beginning a period of development as a wellness professional and spiritual guide.
Returning to the States
Fast-forward some years, and Endrst, soon to be married, felt ready to return to the United States. Where do you go next after making a home in New York City and Mexico? The Hudson Valley, of course!
She recalls, “When we moved to Hudson, I was six months pregnant, and we had never even been to Hudson.” Endrst and Hoffmaster arrived in the States in the aftermath of the 2016 election, just a few years before the advent of the coronavirus, all while negotiating the challenges of new parenthood. The busyness—and sometimes, the chaos—of the past few years has helped her to appreciate the place she now gets to call home. “My environment has shaped me. We’ve rooted so much into the land that we live on,” she says, “that it’s made things really grow for us.”
The change in locale has given Endrst a boost in creative energy, in part because of the beloved topography and seasonal variety unique to the Hudson Valley. “The fact that we have this space really allows me and my husband to really create. I feel free to dive into different types of movement [and am] really inspired to read cards and connect to the earth.” She concludes, “It’s such a different feeling. I’m able to be in my body. I feel really alive in a lot of ways.”
Nina’s Practice in the Hudson Valley
If you want to get a better sense for what Nina Endrst is about, take a listen to her podcast, How to Be Human, which she records right here in the Hudson Valley. “I [felt] like so many people were asking me the same questions,” she explains, “and I think why some people are hesitant to come to the healing space is they feel they should already have this knowledge base.”
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In an effort to make her work more accessible—and less intimidating to newcomers—she and fellow spiritualist Anna Toonk release free, weekly episodes with themes like “the subconscious,” “failure,” and “beginnings.” The episodes adopt a casual, conversational tone with the aim of subverting the smoke and mirrors which can sometimes pervade their field. In applying a spiritual lens to everyday topics, they hope to illustrate that there is a little something for everyone who comes to spirituality with openness and curiosity.
Her main gig, however, is teaching. She describes her classes as “a moving meditation meant to clear energy, invite fluidity and strengthen the body.” In the past few years, much of her practice has taken place virtually, but she is excited to begin engaging with the community of Hudson via in-person meetings. You can join her on Mondays from 9–9:50 a.m. at the Warren Street Dance studio in Hudson.
For newcomers to the world of spirituality, Endrst recommends a tarot reading. “I read in a really grounded way. It’s really conversational,” she says, adding, “I have clients who’ve never seen a tarot card in their life.” She facilitates readings virtually and in-person in Hudson, promising a “safe and non-judgmental” space for her clients to take a deep dive into their psyche.
Endrst offers private sessions on her farm, on which you will also find her husband’s studio, a healing studio, a vegetable garden, an original horse barn, and gorgeous views of the Catskill mountains. Clients are offered a private, serene environment to engage in a range of healing practices, such as yoga, meditation, tarot readings, Reiki, and even art classes. They can even stay in the couple’s guesthouse, with a maximum of three people for retreats lasting multiple days.
Interested in learning more about Nina Endrst and her practice? Head on over to her website or follow her on Instagram.
Related: A Portrait of the Artist: In Conversation With Painter Huê Thi Hoffmaster
