Evening Yoga and Tai Chi Launch Vegan Fest In Style

Berkeley Heights, NJ - Undaunted by the ominous skies, participants of all ages and athletic abilities assembled on Friday, September 14, 2018 in The Grove Park at the Connell Center for a fantastic evening of yoga and Tai Chi. This first of three events during Berkeley Heights Vegan Fest attracted a comfortable crowd of participants, kicking off the Vegan Fest weekend in style.

LeeAnn Gerrato, a 20-year Berkeley Heights resident and wife of Jason Kroll, led an hour-long yoga session. Form their beach towels and yoga mats, participants enjoyed soothing music and the calming, background sound of the waterfall that lines the dais area where the session was held. Gerrato, who began practicing yoga approximately 17 years ago, found that yoga assisted her both emotionally and physically after her husband was tragically killed in a car accident that left her with 3 small children. Now that Gerrato is a certified yoga instructor, and now that she recently completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training at Lifetime Fitness, she seeks to share her love of yoga, so that yoga can help others as much as it helped her. This love and desire to help others was evident as Gerrato guided community members through poses and postures, providing assistance to all so that everyone attending could enjoy a positive experience.

Throughout the event, The Juice House of New Providence provided a variety of delicious juices and granola combinations to sample. Yoga participants and those arriving for Tai Chi learned just how refreshing vegan drinks and food can be, sampling drinks such as Make It Klap, a vibrant blend of kale, lemon, apple, and pineapple juices.

As the sun began to set, Tai Chi instructor Don Madson took center stage. A teacher of Tai Chi for 26 years, Mr. Madson not only demonstrated to the crowd how to flow from one pose to the next, but explained the rationale for certain moves, including self-defense. Mr. Madson, who received his certification from TAICHI USA and currently teaches classes at the Somerset Hills YMCA, Madison YMCA, Montclair Adult School, and Robert Wood Johnson Hospital/Steeplechase Cancer Center, masterfully displayed how and why elegant, fluid movements can be done with attitude and purpose.

The Berkeley Heights Environmental Commission (BHEC) devised Berkeley Heights Vegan Fest as a means for the public to benefit from the knowledge they gain at this event by incorporating what they learn into their daily routines. Through the efforts of Gerrato, Mr. Madson, and The Juice House, the BHEC hopes that this evening yoga and Tai Chi event will inspire community members to do just that.