Kids enjoy morning of yoga at Farmer’s Market
By Nubia Reyna
Staff Writer
To kick off the New Year 2020 with healthier lifestyle habits for the kids, Metanoia Wellness Center reintroduced their Little Pretzel Yoga class Saturday at the Farmer’s Market where they learned the basics of yoga and the importance of wellness.
“We started doing this here, at the Farmer’s Market, two years ago with the kids and we are doing it twice a month. We also offer this at our studio,” Natalie Gonzalez, who owns the wellness center with her husband Oscar, said. “Our youngest member is 4 years old and our oldest member is in her 60s, so our facilities are for every age group and for everybody; we are all there to work together.”
Natalie said she wishes she had been introduced to yoga and meditation when she was a little girl. She hopes to create awareness about the importance of taking a moment to meditate and calm down.
“As an adult now, I would have loved being introduced to this [as a kid], it would have saved me a lot of headaches, stress and anxiety. I think it’s just a way for them to get away and detach from all these electronics and overflow of information,” she said. “Their senses are being overloaded with these colors, noises and I think it’s a great way for them to calm down and take a breath; these are tools that they’re going to use for the rest of their lives.”
Oscar said the purpose of the center is to have a one-stop wellness shop that ranges from group training to plant-based menus. He said there are 14 fitness instructors at the center, located at 100 Plaza, Santa Rosa Drive.
“We have group training, we also have different types of yoga, meditation, we have a plant-based menu also to complement the activity that we do,” he said. “We are trying to heal the mind, body and spirit and we are really happy because we had been waiting for a place like that until we said we’ve been waiting enough, what if we do it? … it felt like the right moment.”
Oscar said it is important to focus more on the journey that takes you to your goal and less about the goal itself.
“The way we think is that once you reach your goal, by definition we think that we are done with it, but in the path of self betterment when can you say ‘you know what? I’m already good so I don’t have to do anything about it’ so, it’s less about the goal and more about the journey,” he said. “So, the meaning of Metanoia is the journey of the change of your life, mind and heart. It means, actually, the importance of the journey of overall well-being.”
For more information about the center, call Metanoia at (956) 525-7212.
