The Changing Season by Nancy Weshkoff
The Changing Season
By Nancy Weshkoff
This weekend we changed our clocks back one hour from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time. And while it was nice to have that extra hour of sleep on Sunday morning, the changing of the clocks also reminded us of something else: the changing of the season to cooler temperatures and less daylight as it is dark by 5 PM.
When it gets darker and cooler, we naturally spend more time indoors. While that is understandable, it is important that we continue to move our bodies during the cooler months. We need to keep your muscles flexible. At Moonflower Yoga in Bellmore on Long Island’s Nassau County, all of our great yoga classes emphasize stretching and flexibility. Did you know that tight hamstring muscles can cause back pain? You can keep your hamstring muscles loose through yoga. Our Stress Reducing Vinyasa flow classes, Level one and Level one-two classes, Sunday Flow, Beginner, Tai Chi, Stretch & Flow, Adaptive, Easy Beginner & Easy Flow yoga classes are all great choices for keeping you flexible. And being active can prevent weight gain over the winter months.
Aside from our physical body, our mental state can also change with the cooler temperatures. We spend less time socializing outdoors. For some people, this means spending more time watching television, playing video games, or with social media sites. While these can be fun in moderation, they may not help you deal with stress in your life. Stress can be harmful and health care professionals all agree that it is a contributing factor to many health problems today. You can reduce your stress through the physical movement of a yoga asana practice. You can also reduce your stress through meditation which provides a wonderful opportunity to let go of things that might be bothering you and to teach you to focus on the present moment. Our bi-monthly Meditation class is fantastic for this. We also have a lovely Candlelight Restorative class on alternate Tuesdays, which rotates with the Meditation class, where you have an opportunity to completely relax and refresh yourself while you stretch on bolsters, pillows, and blankets. If you are looking for a combination of light movement and restorative, there is the Unwind and Relax class on Thursday night which is a perfect way to end your day.
You can combat the winter blues, stay in shape, and feel better through a regular yoga practice. Hope to see you soon at one of our great yoga classes.
Meditation by Nancy Weshkoff
Meditation
Written by Nancy Weshkoff
Meditation is such a wonderful tool. It brings you a sense of calm and inner peace. It can help tremendously with stress reduction. And in today’s crazy world of constant distractions and mega demands on our time, it is so important that we take just a few minutes to sit comfortably, breathe, and relax.
For some people, meditation is very challenging. I was one of those people. I just couldn’t sit comfortably and quietly. After just a couple of minutes, something would start to twitch, my mind would start to wander, and I couldn’t get to a peaceful place. Then I learned a few simple tips which I am sharing with you:
– When meditating, you want to be in the present moment. This means blocking out regrets from the past or worries about the future. I often liken our mind in meditation to turning on your television set and scanning through the channels. In meditation, we want to focus on one channel – the present – and stick with it. When other thoughts start to creep in, you simply acknowledge them and tell yourself that you don’t need to think about those right now. Then go back to the present.
– Being in the present moment does not mean that you may not hear sounds around you. You could hear a car drive by, a bird singing, a child playing, etc. You just acknowledge these as part of your present moment. But if you hear a car, you don’t let your mind start to think about your own car, having it serviced, etc. You just let it go.
– Your breath work is very important. If you are having difficulty concentrating, do a simple breathing exercise. Thich Nhat Hanh, who writes wonderful words of wisdom, offers this tip: Sit comfortably, breathe, and repeat to yourself several times “I breathe in. I breathe out”. This repetition helps to calm the mind and bring you to the present moment. After just a minute or two of doing this simple breathing exercise, you will feel better.
At Moonflower Yoga, I want to introduce meditation to more people. I know that its wonders can help people feel better and more relaxed. With this goal in mind, we have added a great new yoga class entitled “Present Moment Meditation”. This meditation class is offered at Moonflower Yoga on alternate Tuesday evenings at 7:45 PM. After a day filled with stress and demands, it is wonderful to give yourself an hour to feel calmer and more relaxed with a meditation class led by one of our great yoga teachers. Meditation will also help you to sleep better when your mind is calmer, and sleep is very important to being healthy. In our Present Moment Meditation class, you will be given other tools to help you meditate and reach this peaceful state. If you are in the area of Bellmore, New York, in Long Island’s Nassau County, come and try Moonflower Yoga’s great new meditation class on Tuesday nights! You will feel instantly better.
