Thoughts on Kindness by Nancy Weshkoff
“Thoughts on Kindness”
By Nancy Weshkoff
Patanjali, 
often considered the father of yoga, designed the 8-part system on which yoga is practiced. The first of these 8 parts are entitled “Yamas”, and the very first “Yama” is called “Ahimsa”. Ahimsa teaches us to practice non-violence and be kind to ourselves and others. It is noteworthy that Ahimsa is first, well before “Asana” which is the practice of movement that many of us associate with attending a yoga class. Why is ahimsa so important that it comes first?
As a teacher, as well as the owner of Moonflower Yoga in Bellmore, NY, I see students every day as they come to the studio to learn and practice. As students enter the studio, I sometimes hear negative comments such as “I’m not flexible”, “I’m not strong”, “I’m too overweight”, “I’m too old”, etc. I always address these when I hear them. Where is our kindness to ourselves? It is sad that we often compare ourselves to touched-up, airbrushed images of the perfect body and try to emulate this.
It is so important that we be “present” and be the very best that we can be in that particular moment. It doesn’t matter that you are size 14 instead of size 2 or that you haven’t developed enough flexibility to touch your toes. The fact that you are in a yoga class and working towards being stronger and more flexible, learning how to breathe more fully and deeply, and sharing in a practice with others is a wonderful thing. Be kind to yourself as you practice and focus on positive things.
And a funny thing happens when we start to be kind to ourselves. When we are kind to ourselves, we can then be kind to others. Just think of the possibilities if the world experienced a little more kindness each day…
Wisdom from a Fortune Cookie by Nancy Weshkoff
Wisdom from a Fortune Cookie
Written by Nancy Weshkoff
After a delicious meal at a
Chinese restaurant, one of my favorite things is reading those little jewels of advice tucked inside a fortune cookie. One in particular has struck a resounding chord with me: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Wow!
So many times in life we are afraid to take that first step. There are always a million excuses that we can tell ourselves as to why we shouldn’t do something: it’s too hard, it will never work, you don’t have the time, you’re not strong enough, etc., etc. Yet if we don’t try how will we know it won’t work? It can take courage to do that very first step. Once you take it, step two is a bit easier, and then there is step three, and four, and more as you move down that journey of a thousand miles. How great the rewards can be!
Yoga fits into this category too. I have listened to people over the years that have been afraid to try just that first step. Yoga can do so many wonderful things for you. It can certainly build strength and flexibility. You can feel so much better just from taking deep cleansing breaths after a day filled with stressful situations. And you can meet some very interesting people from attending a regular class. Your first step in yoga doesn’t start with a headstand, which is many steps down the road. It starts with the courage of rolling out a yoga mat and giving it a try. If you’re in the Long Island area of New York, you could try a “Gentle First Steps” class at Moonflower Yoga in Bellmore which was inspired by the wisdom from a fortune cookie.
What is your favorite sentiment from a fortune cookie? Share a first step that you have taken that’s made a difference.
Is Winnie the Pooh right? written by Nancy Weshkoff
Is Winnie the Pooh right?
Written by Nancy Weshkoff
One of my favori
te characters is A. A. Milne’s wonderful Winnie the Pooh. Winnie the Pooh has provided some very interesting perspectives which always make me smile. One of these is when Winnie the Pooh is discussing how the best time is often “just before”. I often think about this, and it applies to many things in life. We love the “just before” anticipation of an upcoming event.
For me, preparing to open my new yoga studio, Moonflower Yoga in Bellmore, Long Island, has been a very exciting event filled with lots of anticipation. Planning classes, hiring wonderful teachers, getting the space ready has been an amazing experience that I will never forget. As if opening a new yoga studio is not enough of a challenge, Moonflower Yoga is also taking a booth at the upcoming Bellmore Family Street Festival on September 22 and 23. There are 120,000 visitors expected over the course of the weekend, as Bellmore welcomes families from all around the area. Planning promotional items for the Street Festival has also been fun, and it requires a sense of humor when you make “rookie” decisions as a first-time vendor. Buying a couple hundred balloons seemed like a great idea until you remember you have to blow them all up.
Winnie the Pooh is right in that I know the time “just before” these events in September is a wonderful experience filled with excitement and anticipation to cherish. But I also know that great things are ahead in the future too. Fulfilling a dream of having the doors of Moonflower Yoga open to welcome students, particularly new ones who have never tried yoga before, will be fantastic for years to come.
What do you think? Is Winnie the Pooh right?
