Saturday Aug 4!!

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So one of my favorite local(ish) artists is coming to Nyack this Saturday Aug. 4th. I am encouraging all of you to get yourself to one or even two of the morning classes at Soul Flyte, and this way you can feel guilt free when you come out to Casa del Sol on Main St. in Nyack grab a drink and move your feet. The duo is called the Nellybombs, and this Saturday they will actually have a full band with them. They have some awesome covers and great originals, even some new songs that they have been working on which I am super excited to hear. The show is going to start at 9:30pm, so like I said, start your day off right with a class at Soul Flyte and then head on down later in the night to jam out. See you there!

XO,
Rachel

Happy 4Th of July

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Happy Fourth of July! Hope you enjoy whatever it is you will be doing later today and tomorrow. Please remember that today (Tuesday) and tomorrow (Wednesday) Soul Flyte has a modified schedule in order to ensure that our amazing staff has time for the most important thing of all, FAMILY AND FRIENDS! I hope that you get to take some time and feel the love around you.

I will be working on my tan by the Tallman pool with my besties as well as painting yoga mats to release some creative energy!

Don’t forget: tonight at Memorial Park in Nyack, there’s live music from the band Dead Meat and tomorrow at the same place are Nyack’s famous fireworks.

Hope you have a fun and safe holiday with the people you love.

Most of all remember that not everyone gets to be with the people they love. Tomorrow is our day of Independence - don’t take that for granted. Enjoy and be grateful for all that you have and when you can, make someone smile.

XO,

Rachel

HOT HOT HEAT

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It’s finally feeling like summer, and a hot one at that. When it gets super hot remember a few months ago when you were saying to everyone “I’m over this cold!” Well, the cold has finally left the building and here is the heat! With the heat though comes a bunch of awesome summer events and activities. One of the awesome events that happens every Tuesday night in Nyack is live music at Memorial Park.

I’m working on a new Tuesday routine: to take Robyn’s Flying Fitness or Diane’s Pilates class at Soul Flyte in Nyack at 6pm and then head on down to relax under the night sky with some awesome local artists. This Tuesday, a few friends of mine are playing in a really awesome band called Dead Meat (Grateful Dead cover band) these guys are super talented artists with amazing skills. Every Tuesday, it will be perfect to get a workout in first, then grab a blanket or lawn chair to chill under the Nyack night sky.

Jam out! See you soon!

XO,

Rachel

Halloween in June?

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I’ve been organizing myself to do more things on my days off: new things, old things, all sorts of things! I’ve gotten back into running, or what most would call walk jogging, haha. I’m also trying to fill my schedule with classes and get back into shape. I‘ve realized that being in shape for me is not about the body image but about physically feeling ‘good’. When I binge and hang on my couch I can feel my body stiffen up and somehow, I’m more tired than when I’m active. So this Friday I’m planning to try my first Stretch & Restore class with Shira at Soul Flyte in Nyack, NY. Hopefully I can also make the Yin Yoga class in the morning with Laurie, because I really LOVE that class after a long week of running around. This is one of Soul Flyte's mat yoga classes that’s open to all levels and it holds poses for much longer than you normally would. IT FEELS AMAZING and makes me super relaxed! Plus it helps to calm my overly active gemini mind.

This Friday June 30th, I’m going to a pretty cool event that Rivertown Film is putting on - it’s called: Historic Hauntings of Rockland. I’m excited for the evening that's being led by one of the region’s leaders in paranormal investigations. I don’t know about all of you but I love a great ghost story. Rockland County has a rich history of places where sightings have been reported. I can’t wait for the event! Friday will be a pretty epic day, join me!

Hope to see you this week at Soul Flyte and maybe even at the Rivertown event.

XO,

Rachel

Rise With The Sun

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I’ve begun to realize that rising with the sun, (although difficult at first) has so many amazing benefits. I love working at Soul Flyte in the mornings because I get to watch the town, Nyack, NY, wake up. I’m now able to enjoy aerial yoga & barre classes every morning at the studio and it’s gotten me back on track to where I want to be both mentally and physically. I have been learning to become more connected with my daily tasks, and in doing so I have also become more connected with the town I’ve lived in most of my life. Nyack has always been a very supportive, connected community, that stands together in difficult times.

Scrolling through social media today, I came across an article proving how connected and unified our community really is. There was an incident in our main parking lot, the next block over from Soul Flyte, that was vandalized with words of hatred.