Moonflower written by Nancy Weshkoff
Moonflower
Written by Nancy Weshkoff
It is early October, a time when many of the summer plants have started to fade. No so for the moonflower plant. Each night when I leave the Moonflower Yoga studio, there is a beautiful white flower waiting for me on the front porch of the studio. The flower comes out at night, and the flower usually lasts one day. And the next evening there is another gorgeous flower to greet me.
Some people have asked me about the name “Moonflower Yoga”. Where did the name come from?
Well, the moonflower plant is one of my favorites. But it also symbolizes something else. While other summer plants start blooming early in their development, the moonflower plant is not that way. The moonflower plant takes it time. It grows a lot of foliage during the summer. And then at the end of the summer when the other plants have faded, the moonflower blooms, something that is unusual for a summer plant.
In many ways, I associate with the moonflower plant. If you don’t know my background, I spent many years working in corporate America until I was suddenly downsized. I decided to turn to the one thing that I always loved and which kept me peaceful – my yoga practice. After graduating from my teacher training program, I decided to take a giant leap of faith and open my own yoga studio. When considering possible names, “moonflower” seemed right to me. The moonflower plant is a bit like me. It took its time to develop into something strong and then blooms later in the season. I associate with this: I, too, grew from my years in the business world, but it is now, a bit later in life, that I am starting to bloom with having my own yoga studio that I truly love.
I hope you will come visit us at Moonflower Yoga in Bellmore, on Long Island, New York’s Nassau County. I have built a small yoga studio with great yoga teachers where we pay personal attention to you, which many of our students have come to love. Moonflower Yoga is a friendly, warm environment which encourages you to blossom as well. And, of course, come by and see our beautiful moonflower plant in action. Hope to see you soon.
Moonflower Yoga’s One-Year Anniversary written by Nancy Weshkoff
Moonflower Yoga’s One-Year Anniversary
Written by Nancy Weshkoff
This week marks the one-year anniversary of the opening of Moonflower Yoga. As I write this, I cannot believe how quickly the year has flown by!
When I decided to embark on this new phase of my life a year ago, I knew it was a life-changing event. Leaving behind my former life in corporate America and opening my own special yoga studio in Bellmore, New York, on Long Island’s Nassau County was a giant leap. I remember all the planning that went into that grand opening: hiring a great staff of teachers, building a website, ordering supplies, preparing the space, developing the class program, etc. Yet, even as I made all these plans, I did not fully comprehend at that time what would happen over the course of the next year.
What happened over the course of Moonflower Yoga’s first year is that I met some of the most amazing people in my life. People who I never met before walked in the doors of Moonflower Yoga to try yoga for the first time. These students come from all walks of life, with interesting and fascinating backgrounds. I look forward to seeing them each week and catching up on what is happening in their lives. And, of course, watching these students grow stronger and become more flexible each week is very gratifying and inspires me as a teacher. I have also witnessed the strain on the faces of many students as they first enter the doors of Moonflower Yoga from a crazy day filled with stressful obligations. When they leave after an hour of a renewing yoga practice, they are once again smiling and are better able to cope with life’s challenges.
I have had fun planning and designing the class program and workshops. I am pleased with the variety of great yoga classes that we now offer at Moonflower Yoga. I also love putting together the workshop programs which give people an opportunity to learn something new as they kick off their weekend. In our first year, we have had some varied and interesting topics ranging from dealing with neck/shoulder pain issues, to understanding the principles of Ayurveda and your unique “dosha” type, to astrology, crystals, and Feng Shui. I’m busy working on new workshops for Moonflower Yoga’s second year.
Most of all, I feel truly blessed. Blessed to be waking up every day to do something that I love. Blessed to have incredible students walk in the door each day to practice yoga at Moonflower Yoga. Blessed to have the support of an amazing husband, family, and friends who have encouraged me in my new journey. Blessed to have a great staff of teachers who put their heart and soul to teach at Moonflower Yoga and who have helped Moonflower Yoga become a success.
