Reflections on 2013 written by Nancy Weshkoff

Reflections on 2013

Written by Nancy Weshkoff

 As the remaining days in 2013 start to dwindle, I have become a bit pensive as I reflect back on 2013 and what has occurred throughout the year.   

At the start of 2013, Moonflower Yoga was still in its infancy.   Since then, the studio has grown significantly.   So many students have walked through the front door of Moonflower Yoga.   A lot of these were students who never tried yoga before but were coming to Moonflower Yoga to experience their first class, and I am very proud that they chose Moonflower Yoga.  These students liked the small-class setting with personal attention, had a great yoga experience, and have become regular students of the studio.

Moonflower Yoga has accomplished many other positive things in 2013:

Our class schedule has grown to offer many options to our students so that people of all experience levels have a great place to practice.  Tai Chi and Meditation classes are amongst the newer classes.

We launched lots of interesting workshops on a variety of topics where people learned something new and had a fun evening.

Our Moonflower Yoga Picnic at Eisenhower Park was a blast, and we had perfect summertime weather.

Moonflower Yoga was the only yoga studio selected to give a yoga demo at the annual Nassau County Health and Wellness Fair.

Corporate yoga has been added to the slate of offerings at Moonflower Yoga where a Moonflower Yoga instructor goes to a local office and introduces yoga as part of a corporate wellness program.

We were able to give back to the community and help those in need with several charitable events.   Our children’s storytelling workshop raised money for the Make A Wish Foundation.   The film screening on the life of BKS Iyengar helped support the Iyengar Institute which brings yoga to many.  For Thanksgiving, we helped feed 800 hungry families.   And at the at end of 2013, we collected over 60 toys for the Toys for Tots program run by the USMC which donates toys to children who would not otherwise receive a holiday present.

We had another successful weekend at the Bellmore Family Street Festival where over 100,000 people from all over came to Bellmore.

But most important of all is our relationship with our students.   I feel truly blessed each day as I greet the students arriving to attend our classes.   Watching students enter the door feeling stressed from the day, and then watching them leave at the end of a great yoga class more refreshed and at peace, brings me a sense of joy knowing that we were able to help someone feel better.   I am so grateful to the students, as well as my great staff of teachers, for making Moonflower Yoga a very special place.  I can look back on 2013 with a smile, and I know the future will be even better.  Thank you to everyone for your support!

If you are in the area of Bellmore, New York, in Nassau County on Long Island, please stop by and see us.   Join us as we launch another fabulous year!

Is Christmas Stress Driving You Crazy? by Nancy Weshkoff

Is Christmas Stress Driving You Crazy?

Written by Nancy Weshkoff

Christmas is just two weeks away.    And, as we get closer to Christmas, I witness people experiencing more stress than normal with holiday obligations.   With that stress comes some bad habits such as overeating or eating high carb sugary foods.  We also tend to not get enough sleep.   There is one other thing that happens: we often stop exercising and taking care of ourselves.  

When we stop taking care of ourselves, bad things start to happen.  We gain weight from poor food choices and not exercising, putting more strain on our body.   Our reserve of energy becomes exhausted.     We are much more likely to become ill when our bodies are pushed to their limit.    And if we are not breathing properly, our body is not functioning efficiently.

I would like to suggest a different path this holiday season:  Set aside some time for yourself!!!   One way to do that is with a great yoga class.   You will gently stretch your muscles relieving muscle tension.  During the yoga class, you will also take deep breaths to increase the oxygen to your organs, which helps with stress reduction.  And by moving your body you are burning calories, keeping your weight in check.    Most importantly, you will generally feel better.   And when you feel better you can start to enjoy the holiday season rather than feeling overwhelmed.

Moonflower Yoga in Bellmore, New York, in Long Island’s Nassau County, has some great yoga classes that can help you feel better and more relaxed this holiday season.   And because we have small class sizes with a maximum of 6 students per class, our teachers pay personal attention to you making sure that you are comfortable and having a great yoga experience in your class.   Our students always say they feel so much better after just a one-hour yoga class.    You may also find that you sleep more soundly on the evening when you attend your yoga class, and having a good night’s sleep is essential.

So take a bit of time for yourself this holiday season.   When you do that, you may find that you enjoy this special time of year a bit more, while you are also keeping yourself healthier.   Hope to see you soon at Moonflower Yoga in Bellmore, Long Island!