Moonflower Yoga feature on News 12 Long Island: One Year Later By Nancy Weshkoff
Moonflower Yoga feature on News 12 Long Island: One Year Later
By Nancy Weshkoff
One year ago, in February 2020, Moonflower Yoga was selected by News 12 Long Island for a piece which aired about Women and Heart Health. The piece was hosted by Shari Einhorn of News 12, and it focused on the positive benefits of yoga and meditation on heart health, particularly for women. I was so thrilled and honored that Moonflower Yoga in Bellmore was selected for this piece amongst all the other yoga studios in Long Island, New York.
The News 12 piece featured 2 classes: one was a traditional, beginner-level yoga class. The second one was a Chair Yoga class which I taught. Shari joined us for the Chair Yoga class. As a Reiki Master Teacher, I also incorporated some Reiki into the Chair Yoga class that I taught, as well as brief meditation.
The response to the piece which News 12 Long Island aired was fantastic, and it was such a great day. We were able to all be in the same room together, enjoying the practice, as well as laughing at the end and even sharing some hugs. For those who love Bob’s desserts, there was also his delicious homemade lemon lavender cake to share at the end of the filming.
If you would like to see the piece that aired on News 12 Long Island, here is the link:
http://longisland.news12.com/story/41735495/relax-and-destress-yoga-and-heart-health
We did not know at that time what lay ahead of us with the pandemic the next month.
So many of the simple things that happened that day, such as being all together in one room, not worrying about the spread of the virus, no social distancing, no mask wearing – all of these feel so alien at this point in time.
I am feeling nostalgic for that day in February when Moonflower Yoga was featured in the News 12 Long Island piece.
It is hard to imagine how much has changed in one year. Online Zoom yoga and meditation classes are now the norm at Moonflower Yoga, as the studio doors remain temporarily closed for in-person classes. Through Zoom, I am still able to stay connected with the Moonflower Yoga community of students, as well as the great yoga teachers who comprise the staff at the studio through daily online yoga classes via Zoom. Moonflower Yoga was also able to switch to a live, online version of some of the great workshops, as well as the Moonflower Yoga Book Club and Moonflower Yoga Needle Arts Group. I am very grateful for this ability to still stay connected with the group of students and teachers who I have come to love, as well as have some fun in the online Moonflower Yoga Clubs.
I am also very grateful to Shari Einhorn of News 12 Long Island and her crew for selecting Moonflower Yoga and coming to the Moonflower Yoga studio in Bellmore to film the piece.
In addition to being grateful, perhaps, most importantly, this one-year anniversary of the News 12 piece is a reminder to appreciate every day that we have. TODAY is the only day we can control. As my yoga gurus before me have often emphasized, TODAY is the most important day of your life. Enjoy and appreciate it. Namaste.
Heart Disease and Women by Nancy Weshkoff
Heart Disease and Women
By Nancy Weshkoff
Heart health is something I take very seriously. And while it is important to focus on heart health year round, the month of February is Heart Health Month and part of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Movement. I am therefore writing this blog to discuss this very important topic.
Let’s begin with these key factors about heart disease in women:
–Heart disease is the NUMBER ONE killer of women in the United States.
–If you stacked up ALL cancer-related deaths for women together (breast, lung, ovarian, liver, skin cancer, etc), all of these cancer-related deaths together would still be number two behind heart disease.
– One in three women in the United States will die every year from heart disease. If you were sitting in a group of women and looked to your right and to your left, sadly one of you will die from heart disease. And of this number, more than 1,800 of these women who die from heart disease will live here on Long Island in New York.
-If you have heart disease, you are at a higher risk of contracting COVID or having serious complications related to COVID. With the spread of coronavirus, it is even more important to pay attention to your heart health.
– Did you know that you can help PREVENT yourself from becoming one of these very sad statistics by proactively taking steps to lower your risk?
While there are some things that you cannot change, such as your family history of heart disease, there are several things that doctors all agree that you CAN do to lower your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. These include:
– Engage in moderate exercise on a regular basis. Sitting on a couch and not moving is bad for you in so many ways. Spending long hours in front of a computer screen without moving is not good for you. Your body needs to move. Yoga is extremely helpful in helping you with your fitness goals. The postures in a yoga class will build strength and flexibility, stretch your muscles, and at the same time, the deep breathing techniques (pranayama) used in a yoga class increase the flow of blood to your heart and your organs.
