Introductory Pilates & Yoga Workshop for Charity a Huge Success!

SOMA Movement Studio and the Central Connecticut Ladies Meetup co-hosted an Intro to Pilates & Yoga Workshop. In exchange for a non-perishable food item donation, participants were welcomed to SOMA and experienced a 90 minute workshop on the Pilates Method and Hatha Yoga. The workshop was co-taught by Mary, the studio director, as well as Cara and Jackie who are both certified Yoga instructors. 

The workshop included nuanced Pilates movements that emphasize coordination, breath, and controlled engagement of the core muscles. It then transition into a Yoga practice where asana (postures) elongate, center, and ground you for the evening ahead. The class closed by setting intentions with mindful mediation. SOMA Movement Studio is especially appreciative to all the workshop participants who donated over a hundred non-perishable food items for the Farmington Food Pantry.

We're Famous! SOMA Movement Studio featured in The Valley Press

Thank you so much to Alison Jalbert, Assistant Editor for writing and The Valley Press and Turley Publications for printing an article about SOMA Movement Studio's opening!  The full page article, which is on page 23 of the May 26th edition of The Valley Press, highlights our amazing team of instructors, our services, and most importantly, our mission and philosophy. Click here for the online version of the article. 

If you have any extra copy of the May 26th edition of The Valley Press with our article in it, feel free to drop it off at our Studio in exchange for a free group class of your choice. We would love a couple extra copies of the article for our Grandmas ;-)

SOMA Movement Studio Gift Certificate Giveaway at Heels & Wheels 5K Road Race and Walk

Proceeds from Wheels and Heels 5K Road Race in Memory of Jamie Kirchner, will be used to create and maintain handicapped accessibility to the river for fishing and other recreation. The race will be run on National Trails Day to bring awareness to the Naugatuck River and Harwinton's portion of the proposed greenway.
The race course has been certified by USA Track & Field.
Certification Number: CT14036JHP

Jamie

Jamie Kirchner was a true competitor. It didn't matter if it was a game of checkers with his
grandmother, arm wrestling with his sister, or competing in the state Special Olympics, he took the Special Olympics pledge to heart. "Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."

Born with Down Syndrome in 1968, James Clifford Kirchner never let his health problems keep him down. When he was short on stamina, he was long on determination. And his desire to win didn't keep him from cheering on his team mates.

His effervescent spirit encouraging his team mates earned him a TV commercial for Special Olympics, and the "Spirit of Life" award given by the McDonald's Corporation.

Jamie enjoyed traveling, camping, playing cards and checkers, and going to WWF wrestling matches with his brother. While we all miss Jamie since he passed away in 2000 at the age of 31, his spirit of competitiveness, joy, and happiness will always be with us, inspiring us to always strive to do our best--and then some!

Free Fitness Media Library now at SOMA Movement Studio

We now have over a hundred titles in our Free Fitness Media Library at SOMA Movement Studio. We have everything from Tae Bo, Tai chi, Yoga, Kickboxing, Aerobics, Strength Training, instructors like Jillian Michaels and Ellen Barrett...and of course, Pilates in our fitness library DVD collection.

How does it work? Easy...Just take a DVD or two home and try them out. When you are done, bring them back and try out something else. The library operates on the honor system, we don't keep track.

If you donate your old, dusty fitness DVDs that you are bored with to the library, get a free class at our studio as a token of our appreciation.

Meet the SOMA Movement Studio Staff at the Kevin Adorno Memorial Ride & Festival

Come and meet some of the SOMA Studio staff at the 2nd Annual Kevin Adorno Memorial Ride and Festival at Winding Trails in Farmington, CT on Saturday, May 14th. We will have a table at the event with tons of information about our studio and Pilates. We will have with us a Pilates Reformer, Stability/Wunda Chair, and Ladder Barrel for you to demo right on site. Check out our Equipment Highlight posts on this blog or the Equipment page on our website for more pictures and a description of what our Pilates equipement is like.