On Friday afternoon over three dozen towns people of all ages came together to prove that we won’t stand for hatred in this town. They decided to paint over the words with the African American flag, which will help spread more love and prove that hateful words and actions have no place here. It makes me happy to be able to work and live in a town that stays connected with what is going on and supports all of our neighbors.

Signing off, and staying connected with my fellow AntiGravity yoga peeps for the 10:30am class @ Soul Flyte. Like our town, everyone is welcome! Come join me!

XO,

Rachel

Father's Day in Nyack

Breakfast in Bed!

Breakfast in Bed!

There are so many awesome things to do with Dad everyday, but why not try something new for him and yourself? This can mean dog dads too! Today I decided to get together with my brother and his adorable puppy to grab brunch at the Hudson House in Nyack. Before brunch I thought we would try a first ever siblings Aerial yoga class at Soul Flyte, 13 South Broadway in Nyack, NY! The class was amazing and was exactly what I needed after a long work week of running around to get “summer ready.”

Speaking of getting “summer ready” - thanks to the barre classes at Soul Flyte, I am feeling great about all the cute new bikinis I just got in the mail! I can definitely say that those classes are a FULL BODY workout and will get you working on all parts of your body that you didn’t realize were even there before!

Signing off now, and heading to eat some awesome food! Join me later tonight for the 5:30pm AntiGravity Fundamentals class, everyone welcome!

Xoxo,

Rachel

How You Can Stay Sane This New Year

Dreaming about this red sand beach in Hana, Maui

Dreaming about this red sand beach in Hana, Maui

Happy New Year Friends!

It’s about 1 week and 1 day after the start of the New Year, how’s it going so far? Are you kicking yourself because you still haven’t gotten into a workout routine that you planned to be in by now? Or are you rocking it out, going everyday and feeling fab?

Either way, take a breath...

Yes, the holidays may have been rough on your physical and emotional state, but here’s where you get to detox all that crap. Even if you aren’t working out everyday be grateful that you made it out alive! The holidays can be hard on people with family drama, present buying and disagreements on whatever the topic – enough of that now. Get back into your routine, or better yet, start one that makes you feel even better then you did last year.

Ask yourself: what soothes my soul? For me, it’s yoga, it always has been. When things get rough, I step onto my mat or into my aerial yoga hammock and everything feels ok again. It’s that moment where I can breathe again, feel my body and remind myself that everything is going to be ok. There’s been a lot going on for me lately, especially with the construction of our new studio space. I wake up every day and take 5-10 deep belly breaths, stretch and remind myself that: today, everything is going to be ok (this is all before I even step out of bed!)

Find a routine, even if it’s a small one to give you that boost.

If you want to give aerial yoga a try, come to Nyack, we would be so excited to have you! Check our schedule HERE

Cheers to YOUR health,

Shira

Your Guide to Nyack Restaurants + Shops

Cocooning in the middle of Nyack Street Fair

Cocooning in the middle of Nyack Street Fair

Why did I choose Nyack to open Soul Flyte? Because it’s AWESOME! Nyack is a cute river town with lots of amazing local shops, restaurants, yoga and aerial yoga studios – why wouldn’t we start here? Here are some of my favorite places in town. If you haven’t visited yet, what are ya waiting for? There’s even a cute new boutique hotel that recently opened called The Time Hotel, so if you’re an out-of-towner then you won’t have to worry about where to stay.

Art Café: a cute Israeli café serving up delicious, organic breakfast, lunch and even dinner too! I Love their space and if it’s warm out – sitting outside is a real treat. They have good coffee and tea, since I don’t drink coffee - and if you eat pastries, then yep, they have those too!

Soul Flyte: My pride and joy! We’ll have an awesome boutique very soon for you to come check out! Stay tuned for more on this and about the new classes we'll be adding soon!

8 North Broadway: Local, farm to table type of restaurant serving lunch and dinner daily and brunch on the weekends. The food is yummy. If they have it on the menu, try the branzino, it’s delicious! They change the menu with the seasons so definitely give it a try.

True Foods: A great place to grab organic breakfast, lunch or dinner. They have hot food to go, which comes in handy when there isn’t enough time in the day to cook dinner. It’s more low key then the others but the food is quality and I heard they just opened a market next door! Worth checking out.

Sweat Peas: It’s a health food store that also has hot food and soups for lunch as well as a cold section, juices and smoothies. There’s a little sitting area up front so that you can grab your food and stay for a while. They have yummy kombucha and good yogurts if that’s your type of thing.

