Lunchtime Yoga: Nora LeMorin provides relief for the New Rochelle Community

By Ian Sacks and Jack Clark

Leading busy lives in the New York metropolitan area, the people of New Rochelle have found the Lunchtime Yoga sessions at the New Rochelle Public Library to be a great way to relieve stress, according to instructor Nora Lemorin.

These sessions, which run 30 to 45 minutes two or three times a week, are led by LeMorin.

“There are all different ages, and the people are nice,” said Haakon Bruun, a New Rochelle resident, who has been coming to Lunchtime Yoga for a couple of years. “It’s good for you; it’s a good thing to do.”

LeMorin and the library began the program when the economy took a downward turn a few years ago. They wanted to provide people who belonged to gyms but could no longer afford memberships due to the economy an opportunity to remain active.

In addition to helping people who are struggling financially, Lunchtime Yoga also assists people with health problems.

LeMorin talked about one frequent participant who used to be an athlete but is now battling rheumatoid arthritis. On top of this condition, she can no longer afford to go to a gym.

She also spoke about another regular in the class who battled cancer last year and missed eight months, but got a good report from her doctor last week, who said that partaking in Lunchtime Yoga has been really useful.

“Almost every class, there’s someone who comes up to me and tells me some story of how meaningful it is for them,” LeMorin said.

LeMorin begins the sessions, which take place in the library’s first floor meeting room, by having the participants close their eyes and release their tension. She then leads them in three chants of “Om.”

After these chants, the members of the group begin to move around in their chairs with activities like stretching their extremities and rolling their heads and necks.

“It’s very good,” said Bernice Providence-Boston, a resident of Mount Vernon, who has been coming to Lunchtime Yoga for over a year. “It soothes the mind and helps the body.”

Ultimately, they stand up and assume a pose in which they hold their arms parallel to the ground while bending one leg and keeping the other straight.

The sessions can frequently have 28 or 29 participants. The class draws people of all ages, races and backgrounds: older people, businessmen, freelance workers, moms and students.

LeMorin, a native and current resident of New Rochelle, began teaching yoga in 1992, when it was not such a popular activity.

“When I started teaching yoga, [it] was considered something weird,” she said. “My mother asked me if I was joining a cult, but now you know how mainstream it is.”

With LeMorin holding these classes, people will be offered an alternative to paying monthly fees for a gym and will have an easily accessible option to relieve stress.