I send out a big thank you to each of you who have supported Moonflower Yoga in its first year! If you are in the area of Bellmore, in Long Island’s Nassau County on Sunday, September 15, please stop by the Moonflower Yoga studio as we celebrate our one-year anniversary. And if you haven’t tried a class or fascinating workshop at Moonflower Yoga, come give us a try! Your first class is always free. You will gain strength, flexibility, balance, and feel better. Check out one of fun yoga classes or workshops and join the growing community of wonderful students at Moonflower Yoga.
Onward to year two!!
Yoga and Children written by Nancy Weshkoff
Yoga and Children
Written by Nancy Weshkoff
When I was a child in school, yoga was virtually unknown in New York. How much has changed in a short period of time! Now children are being introduced to yoga, and I think this is really fabulous. With a greater emphasis on test scores and the importance of top grades in order to move forward with a higher education, children are having their expectations and stress levels increase.
Yoga gives children confidence, and it builds strength and flexibility. Standing poses also help with good posture which is vital as children grow. All of these are wonderful things for our children. And, unlike many other activities, yoga importantly helps with both physical and mental balance. Physically, it helps children become stronger as they learn to balance their growing bodies. Mentally the stress of today’s fast-paced world takes its toll on our children too, and they need to learn healthy tools to cope and feel better about themselves.
It is because of this that we are adding a great new yoga class to the schedule at Moonflower Yoga in Bellmore, New York, in Long Island’s Nassau County. The new class starting in September is Toddler and Me, designed for a caregiver and a toddler to practice together. It will be a lot of interactive fun as the caregiver and toddler will learn poses together, with each helping the other. What a wonderful bonding experience! The class will be taught by Vicky Seff, one of the great yoga teachers at Moonflower Yoga. Vicky is also a mom who loves children, and she makes this class interesting and fun.
If you would like to register for the new Toddler and Me class, or any of the other great yoga classes at Moonflower Yoga in Bellmore, Long Island’s Nassau County, you can do so at any time by visiting our website: www.moonfloweryoga.com. A special toddler in your life can be on a path of good health and confidence!
The Importance of Relaxation by Nancy Weshkoff
The Importance of Relaxation
By Nancy Weshkoff
Doesn’t it often seem that life has become even more challenging? Children have assigned “play dates” and lots of other scheduled activities where we are rushing back/forth to drop them off and pick them up. Many employers expect you to be available online through the use of portable devices. There are more cars on our congested roads which causes the aggravation of waiting in traffic. And these are just a few examples of why we have more stress today. Medical professionals all agree that stress has a very negative effect on us, and it can be a contributing factor to health issues.
At Moonflower Yoga in Bellmore, on Long Island, New York’s Nassau County, we recognize the importance of reducing stress for our clients. We have a wonderful candlelight restorative class where you are pampered for an hour with soft music playing in twinkling candlelight. There are other great yoga classes too such as Unwind and Relax, where you will do a bit of movement to release muscle tension from the day but then we restoratively end the class to help you have a great night’s sleep. In October, we have added a meditation workshop at Moonflower Yoga to help you feel better. And, for something more energetic, there is the popular Stress Reducing Vinyasa Flow class on Monday and Tuesday nights where you will move your stress out and then end the class in quiet restoration.
Although these are all great yoga classes that will make you feel fabulous, sometimes we need to take the additional step of going on vacation and leaving everything behind for a week and exploring a new destination. For us at Moonflower Yoga, our staff of great yoga teachers is taking a one-week break and the Moonflower Yoga studio will be closed the week of Labor Day, returning on Sunday, September 8th. We wish everyone a wonderful Labor Day week. For those of you who are returning back to school, have a successful school year.
And if you would like to try one of our great stress-reducing yoga classes at Moonflower Yoga in Bellmore, New York, in Long Island’s Nassau County, you can reserve your space online from our website, www.moonfloweryoga.com. See you all soon!!
