By Nancy Weshkoff

Life can be tough.    You may find yourself in a situation where you are caring for children, in addition to aging parents.    Employers are demanding more from employees, and with electronic media, jobs that were previously 9-5 are extending past this, as you may be expected to be checking and responding to emails in the morning or in the evenings.   Teens and young adults find pressure from social media.   Children are feeling stressed from rigid testing requirements.    Yikes!

Stress has negative effects on our health.   It contributes to high blood pressure and heart disease.   Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the US.   Stress has also been linked to other health issues.    We need to find healthy ways to cope with stress.

At Moonflower Yoga in Bellmore, we have instituted a great, new program to help you cope with stress.   On Tuesday nights at 7:30 PM, we have a “Stress Buster” group of classes, with each class designed to help you feel more relaxed and calmer.   These classes range from meditation with mesmerizing singing bowls or guided meditation while comfortably seated in a chair, IET/angel healing where you can learn to work with the healing angels, a Reiki healing circle where you receive a relaxing Reiki treatment while reclining on a massage table, a candlelight restorative class to help you stretch and deeply relax with bolsters and blankets to support you, etc.   Our great yoga and meditation teachers have designed these fabulous classes to help you feel calmer and relaxed, putting you on a path to good health.

If you are on the south shore of Long Island, in Nassau County (New York), come try one of these great yoga, meditation or specialty classes in our Stress-Buster series.   Discover the calmness that comes from these relaxing classes!

The post Coping With Stress by Nancy Weshkoff first appeared on Moonflower Yoga Inc..

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.

The post The Changing Season by Nancy Weshkoff first appeared on Moonflower Yoga Inc..