Remembrances from 9/11
Remembrances from 9/11
Written by Nancy Weshkoff
11 years ago on the morning of September 11th, I remember my husband and I waking to a beautiful September morning. The weather was absolutely perfect, and we remarked that it was probably one of the 10 best days of the year. We both worked in Manhattan at that time and headed to work from Long Island and arrived in our respective office buildings shortly before 8 AM. The office buildings had beautiful views of Manhattan including the World Trade Center. Little did we know that in a few short minutes so many lives would change forever.
When we heard about the first plane crashing into the World Trade Center, like so many others, we thought this must be an accident. Sadly, as events unfolded, we realized it wasn’t an accident. From our office buildings, we could see the World Trade Center on fire. I remember being filled with shock and horror. Just like me, so many innocent people had gone to work that day, but in a different office address, and they were now dying or trapped in the towers.
As no one knew what might happen next, every office building in Manhattan was evacuated and all the public transportation in/out of Manhattan was closed. This resulted in millions of people emptying on to the streets of Manhattan. What happened next made me even prouder to be a New Yorker. There were no riots despite huge crowds. Instead we cried in the streets together and consoled and helped each other watching the smoke from lower Manhattan and praying for those who were in the buildings.
There were so many acts of bravery. I think about those heroic first responders who knew they were probably going to die but risked their lives anyway going into the burning towers to try and help people. I think a lot about the victims and their families. Family members stood on street corners after the attack holding pictures of their lost loved ones with messages such as “have you seen my daughter who was on last seen on x floor of 1 WTC.” Those pictures were later placed all over Manhattan on lamp posts and in the huge transportation hubs such as Grand Central Station and Penn Station. The victims became even more real as you looked at their smiling faces and knew they were senselessly killed that September morning.
My heart goes out to the victims and may they rest in peace. My heart also goes out to the families of the victims as they continue to find the strength to carry on.
One lesson that I learned from 9/11 was to live more in the present. Sadly we never know what will happen to us when we begin our morning. So we must make the most of each day. Don’t put off doing something that you’ve always wanted to do. It could be a simple thing such as spending more time with your family or it could be something bigger such as taking that special trip somewhere. After 9/11, I organized a trip to Disney World with my family because I wanted to create a happy memory.
Deciding to start my own yoga studio, Moonflower Yoga in Bellmore, Long Island, took some courage as I left behind the life I knew best. Yet I know that the courage to start a new venture was only a very small fraction of the courage of those brave first responders who sacrificed their lives to save others on that beautiful September morning and to the 9/11 families who have learned to cope with this tragedy. May all the victims of this sad event in our history be forever remembered. And may we always remember to enjoy the blessings we encounter every single day.
“How Yoga Can Change a Life” written by Nancy Weshkoff
Yoga has changed the course of my life. Can it change yours too?
More than a dozen years ago, I noticed that my local gym was offering a new yoga class. I decided to give it a try. I instantly fell in love. This was different than working out on machines at the gym or taking various aerobics classes. I loved the flow of the class. And you got to take a long relaxation at the end of the class!
Over the years, my practice has grown, and I have gotten stronger and more flexible. But something more important has happened. When life was stressful, either from work or the challenges that life throws at you, it was on my yoga mat that I found inner peace. Going to my yoga classes, moving, breathing, and taking a break from those stresses enabled me to release some of that tension in a positive way and feel better. And I also developed a new circle of friends from attending classes, many of whom remain close friends today.
And then a year ago, a whole new set of challenges started to unfold. My husband lost his job of 30 years when his company went bankrupt. Three months later, I was told that my position of 18 years was coming to an end because of the sale of the company that employed me. In a tough economy, this is not the news you want to hear. For my husband, he found a great new job that he likes. For me, the job search was hitting brick walls. What to do?
I decided to turn to what always helped me when life was stressful: my yoga practice. I enrolled in a teacher training program and fell in love with the teaching. I started to realize this is where I wanted to be: helping and teaching others. But in order to truly do this in a way that I wanted, I felt I needed my own small yoga studio. And I wanted to reach fellow baby boomers, as well as beginners of all ages, who have been afraid to try yoga because they couldn’t do complex poses. This was the genesis for forming my new yoga studio, Moonflower Yoga, which offers small class sizes and personal attention. In addition to the classes I teach, I have some wonderful teachers working with me at Moonflower Yoga, and they designed interesting classes for different fitness levels. Moonflower’s philosophy is to make yoga enjoyable for everyone and to create a sense of community from its weekly workshops and small class settings. If you live or visit Long Island, New York, come stop by and try a class or workshop at the studio!
So yoga changed my life: It helped me deal with some very difficult times. I have built physical strength and flexibility and met some wonderful people. And it changed the course of the direction in my life, as I am now the proud owner of my own yoga studio opening in September, 2012. Owning a studio also has some interesting moments, and I’m hoping to share those with you in future blogs.
Tell me about your positive yoga experiences. How has yoga helped you?