Yoga and Posture written by Nancy Weshkoff
Yoga and Posture
By Nancy Weshkoff
Did you know that your head can weigh approximately 8 lbs? Your head is like a heavy bowling ball. At the end of a long day, you may find yourself slumping over rather than standing up straight. Plus, if you are sitting at a desk working on a computer, you may be leaning forward to view the computer screen. And in these days of handheld devices, your head may be bent down from reading or sending messages on your handheld device. All of these can lead to bad posture.
So what is the consequence of all of this? You can suffer from back, neck, and other muscle or joint problems from bad posture. It can also contribute to problems such as headaches. And when you are slumped over you are less likely to bring good amounts of oxygen to your lungs, heart, and other organs which can contribute to other health problems.
How does yoga help? Yoga is great for helping to correct posture issues. We emphasize standing tall rather than slumping. Standing postures such as Mountain Pose (Tadasana) teach you how to stabilize your core and properly align your shoulders. In our yoga classes at Moonflower Yoga, we incorporate several great poses to help with your posture, including Mountain Pose. Mountain Pose can also be a meditative pose where you take several deep breaths while standing tall which helps bring oxygen to your organs, as well as calming your nervous system. Mountain Pose is just one of the fabulous yoga poses, when done properly under the guidance of one of our great yoga teachers, which can help you feel better and can work towards correcting muscle strain and bad posture.
If you would like to learn more about how to improve your posture, come and try one of the great yoga classes that we offer at Moonflower Yoga in Bellmore, on Long Island’s Nassau County. You’ll feel and look better!
Yoga and the Nassau County Health and Wellness Fair by Nancy Weshkoff
Yoga and the Nassau County Health and Wellness Fair
By Nancy Weshkoff
It is amazing how quickly time flies by. The next month brings several happenings for Moonflower Yoga. There is the upcoming Moonflower Yoga one-year anniversary celebration and the annual Bellmore Family Street Festival. But first let’s concentrate on this week.
This Sunday, August 18, 2013, from 10 AM – 4 PM Nassau County is holding its Health and Wellness Fair in the Mitchell Field Athletic Complex at One Charles Lindbergh Blvd. across from the Cradle of Aviation Museum. This will be a great opportunity for people on Long Island to learn about healthy options to make you feel better. I am pleased to advise that Moonflower Yoga will be participating at this Fair, and will be the yoga studio selected to provide a one-hour yoga class / demo from 3 – 4 PM at this informative event.
I am expecting that there will be some people at the Nassau County Health and Wellness Fair who have never tried yoga before. I am excited to meet them and introduce them to some of the great health benefits that yoga can provide. At the Moonflower Yoga studio in Bellmore, we welcome new students of all ages. I love working with beginners. It is inspiring for me to see the progress these students have made in just a few short months with increased strength, flexibility, and balance. Yoga has also made them feel calmer and less stressed. Several students have indicated that they sleep more soundly and are coping better with life’s pressures since they began their yoga practice.
If you are on Long Island, New York, this Sunday, August 18th, I hope you will stop by and say hello to us at the Nassau County Health and Wellness Fair and come to the Moonflower Yoga class / demo from 3-4 PM. If you can’t see us this weekend, you can always stop by the Moonflower Yoga studio in Bellmore. For those who are new, your first class is free, and it is a fabulous opportunity to learn more about the health benefits of a regular yoga practice with one of our great yoga teachers.
And stay tuned for future postings about our one-year anniversary celebration and the annual Bellmore Family Street Festival.
Yoga and Friendship written by Nancy Weshkoff
Yoga and Friendship
Written by Nancy Weshkoff
Y
oga has many wonderful health benefits from a physical standpoint. You will gain strength, build better flexibility, and improve your balance. But it also has another wonderful benefit: friendship.
When I first started practicing yoga many years ago, I met some amazing people who were also attending the same yoga class as me. What started on the first day as a hello then developed into something much deeper. As we practiced together, we became friends. Over the years, that friendship became stronger, and my best friends today are those same amazing women that I met at a yoga class years earlier. One of them moved out of state but came back to Long Island to attend a family event this week. And, of course, we had a yoga session together. Later in the evening, all the “yoginis” got together and we shared a wonderful dinner laughing and loving each other’s company. It is because of yoga that I met these incredible women who became my dear friends.
