September is a milestone month for Moonflower Yoga. It is our 14-year anniversary of the opening of the studio doors to activities at Moonflower Yoga!
While it feels like it was yesterday, it was actually 14 years ago that I decided to make a life-changing decision and say goodbye to corporate life and pursue something that I had come to love: yoga. I had been a yoga student for several years before this, and my yoga practice helped me to feel better, relax, and improve my strength and flexibility. When my life in corporate America ended abruptly with the dissolution of the music publishing company for whom I was working, I decided my life needed a new direction. I wanted to do something that I loved and that something was yoga.
I decided to open a yoga studio where everyone felt welcome. Seniors in particular who never tried yoga before learned how yoga helped them build strength and flexibility, so they reduced their risk of falling, and they also discovered new friends at Moonflower Yoga.
I also wanted a small class setting so the teacher and students could interact with each other, and students did not feel lost in the crowd of larger facilities. It has been very rewarding watching students who had no prior yoga experience become stronger and more flexible from attending the classes. Students have also learned techniques to help them feel better, relax, and become more peaceful. This peacefulness is a key part of one of my favorite mantras: Peace begins with me. If I can help people feel more peaceful, I can help create a more peaceful world.
I also thought it would be fun to have non-yoga activities. The Moonflower Yoga Book Club was formed where we meet monthly, take a journey with a great book, and have fun discussing it. I have learned things through the years from the 100+ books we have read and discussed. And importantly it is a fun, de-stressing afternoon and also helped create new friendships. With the success of the Moonflower Yoga Book Club, other fun clubs were added including the Moonflower Yoga Mah Jongg Club where we have fun playing a few rounds of Mah Jongg together each month at the studio.
Workshops were also created where you can learn something new or make some new creations. We have discovered new things together, made beautiful mala beads and jewelry with help from creative people such as Carol, and had fun. And a thank you goes out to Bob who, in addition to being crowned the “IT Guy” at Moonflower Yoga, has shared his love of cooking with the Moonflower Yoga community with his monthly “In the Kitchen with Bob” online cooking workshops where we cook a meal together from our respective kitchens on a Sunday afternoon, plus there have been many delicious desserts created by Bob served at the in-person activities. We also learned additional ways to relax and feel more peaceful with monthly workshop activities such as Yoga Nidra with Jackie or Rosanne and an Evening of Guided Meditation and Relaxation with Bhante Sujatha, the loving kindness monk. Bhante travels all around the world, and it is special to have him on the monthly Moonflower Yoga schedule. I am very grateful to all the dedicated teachers on the Moonflower Yoga roster who offer weekly yoga and/or meditation activities including Rose, Jessica, Rosanne, Lynn, and Vicky, all of whom help make Moonflower Yoga a special place. And a thank you to Cathi for her monthly gong meditation and relaxation events in the warmer months.
The success of the Moonflower Yoga studio could not have happened without the ever-growing Moonflower Yoga community. To all those who have supported Moonflower Yoga through the years, I say a big thank you! I am so appreciative of all the wonderful people who have given Moonflower Yoga a chance, and have either walked through the squeaky front door of the studio or joined us online for a class or workshop.
To those of you who have not yet tried one of our great classes or workshops, come give it a try!! All are welcome. And there is NEVER a contract to sign a Moonflower Yoga. You can purchase a single activity to see how you like it. You will find more info about Moonflower Yoga and its offerings on the pages of this website.
We look forward to seeing you soon.
With gratitude,
Nancy
