The Charlotte Jewish News - January 2012 - Page 15
Melinda Farbman, Yoga Instructor at the LJCC
By Lauren Abeles
My first experience with yoga
class was over 20 years ago. With
no understanding of what yoga
really was, I took a spot in the
back of the room and tried to fol
low the instructor’s moves. I came
away confused as to how this
would help me and why people
loved it. I tried a few other yoga
classes over the years, but I didn’t
feel a connection to the teacher or
what I was learning. Fast forward
to 2007 when I moved to
Charlotte and joined the JCC. I
decided to try many of the classes
that were offered at the J. I finally
tried one Sunday morning class
with the yoga instructor Melinda,
and I was hooked. What I realized
is that yoga is like a pair of jeans.
Sometimes it takes many pairs to
try on before you find the right fit.
The difference I felt right away
with this class, was the instructor.
She was spiritual and calm, yet
she brought a positive energy to
the room that was infectious.
Melinda Farbman is my yoga
instructor at the Levine JCC in
South Charlotte. She is certified
with the Yoga Alliance having
completed two 200 hour trainings
and is now taking an advanced
500 hour training with the nation
ally known Vinyasa teacher Rolf
Gates. Practicing yoga since col
lege, she taught elementary school
in NY before moving to Charlotte
in 1996. She feels a strong con
nection to the Charlotte JCC, hav
ing met her husband there in the
parking lot, two weeks after she
Melinda leads her weekly Yoga
class.
moved to Charlotte. She started
teaching a Sunday morning class
at the J in 2005 and has grown
quite a following since then. Fler
classes are packed yet she has
been able to get to know many of
her yoga students over the years.
“The feeling at the J is so warm, a
feeling of community and family.
My experience is so personal. I
love seeing the progress of my
students.” She is especially grate
ful to her husband Mark and chil
dren Adah (age 12) and Jonathan,
(age 5) who allow her to practice
and teach yoga every day. You
might even see Mark in one of
Melinda’s classes.
Melinda sees one of yoga’s
many benefits as being a therapeu
tic tool that can provide people
with a safe environment to work
out their stress. Yoga is a non-ver
bal healing practice that allows
people to feel better. The Vinyasa
Flow Yoga that Melinda teaches
includes a series of sun salutations
and warrior poses plus a line of
postured sequences meant to open
up the lines of the body in an order
that is progressively deeper, safe
and feels good. Fler classes usual
ly ends with “Savasana,” a final
resting pose that brings about bal
ance and total relaxation.
Yoga can be very appealing to
people of all ages. Melinda has
students that are in their 70s and
she has taught children as young
as five years old. Doctors recom
mend it for different reasons;
combatting depression, anxiety
disorders, flexibility for athletes
and meditation. It trains your body
to breathe through your nose
which stimulates your sympathet
ic nervous system. This raises the
dopamine levels in your body,
which makes you feel more at
peace. It also helps people with
insomnia, improves flexibility,
and increases metabolism by help
ing to regulate the body’s diges
tive and respiratory systems. It is
very inclusive. You can start at
any time and you don’t have to
make any kind of commitment.
It’s such a simple way to do some
thing so good for yourself You
don’t even need to buy special
shoes or equipment. Yoga mats
and blocks are provided at the
JCC and the classes are even
included in your membership fee.
When asked what she would
tell a person who isn’t sure that he
or she wants to try yoga, she says.
“If you have an inkling that you
would like it, or that it would be
good for you, but you can’t get
yourself to that first class, then do
it for someone else. Sometimes if
we can’t do it for ourselves, we
can do it for someone else. Just
dedicate the time spent in the first
yoga class to someone you love.”
That is good advice. You just
might find that you love yoga as
much as Melinda and I do. ^
Charlotte
Charlotte Jewish Film Festival
(Continued from previous page)
through Israel’s birth and develop
ment as a country using clips of
Israeli film as a “lens” on society.
Then on March 3, enjoy an
evening of music and film spon
sored by Temple Israel and the
Yiddish Institute of Charlotte as
we screen the documentary
“Sholem Aleichem: Laughing
Through the Darkness,” the story
of the famous Yiddish writer who
brought us Tevye and so much
more. Attendees that evening will
also be treated to a special per
formance of Jewish music with a
ragtime flair by champion pianist
Ethan Uslan. Finally, the Festival
comes to a close on March 11 with
the hilarious presentation “Jews in
Toons: An Animated Evening of
Entertainmenf ’ featuring longtime
Emmy Award winning writer/pro
ducer of The Simpsons Mike
Reiss. Mike will regale the audi
ence with ""The Simpsons and
Other Jewish Families” as he
shares rarely seen clips and inside
stories. This is sure to be a won
derful end to a fabulous festival.
Follow the Festival on Facebook
“Like” Charlotte Jewish Film
Festival on Facebook to keep up-
to-date with all the events and
films. Find out about exclusive
offers for our Facebook friends.
Get your tickets now as many
films did sell out last year. The
All-Festival Pass makes a great
Valentine’s gift for the film lover
in your life. We look forward to
seeing you at the movies.
The Charlotte Jewish Film
Festival is brought to you by the
Levine JCC and the Charlotte
Chapter of Fladassah, and is made
possible, in part, with funding by
the Arts and Science Council and
the North Carolina Arts Council,
an agency of the Department of
Cultural Resources, and the
National Endowment for the Arts,
which believes that a great nation
deserves great art. ^
Join uS for our
Open House
charlotte
3 Jewish Preschool
LEARN • CROW • CONNECT
Full day Programs Ages 1 to Pre-K
Half day Programs Ages 2 to Pre-K
2012/2013 Open Enrollment Begins
OPEN HOUSE
Friday, January 13
• Meet the Director at 9:30am
» School tours begin at 10:00am
cjpkids.org • info@cJpkids.org
704-944-6777
facebook.com/The-Charlotte-Jewish-Preschool
CJP is a partnership of Temple Beth El,
Temple Israel and the Levinejewish Community Center.
JEWISH^
FEDEWION^