In creating Moonflower Yoga in Bellmore, New York, in Long Island’s Nassau County, I wanted to have a studio which made this type of friendship possible. Moonflower Yoga has small-sized yoga classes that provide a more intimate experience. And with that experience, comes the opportunity of getting to know the fellow students who are attending the yoga class with you. I am so pleased when I see friendships forming and the laughter and joy that comes from sharing a yoga practice with new friends – people that never met each other before walking into the doors of Moonflower Yoga in Bellmore.
I have heard people say they practice yoga by watching a yoga DVD. And, yes, you can learn a bit about yoga from watching a yoga DVD. But when you come to Moonflower Yoga, you will have a great yoga teacher who will pay close attention to you and help make sure you are doing the pose correctly and you will have a variety of great yoga classes from which you can choose. And you also gain something else when you practice at Moonflower Yoga as opposed to being alone in your living room. You will meet new people and create new friendships. And, like me, some of these new people that you meet at your yoga class can become your best friends in life. How wonderful is that!
If you are in Bellmore, in Long Island’s Nassau County, come try a yoga class at Moonflower Yoga. Your first class is free. You can have a great yoga experience, become physically stronger, and meet someone new. Is there a new friendship in your future?
Healthier You written by Nancy Weshkoff
“Healthier You”
Written by Nancy Weshkoff
When I made the decision about a year ago to create Moonflower Yoga in Bellmore, on Long Island, New York’s Nassau County, I wanted to have a wonderful yoga studio with personal attention and great yoga teachers where people of all ages and fitness levels could practice yoga in a loving environment. But I also wanted Moonflower Yoga to offer something else: an opportunity to learn something new, meet interesting people, and learn tips to help you move towards a healthier lifestyle. The Moonflower Yoga workshop program was then formed, and we have recently introduced our new “Healthier You” series.
The first of these “Healthier You” workshops was “Healthier You: Moving Towards a Plant-Based Diet”, taught by Moonflower Yoga’s Laura Lipari, who has a degree in nutrition and a passion for healthy eating. I, too, have a love for a plant-based diet. About 35 years ago, my husband and I decided to become vegetarians. It was a bit comical back then to try and find vegetarian options when eating out. We laughed when we saw the scene from the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” when it was discovered that the groom was a vegetarian and didn’t eat meat. Not eat meat? No worries was the thought – the groom could have lamb instead. Things have definitely changed since then.
Laura’s workshop was very informative, and even for me as a seasoned vegetarian I learned something new. The participants also were able to eat some delicious foods including the very yummy cold melon soup which tastes soothing and comforting on a hot July day. I received positive feedback from those that attended, and the participants are trying some of the great ideas they learned in the “Healthier You” workshop.
We have two other “Healthier You” workshops in the immediate future. There is “Healthier You: Learn ‘Tapping’ (EFT)”. Tapping is a wonderful way to reduce stress and anxiety and help release negative emotions. It is a safe, easy, self-administered technique that stimulates acupressure points while focusing on the issue that is causing your stress, fear, etc. It has been used by returning members of our armed services to help them cope with the emotional aftermath of combat duty. And on September 27th, Moonflower Yoga is pleased to have author, wellness expert and nutrition coach Jovanka Ciares speak on the topic “Supercharge Your Health: Self-Care Practices to Look Your Best, Lose Weight, and Feel Great from the Inside Out”. Jovanka also has regular spots on Fox News, NPR, CBS Radio, Telemundo, The Huffington Post, and MindBodyGreen. Stay tuned as there are additional “Healthier You” workshops being planned for the fall.
If you would like to try something new, have fun, meet new people, and learn some tips on how to live a healthier lifestyle, come try one of our “Healthier You” workshops at Moonflower Yoga in Bellmore, Long Island (New York). You will be happy that you did. And, of course, a great yoga class is also part of a healthier lifestyle, and if you have not yet tried at yoga class at Moonflower Yoga, you can do so for free, as your first yoga class at Moonflower Yoga is always free.
Hope to see you soon at a “Healthier You” workshop or a great yoga class!
