The Return of the School Year by Nancy Weshkoff

The Return of the School Year

By Nancy Weshkoff

September is always a stressful month with the return of the school year.  For teachers, you are meeting your new students for the year and ascertaining how you can help them grow and learn. Similarly for students, it is beginning a new curriculum and becoming comfortable with your new teachers.  Parents need to help their children become adjusted to the new grade level.  In 2021, this stress seems to be amplified even more. The COVID pandemic has added more complexity: should there be mask mandates, vaccine mandates for those who are eligible, remote learning or in-person learning, etc.

At Moonflower Yoga, we have many schoolteachers and parents who attend classes and events.  I see the stress and worry start to build in mid-late August and continue through September and October as they try to cope with the onset of the new school year.

For the teachers, the parents, and the students, they all agree that taking even just 30 minutes to RELAX can you help feel better.  A great yoga or meditation class, available via Zoom, can help you do that.  Yoga can release muscle tension from the day.  By doing pranayama (breathing techniques), the mind and body begin to relax.  When you are relaxed, you can think more clearly and feel better, and your blood pressure can be lowered creating less stress on your heart.  Guided meditation takes your mind away from your worries and anxiety and helps you channel it in a more positive direction.   Come give a yoga or meditation class a try with a great Moonflower Yoga teacher who can help you learn ways to relax and cope!   With Zoom, you do not need to live in Bellmore, Long Island, New York to attend a class, and we  have people attending online yoga or meditation classes from neighboring Nassau County towns such as Merrick, East Meadow, Wantagh, Levittown, and Seaford, as well as out of state from Pennsylvania, Florida, Vermont, Arizona, and California.   Take 30 minutes for yourself and begin to feel better!  And have a great start to the new school year.

Spring is a Time for Renewal by Nancy Weshkoff

Spring is a Time for Renewal

By Nancy Weshkoff

Spring is a wonderful time of year.   The plants and trees shake off remnants of winter and start to come into bloom.   We have more daylight and start to feel more alive than when it is dark before 5 PM.

And, just like the plants and trees, spring is a time of renewal for us.  Maybe you were more housebound and inactive during the winter months.  With spring’s arrival it is time to dust off the cobwebs of winter and start to feel renewed and refreshed.

With the arrival of warmer weather, you start to wear thinner clothes.  Wouldn’t it be great to feel toned in those lighter clothes?   A great yoga class can help you tone and stretch your muscles, as well as improve strength, flexibility, and balance.   If you are a beginner, that’s not a problem at Moonflower Yoga.   We love beginners and offer beginner-level yoga classes 7 days a week.   Remember EVERYONE was a beginner at one point.  Just take that first step and you will feel amazing.   Our yoga instructors give you personal attention to help you as you begin a yoga practice.

Clearing out the cobwebs is not just about our physical body.   It is also true of our mind and thoughts.  Do you brood about things from the past, which you cannot change because the  past is over?   Do you obsess and worry about the future, which you also cannot control?   Stress is a leading cause of heart disease, and heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States behind all cancers combined.   So what can you do to stop obsessing about past events and the future, reduce your stress levels, and work towards a healthy heart?

Having a meditation practice is a wonderful way to start taking care of your stress levels and feeling good about  yourself.  Moonflower Yoga offers several meditation classes including “Stretch and Meditate 101” on Thursdays, “Chair Body Stretch and Meditation” on Wednesdays at 6 PM, and a monthly “Less Stress” meditation on Tuesday nights.  Plus the weekly Kundalini yoga classes on Thursday and Sunday offer some meditation in the practice.   There are also great workshops on the Moonflower Yoga schedule which can help with stress reduction.   And Reiki, which is offered at Moonflower Yoga, is a great way to take care of YOU.

Come join us this spring at Moonflower Yoga and take a step towards renewal for yourself!   We are located in Bellmore, on the South Shore of Long Island in Nassau County, but we welcome students from all over Long Island including the neighboring towns of East Meadow, Merrick, Wantagh, Seaford, and Levittown.   We look forward to guiding you to a great start to your spring!