“The moon understands what it means to be human. Uncertain. Alone. Cratered by imperfections.” I remember the first time I read this quote from the poem, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. I was on the F train and it was late at night, I was coming back from Brooklyn after a long day at work and I still clearly remember feeling my soul trembling and my heart shaking while reading it.
In a few seconds I realized how sad I truly was and how much pain I was carrying inside, simply by reading a few words that spoke the same language as my soul. This poem gave my soul a voice. A voice that for a long time I tried to shut down in order to avoid the brutality of the reality that trapped me.
I was living in Manhattan back then, in a very little apartment on the upper west side. My daily commute was long and exhausting. I was broke, and I was broken. I barely slept and I was not taking care of myself at all, although externally it looked like I was living a picture perfect life.
I used to wake up at 5 am and catch a train, with my bike on my shoulder, travelling all day long from one studio to another, from one private costumer to another and then run to yoga practice. Never missing a class, never taking a break, never even considering the idea of going on vacation, because everything I needed was right there between Coney Island and Union Square.
I had it all. I was young, healthy, and fit, living in Manhattan – one of the most beautiful and charming cities in the world. I was working as a personal trainer and yoga teacher all over Brooklyn and the city. To make it even better, I was dating the perfect guy: an accomplished, educated, wealthy, well dressed and well behaved man who everybody loved and admired.
I was always smiling and barely complained about anything, but I was slowly dying inside, consumed by demons that I did not even have the courage to name. I needed to be stronger than my fears and better than everybody else, because I needed to live up to the expectation that my partner had of me. I had to be enough to make my family proud of me. Failure was not an option.
[clickToTweet tweet=”but I was slowly dying, consumed by demons that I did not even have the courage to name. – Eleonora Zampatti #yoga” quote=”…but I was slowly dying inside, consumed by demons that I did not even have the courage to name.”]
New York City is like a tough mother, one moment she holds you in the warmest hug, and the moment after she slaps you in the face just to remind you how hard life can be. This city makes you feel invincible. If you really embrace “her” magic, you can feel “her” growing within you; such an inspiring, cultivating and vibrant energy. On the other hand, it can also end up eating you alive.
I pretended for so long that everything was fine, but it was not. I was abused. I was living in a toxic relationship and it was not the first time that I found myself in this situation. Because of that, I was not admitting to myself that it was happening again.
I was lost and my heart was broken. I was not only too ashamed to talk about my past but also too ashamed to think about my present. There was no escape for me.
At night, alone in that small apartment, I could not do anything but cry. I could not take it any more. I could not live like that anymore. NYC, the city of the American Dream was becoming a trap for me with no escape. I was surrounded by so many people, but started to feel so alone and so desperate.
Nobody was there for me. Nobody understood what was going on in my life. Nobody had time to listen to me, to truly connect with me. Silence became the cradle of violence and my biggest enemy. My partner at the time convinced me that I was too sick and too vulnerable and that there was no space for the weak ones in a city like New York. For so long all I thought was that I really wanted to be a “New-Yorker” and I really wanted to be with him.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Silence became the cradle of violence and my biggest enemy. – Eleonora Zampatti #yoga #inspiration” quote=”Silence became the cradle of violence and my biggest enemy.”]
Then I discovered yoga and everything changed. It took a long time, but the practice taught me to connect. It taught me that being vulnerable is not a sin but indeed a gift. It taught me that I could heal. It taught me that I could rise again.
When I started to let go of the fear, I was able to understand my power. By surrendering to the moment, I found the peace I needed, to be honest with myself. It was not about me “not deserving to be a New Yorker.” It was not about me not being enough for my partner or being worthless, and more then anything it was not about failure.
It was time to reclaim my soul and understand what I really needed. The sublime melody of the sound of the ocean, the blowing of the wind, the crashing of the waves, and the singing of the seagulls flying along the horizon. The silence of walking away from the chaos of a city that never sleeps, and away from those overwhelming traffic lights. The darkness of a night illuminated just by the moonlight where your thoughts become clear like shadows under the moon. The many shades of a sunrise above the water, when Mother Nature paints reality with colors that you have never seen before. All this I needed.
It took me 5 years to understand that NYC was not for me, that the life I was living was not for me. I took me 5 years to understand that by letting that go I was not failing, but instead I was winning. The end was painful, but it was the beginning of something beautiful. So I said goodbye. I left him.
