Tag: yoga Long Island

Let’s talk about cortisol, yoga, and adrenal fatigue. When I was diagnosed with Lyme disease three years ago, I could barely get out of bed, let alone make it to the gym for a hard workout. Through study, it became apparent that along with my Lyme disease, I had severe adrenal fatigue from overuse of stress hormones in my body, the main one being cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone secreted in your body mainly when you are in fight or flight mode. Being in the health field and having to work with sick children with the possibility of performing CPR at any given moment, I was pretty much in a constant state of fight or flight. Having small children around also increases your cortisol level because you are always on a high level of alert. There are numerous ways to decrease your cortisol. Those include laughing, relaxation, and one of my favorites is yoga.
Being a mom of three kids’ convenience for me always comes first, along with trying to pinch pennies. I am all over the place for workouts. Like most moms, I know I don’t have one gym I go to, but many little boutique type places that make up 3-5 workouts per week. Trying to fit in all kinds of exercise including, weights, cardio, yoga, pilates can be tight on convenience and your wallet. So when I heard about this yoga studio opening up in Manhasset on Plandome road, I was intrigued. It looked small and inviting, and when I visited the website, sign up was pretty seamless. The first class I took was on a Thursday morning, and I was lucky to get the owner of the studio as the teacher, and his name was Mark. Upon arrival, I was quickly able to park in the back as there is a rear door and a front door. I was running a little late to the class, and Mark promptly introduced himself and got me set up. He was warm and friendly and welcoming. The class was excellent, and Mark is hilarious and not pretentious or showy like some yoga instructors can be. The place is immaculate and clean, and all the equipment is neatly put away in a dresser at the front. I grabbed a beautiful mat, two blocks made of some corkboard material and a blanket. The class was listed as align and flow, and the class was fast-moving, easy to follow, and I felt great, relaxed, and stretched out afterward. The class is 20 dollars, and I asked Mark if I always needed to sign in online or if I could show up that morning 20 dollars in hand. Mark replied yes and seemed to understand that sometimes it’s hard to sign up ahead of time or I forget. Often it’s just a game-time decision. I have been going for the last 2 Thursdays since the first class and have loved the two different teachers I have gotten also. I am so glad I found this little place just 15 minutes from Port Washington that made me feel welcome and right at home from the minute I walked in the door. Cheers to decreased cortisol, decreased body fat, and increased wellness and relaxation.