We've donated over $30,000 in Movement Classes and Services for distribution to participants of the event including large packages of classes for the raffle. We would love for you to stop by and meet us at our table at the Festival. It's going to be a fun filled day. Here is some information and links about the Kevin Adorno, the Memorial Ride, and the Festival that follows.

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Please join us for the 2nd annual Kevin Adorno Memorial Ride & Festival Saturday May 14, 2016 at Winding Trails in Farmington, CT. Brought to you by the family and friends of Kevin Adorno as well as Bicycle Friendly Farmington, this year’s festival includes three bicycle rides: a Metric Century (100 km/62.5 miles), a 25 Mile, and a 10 Mile ride. Additional activities include a 5k Trail Run, food, and live music -- all for one great ticket price. The Kevin Adorno Memorial Ride & Festival is intended to inspire and promote activity and unity for the community, in memory of Kevin Adorno.

Kids’ Bicycle Rodeo

This year, Bicycle Friendly Farmington (BFF) is presenting a Bicycle Rodeo for kids aged 8-12 from 1-3 pm. A bicycle rodeo is a fun way to learn the skills required to ride a bicycle safely. BFF's team of certified cycling instructors will conduct equipment and helmet checks and then teach proper techniques for riding, stopping, and steering. Once the skills have been taught, kids will have the chance to test them out on series of short and fun courses in a protected area. Prizes and awards will provided, and a craft station will offer kids the chance to decorate their bikes and work on other fun projects. Pre-registration is requested. All participants must have a helmet and a proper-sized bicycle. Sign-in begins at 12 noon.

About Kevin Adorno

Kevin Adorno was born and raised in Farmington where he and his family enjoyed all of the wonderful things Farmington have to offer. Kevin attended Noah Wallace School, Irving Robbins Middle School, and Farmington High School. He actively participated in soccer, football and lacrosse, and graduated from FHS in 2004. He took classes at Tunxis Community College and then graduated from Central Connecticut State University with a degree in Graphic Design. Kevin was the owner of Bevy Productions & Media and My Pencil Portraits, where he demonstrated his incredible artistic abilities. Kevin always had a sense of adventure and had a particular gift for meeting people and finding out what made them unique. He enjoyed learning about the things they did and then tried them himself. He loved to travel and see new places and by the age of 28 had backpacked Europe, toured the country by car, and biked the entire east coast.

On September 1st, 2014, Kevin was at the tail end of a bicycling tour from Maryland to Florida, completing a two-part east coast adventure he started in the summer of 2013, with a successful ride from Maine to Maryland. Tragically, his journey was interrupted in Vero Beach by an unexpected attack by a homeless man that ended his life. He was just 140 miles from his destination in Miami.

This Ride & Festival honors the life and legacy of a wonderful, adventurous, giving, athletic, fun loving person, Kevin Adorno.

Proceeds from This Event

Proceeds from the event benefit The Kevin Adorno Memorial Foundation, Bicycle Friendly Farmington, Inc., and Winding Trails. The mission of The Kevin Adorno Memorial Foundation is twofold: to support children and young adults in Farmington who are aspiring or pursing an education in the arts, and to promote bicycling, wellness, and bicycle safety in the Farmington Valley, working to ensure that all children have access to bicycles. Bicycle Friendly Farmington is the community advocacy group working to support bicycling in Farmington and Unionville. Winding Trails is an independent, nonprofit organization providing outdoor year-round recreational and educational activities, and is where the Adorno Family spent many happy weekends when Kevin and his siblings were younger.

