We Just Won a Grant. Here's Who It's For.

By Dee Morrow | Co-Founder, West Door Yoga & Wellness | Registered Nurse, 500-Hour Yoga Teacher, Reiki Master, Hypnosis Practitioner

When Lisa and I opened West Door Yoga, we never set out to build a yoga studio.

We set out to build a place where people could learn skills that support them through stressful seasons of life.

A place where a healthcare worker could let a difficult shift go.

A place where a caregiver could focus on their own well-being.

A place where someone carrying a tremendous amount of pressure could learn skills to navigate it.

That mission recently received an unexpected boost.

West Door Yoga was recently selected as a recipient of the L.O.C.A.L. Small Business Grant Program, an initiative supported by Optimum Business and the Long Island Association Foundation that invests in small businesses across Long Island.

We are honored, grateful, and excited about what comes next.

A Grant Is Access.

Whenever people hear that a business receives a grant, the first question is often:

"What are you going to do with the money?"

The better question might be:

"Who will benefit because of it?"

The answer is always our community.

For nearly two years, West Door Yoga has offered yoga classes, burnout recovery programs, wellness workshops, retreats, meditation, breathwork, and nervous system regulation education to hundreds of Long Islanders.

Every week we meet healthcare workers, teachers, caregivers, business owners, parents, and professionals who are carrying tremendous pressure.

Many are looking for answers, and most simply need someone to teach them where to begin.

This grant creates opportunities to extend this work beyond our studio walls.

The work behind the scenes

Taking Wellness Beyond Bay Shore

One of our goals is to bring wellness education into communities where these resources may not currently exist or may not be financially accessible.

The reality is that stress, burnout, anxiety, and overwhelm exist in every community.

This funding allows us to explore offering free and low-cost community workshops focused on:

• Burnout prevention

• Stress management

• Nervous system regulation

• Workplace wellness

• Caregiver support

• Self-care education

These are skills that can be used immediately. The workshop may last an hour, the skills learned can support someone for years.

Dana: Paying It Forward

In yoga philosophy, Dana is the practice of generosity and giving back.

For Lisa and me, this grant creates an opportunity to share what we have learned with more people throughout Long Island.

The knowledge we continue to gain only becomes valuable when it is shared.

The breathing practices, stress management techniques, and burnout recovery education that helped us can now reach communities where these programs may not be available or financially accessible.

Workshop participants use discussion cards and guided exercises to explore new ideas and perspectives.

A healthcare worker may bring a breathing exercise back to a coworker.

A teacher may introduce a mindfulness practice to a classroom.

A caregiver may share a stress management technique with a friend.

That is how education spreads through a community.

Education Is Preventive Healthcare

During my 35-year career as a critical care nurse, I never stopped learning. Healthcare evolves, research evolves, and the best practitioners continue to grow right alongside it.

That same commitment to learning continues at West Door Yoga.

This grant creates opportunities for us to continue learning as teachers, bringing new education and training back to the communities we serve. The more we learn, the more we can share through our classes, workshops, retreats, and burnout recovery programs.

The Blueprint Mapping workshop invited participants to explore where they are and where they want to go next.

Research continues to demonstrate the connection between stress management practices and improved health outcomes.

Education remains one of the most valuable forms of prevention.

What Happens Next

Over the coming months, this grant will help us expand programming, develop additional workshops, invest in resources, and create opportunities to reach more people throughout Long Island.

The impact of this grant will be reflected in the people, programs, and communities it touches.

• Conversations started

• Skills learned

• Communities reached

Those conversations, skills, and connections help people manage stress and burnout before it affects their health, relationships, and quality of life.

Lisa and I are incredibly grateful to the L.O.C.A.L. Small Business Grant program for believing in our mission.

We are excited to put this funding to work and continue building a healthier, more resilient community one person at a time.