– Reduce your stress levels. This can be particularly challenging in this coronavirus period where we might find ourselves multi-tasking. It makes it even more important to notice how you cope with stress. Being in a “fight or flight” mode, which is how our body reacts when our stress levels are high, is putting a huge strain on your body functions – including your heart. Meditation is a wonderful tool to help you lower your blood pressure and stress levels. Yoga classes also help you reduce your stress. The online yoga and meditation classes at Moonflower Yoga can get you on the path to accomplishing your stress-reduction goals. Perhaps you do not have a lot of spare time right now with multi-tasking due to the pandemic. I would suggest that it is so important to take even 30 minutes FOR YOU which helps lower those stress levels and enables you to better cope with life’s challenges. Moonflower Yoga currently has great online yoga and meditation classes which you can do from the comfort of your home to help you lower stress and help your heart health. The Schedule tab on the moonfloweryoga.com website lists the daily options taught by our great yoga and meditation teachers.
– Learn to be “in the present moment”. We often worry unnecessarily about things from our past that we cannot change or things in the future that MIGHT happen but have not happened yet and may never happen. In our classes and workshops at Moonflower Yoga, we teach you ways to be more in the present moment and let go of unnecessary worries bringing you more peace and calm.
– Lower your blood pressure: Moving more, decreasing your stress levels, and using tools such as meditation and yoga mentioned above can all help you with this. How about learning something new? Spending some time reading a great book or engaging in a fun activity can help lower your stress levels. We have several great online activities that you can do from home including two fun “Clubs”. In the Moonflower Yoga Book Club, we have fun going on a journey with a new book which helps you discover something new. There is also the Moonflower Yoga Needle Arts Group where you crochet or knit (very meditative!) while enjoying each other’s company. With the Moonflower Yoga Needle Arts Group, we also donate some of our beautiful creations to various charities. And there are great yoga workshops, as well as crafting workshops where we make beautiful jewelry. We have online meditation classes, as well as regular guided meditation workshops. There is also a monthly online yoga nidra evening, which is deep relaxation “yogic sleep”, a wonderful way to de-stress. One hour of yoga nidra = four hours of sleep! These types of interesting and meditative activities can help you on the path of stress reduction, lowering your blood pressure, and having fun – all great things for your heart.
– Fighting loneliness: In this coronavirus period, it is very important to practice social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus. But social distancing often creates loneliness. We need social interaction. Online yoga, meditation, and other activities via Zoom are a great way to combat loneliness and help you feel better. Before and after each online class, there is a Zoom Room where you can safely see and chat with fellow attendees, have a laugh, or share a story. It makes a big difference to have this social interaction and help you feel better, thereby reducing your stress levels.
-Are you eating a healthy diet, or are you eating fast food or other unhealthy foods that are high in fat and cholesterol? Eating unhealthy foods can clog your arteries and increase your risk for heart disease. One fun, new online activity that we offer at Moonflower Yoga is a monthly “In the Kitchen with Bob” cooking workshop where we connect online via Zoom, and we cook healthy meals together during the workshop and then enjoy the finished product at the end of the workshop. These delicious recipes are plant-based, low in fat, and heart healthy. And we have a lot of laughs cooking together – a great stress reducer.
As someone who has a history of heart disease in my family, I take heart disease very seriously. My stress levels and blood pressure were very high – all red flags for being on the path to a heart attack or stroke. Through yoga, meditation, learning to be more in the present moment, and spending time in engaging activities such as reading and needle arts, I have been able to lower my blood pressure to normal. You, too, can lower your risk. We hope to see you soon at a great online yoga class, meditation, or workshop at Moonflower Yoga. With online yoga and meditation classes offered via Zoom, there is also no longer a geographic limit to Bellmore, Wantagh, Merrick, East Meadow, Freeport, Seaford, Massapequa, or other towns in Nassau County, Long Island. We now have students joining us from states other than New York including Florida, California, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Vermont. It is great to connect with new people! All are welcome!
Please take care of yourself and reduce your risk of heart disease, or the risk of heart disease for a special woman in your life. I hope we will see you soon for a great online yoga class, meditation, or other activity as you take positive steps to lowering the risk for heart disease!