A FUN & ADVENTURE FILLED DAY:

7:00AM: EVENT DAY Registration & Check in
8:00AM: Metric Century Bike Ride
9:00AM: 5K Trail Run
10:00AM: 25 Mile Bike Ride
11:00AM: 10 Mile Bike Ride
12:00PM: FESTIVAL & FUN ZONE (Raffle)
1:00PM-3:00PM: KIDS BICYCLE RODEO (Bicycle Friendly Farmington)
1:00PM-3:00PM: Brian Jackman(Acoustic Set)
2:00PM: PICK-UP SOCCER GAME
3:00PM-4:30PM: Tim Warren and The Alternate Routes
4:00PM: Raffle Closes and Winners drawn/posted
4:30PM-7:30PM: The Johnny Larsen Band

SOMA Gift Certificates at the Connecticut Breast Health Initiative Race in the Park, May 7th

Breast cancer is incredibly common, and fortunately, one of the more treatable forms of cancer. Nevertheless, the impact breast cancer has on American society is staggering. The American Cancer Society's estimates for breast cancer in the United States for 2016 are:

• About 246,660 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women.
• About 61,000 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer).
• About 40,450 women will die from breast cancer.

Despite major advances in the treatment of breast cancer, breast cancer is still the second leading cause of cancer death in women (only lung cancer kills more women each year.) The chance that a woman will die from breast cancer is about 1 in 36 (about 3%). Mortality rates from breast cancer have been dropping since about 1989, with larger decreases in women younger than 50. These decreases are believed to be the result of finding breast cancer earlier through screening and increased awareness, as well as better treatments.

For some, the road to recovery after treatment for breast cancer can be a long one and SOMA Movement Studio partnered with Farmington Valley Physical Therapy can be there to help. Bogusia Badon, a physical therapist on staff at both the SOMA Movement Studio and Farmington Valley Physical Therapy has over thirty years of experience rehabilitating clients after breast cancer surgery, reconstruction, and radiation treatment. In addition to being a physical therapist, she is also trained in Pilates and a certified Pink Ribbon Program Instructor, a Pilates-based exercise program specially designed to meet the needs and challenges facing breast cancer survivors.

To show our support for the breast cancer survivor community, SOMA Movement Studio has donated over $3800 in gift certificates to the Connecticut Breast Health Initiative for distribution at the annual Connecicut RACE IN THE PARK to be held in Walnut Park, New Britain on May 7th. Proceeds from this event go to CT Breast Health Initiative and are used make a difference locally in the fight against breast cancer through support, education and research. To accomplish this mission, CT BHI plans on funding a diversified portfolio of clinical/translational research with emphasis on programs that have not yet qualified for federal grants targeting breast cancer cause and survival.

The Connecticut RACE IN THE PARK takes place annually each May on the Saturday before Mother’s Day in New Britain’s historic Walnut Hill Park. Each year, thousands gather to participate in race day festivities and events while honoring survivors, remembering loved ones, celebrating life and most importantly, raising much needed funds to advance the fight against breast cancer in Connecticut. Click here for more information including registration instructions for the event.

SOMA Movement Studio Gift Certificates at the Shine on 5K in Burlington, CT

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We've had the privilege to work with Amanda Fioretti, race director of The Shine On 5K race coming up in a couple of weeks in Burlington CT. We are keeping an eye on the weather forecast and it looks like that weekend is going to be great for run down the scenic race course. SOMA Movement studio donated over $2700 in gift certificates to the event.

The Shine On 5k is a family centered event with activities and fun for the whole family. The day will include a dj, popcorn and cotton candy machines, a bounce house as well as two different kids runs. At 12:40 there is a 1 mile fun run for kids 13 and under. The USATF certified 5k run and walk begins at 1pm. After the finish of the 5k, there is also a free event, the "Dolphin Dash", a 1/4 mile fun run for kids 8 and under. This will include a bubble finish line. There will be treats for kids and adults alike!

This community event benefits the Karen DuCotey Fund For Kids (operated by The Main Street Community Foundation). In the past, the Karen DuCotey Fund has granted over $1,000.00 to children and families in need in the Region 10 area last year. This year, more than $2,000.00 is available for children and families in need.

The event takes place at Lewis Mills High School in Burlington. This year's event is on Sunday, May 15th. You can register today online. Select May 15th on the calendar. There are no additional convenience fees to register online. Please register prior to May 2nd in to make sure you receive a cotton race t-shirt.

Additional information can be found at www.shineon5k.com, or on facebook.