August is National Wellness Month, and while we think every month should be wellness month, we are excited to celebrate! After many people were forced to take greater control over their own wellness during the pandemic, it’s become headline news that wellness does indeed matter. Wellness isn’t just physical fitness and eating well, wellness is about a total body, mind, and lifestyle balance. Wellness is how we take care of all our needs from self-care to financial planning and even our social web. We are celebrating National Wellness Month by opening back up and welcoming the community into our studio!

The Wellness Center first “opened” in February of 1982. While it didn’t have its own physical place as it does now on 1734 Crawford Farm Road, The Wellness Center held classes in many schools, churches, and community spaces. Since day one our motto has been “Fun, Health and Fitness.” The Wellness Center has always welcomed all types of people to all types of classes, workshops, and events and that is still true today!

What’s different? As we open our doors this month, things will look a little different. We will encourage our participants to wear masks if they choose (masks available on-site), sanitize hands upon entry, practice distancing, no shared items and to bring in their own mats and water bottles if possible. Knowing that not everyone will be ready for in-person classes we will continue to offer our virtual studio until we feel Covid-19 is truly a thing of the past. We will ask that you do not come more than 10 minutes early and to exit promptly so we have less traffic in the hallways and studio. This will also allow us the opportunity to properly clean the space.

What hasn’t changed? Our passion and commitment to offer only the best in the most affordable ways possible! Right now, all classes are $5 each with a sliding scale as needed. In September we will go back to a full schedule with our regular rates that go as low as $4 a class or less. We are excited to be offering everything from Yoga to Spinning® as we welcome back our staff and the community, along with new staff and hopefully new participants too. We also will continue to professionally clean our space with extra cleanings and sanitizing throughout the day.

What’s new? We have several new instructors and some that you haven’t seen in a while! We have a variety of new classes starting with Pop-Ups this month! This month you can try these classes for the first time: Level Up with Paula Brennan, Yin Yoga with Faye Tolar, Yoga 101 with Sally Rivard, Core and Stretch with Lauren Gillespie and Chair Yoga with Carolyn Hannan.  For more information check out our Facebook Page, email mhoadley@nchsi.org or call 334-5566.

Why should you join us? Many of us have learned that how we take care of our own physical, mental and emotional needs is through group-based activities led by a professional. We also learned that we really enjoy the encouragement, accountability, and fellowship that groups bring. Not to mention when you are in a space that’s all about wellness, its hard to feel that contagious energy. We’ve learned that being in a space like The Wellness Center can also help us to stay more focused without the distractions practicing from home/work can bring.

What if you aren’t ready? There is no shame or judgment for those who aren’t ready to practice, sweat or stretch in groups yet. Therefore, we are keeping our virtual studio to accommodate those who aren’t ready or just really love the at-home opportunity. These virtual options range from meditation and sleep yoga to total body workouts and more.

Wellness is about self-management. It’s about how we manage all the different factors in our life and find a balance that increases our happiness, health and wellbeing! Some people need quiet time to reduce their stress and anxiety, others find joy and pleasure in a total sweat session. For many of us we will want a variety of options and activities and The Wellness Center has that covered! Think about what you might benefit from in your life. Perhaps you are ready to focus on eating a healthful diet for more energy. Maybe you are finally going to carve out time to reconnect with friends and family to feel more connected, or perhaps it’s time to talk to a financial advisor about how to best manage your money. These are all aspects of wellness! While The Wellness Center does focus primarily on physical, mental and emotional wellness, we want you to use this month to think about how you can find balance, joy and greater health in your own life, because your wellness matters!