OD’S Tavern: This used to be a local watering hole and is now turned into an organic, gluten free friendly, paleo friendly restaurant with a bar too of course! The owner, Diane is super sweet and the food is full of comfort and deliciousness.

65main: A new restaurant serving up tapas style dinner items. Not sure if they offer lunch yet because I’ve only been there once so far, it was tasty though. There’s typically live music playing, which is a huge plus!

Casa Del Sol: Mexican restaurant that’s yummy! They have live music many nights of the week, check their website for more info.

Nyack Library: I love to go here when I want some quiet time but don’t want to be in my house. In the old section there’s a room that feels like an office, but anyone can go into it to do work – I just love it! It feels like my own private office – I hate to give away my secret….. but happy if it can help someone else. There’s wifi too!

Saffron: An adorable store featuring items from around the globe. They have amazing furniture with a rustic, Indian, Indonesian feel. I love this place! Don’t miss it.

Maria Luisa: Another cute shop with women’s clothing, shoes and also a little kids section. Worth checking out if you’re in the area.

Crystals On The Rocks: A crystal shop with knowledgeable staff, bracelets, gemstones, incense and so much more. It’s really fun to browse in there.

Sanctuary: They have women’s clothing as well as other knick knacks like dream catchers, incense, candles, books, etc.

There are lots of other stores in town to check out, but I can’t name them all here! This post would be way too long! Come visit – even in the wintertime! If you bundle up you can go on a hike nearby or walk around the huge mall that’s super close. One thing to keep in mind, most stores in Nyack are CLOSED on Mondays year round. See you soon!

Xo, Shira

Dream Big: How I got into Antigravity

Searching for rainbows

Searching for rainbows

Sometimes I get the question of how I got into AntiGravity – well, I fell in love a few years back when my mom introduced me to the method. She was getting certified as an instructor and needless to say, I was intrigued! The first time I took a class, front belt was…. Let’s just say painful…! For those that know front belt you’ll definitely understand what I mean - and for those that don’t know what I mean, come try it, you’ll learn to love it! Currently I crave front belt! That first time though, I walked away from class saying to myself…. Hm I’m not sure this is for me…!

Fast-forward and a few years later here I am, owner of an AntiGravity yoga/fitness studio in Nyack! Who would’ve ever thought that Soul Flyte would exist? Since the day I got certified as a yoga instructor I knew I wanted to own my own thing. See, I come from a long line of entrepreneurs, although it wasn’t so trendy in their time like it is now, they still grabbed the bull by the horns and went for their dreams.

My grandparents escaped the Holocaust and came to the USA from Germany with nothing... literally nothing. My grandfather taught himself numerous trades: tuning pianos, fixing things and eventually he borrowed enough money to buy a Laundromat in New York City. They worked their butts off every single day to make a living.

My parents are both private practice psychotherapists, my uncle is a private practice dentist, my sister is a massage therapist and yoga teacher, my brother in law is a slight of hand artist and my husband owns an e-commerce business AND a software business. Phew…. Now you see where I’ve come from? I guess you can say we don’t follow the typical 9-5 work experience, we hustle and work our tails off daily. It’s hard, challenging and super rewarding all at the same time. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Whatever your daily work experience is: embrace it, love it, dream big and HUSTLE. See you at the studio!

xo, Shira 

Blog Take Over

Let's roll: Blogger for life

Let's roll: Blogger for life

Thank you for your support throughout these past couple of years! Soul Flyte has grown to a point where we can no longer fit into our small studio. In a few months we will be moving into a larger space with 2 studios, a boutique and a couple of treatment rooms. The possibilities are endless for our new space and we are ECSTATIC!

I’ve worked so hard at making our community the best one around town, and I know it’s paid off. I’ve witnessed our students becoming life long friends together, how magical.

As many of you know, I suffer from ulcerative colitis (UC) for many years now and I’ve found a way to cope so that I don’t need to take medication on a daily basis. It hasn’t been easy - there have been hiccups and flare ups, but ultimately I am healthy. Yoga, meditation, diet and AntiGravity have been a huge help for me. I wrote a blog for many years about UC, diet, recipes and other happenings in my life at: shiraturkl.com and now I’m taking over the Soul Flyte blog. Here you’ll find lots of posts not only about the studio, but also about my life, our instructors lives and things happening around Nyack. Looking forward to sharing with you!

Cheers to your health,

Shira