I left the only life I had known. I left the only place that I could call home with no money or support, I moved to the shore of New Jersey and slowly my soul began to heal.
Today I am lucky enough to teach yoga for a living and to wake up every morning surrounded by love in little home by the ocean. Every night I can see the New York skyline while surrounded by the ocean. Today, I m stronger then I ever was before.
I’ve told my story before, but as I move forward the story evolves and new visions are born. Through the twin paths of yoga and art, I decided to dedicate myself to help those who are still living under the oppression of violence. Inspired by the cycle of the moon, I hoped to create an environment in which we could all raise our voices against violence, a place where we could sing our song and say no to it, if needed; where we could use our body to dance the symphony of life. And so I created Ode to the Moon, a fundraiser yoga event.
This event was born from my personal battle against the silence that surrounds domestic violence, and it is my attempt to use yoga and music to heal the souls of those who are suffering, because violence is never an answer. Love is. This event inspires people to practice compassion and love for others, but more then anything, practice love and compassion for yourself. Do not fear your past, instead, make it the core of your strength and live your life with an open heart, trusting in love, and rising again, just like the moon does.
The Ode to the Moon Foundation
Since 2014, Ode to the Moon has offered its services to raise funds all over New Jersey, New York, and Europe in order to help victims of domestic violence in our community and all over the world. We have been published in all major yoga magazines putting us at the forefront in the battle against domestic violence.
The time has come now to become our own organization. And we have done just that. Just last month we achieved our legal non-profit status. Our mission as a non-profit organization is to break the silence about domestic violence through body movement, yoga, visual artists and musicians. Our projects highlight education and discussion on the topic of domestic violence, as well as guidance to various professional services for those who need assistance. Our objective is to empower individuals who are in need of finding a voice to break their silence.
Ode to the Moon Leggings
When I met visual artist Linnea Tober I had one request only, I wanted to wear the moon. Aware that mine was a quite ambitious goal, we started to work together hand in hand on the creation of the Ode to the Moon leggings. I wanted it to be a wearable piece of art, the reflection of the soul of the Ode to the Moon project, something that everybody would want to wear on the mat and outside of the mat carrying our message around the world.
Like if this was not enough I knew that at the same time it needed to be a high performance product who could give freedom in the moments of the body during our yoga practice. We lost many nights of sleep over the creation of these leggings, trying to deliver the best product we could and I believe we did.
Featuring a high waistband, our Ode to the Moon leggings are made to stretch with you while you twist, turn and workout. More comfortable, this three piece style of legging allows you to optimize your movements while looking amazing. Wear them for working out, or going out, or both. Ode to the Moon leggings are printed using solvent free sublimation inks. This printing method gives a vibrant, beautiful range of colours. We have worked with colour specialists to provide the most accurate colour that won’t fade after wearing or washing. Sizes goes from XS to XL and our XL will fit size 14-18. Because our leggings are for everyBODY. A part of the profits of every sale of these leggings goes to support the Ode to the Moon Foundation.
And you can win your very own pair of Ode to the Moon Leggings from Eleonora Zampatti right here at TryBelle Magazine.
The Giveaway is now closed. The Winner of Eleonora’s Ode to the Moon Leggings is:
Ashley Batchelor
Congratulations Ashley! Enjoy doing yoga in your awesome leggings.
TO ENTER ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS:
Comment below – What is your favourite story about the moon?Share this post link on social media. (Yes, we do check before we qualify our winners.)Like TryBelle Magazine’s Facebook Page
GIVEAWAY RULES:
- Giveaway contest is open to those with a USA or Canadian shipping address.
- Giveaway contest begins at time of publication August 19, 2016 and ends September 2, 2016 11:50pm EST.
- Winner(s) will be randomly chosen and notified by email by September 12, 2016.
- Winner(s) must reply to notification email by September 19, 2016 11:50pm EST.
- Failure to accept prize within the designated timeline will result in forfeiture and a new winner(s) may be chosen.
- Decision on winner(s) is final and prize is non-negotiable, non-substitutable, and non-transferable.
- No purchase necessary. Your gift is absolutely free, and comes directly from Eleonora Zampatti
- Our Legal Terms
[clickToTweet tweet=”Enter for your chance to win a pair of Ode to the Moon leggings from Eleonora Zampatti. #yoga” quote=”Enter for your chance to win a pair of Ode to the Moon leggings from Eleonora Zampatti.”]
I like that the moon cycles through phases
My favourite story about the moon is the Apollo moon landing. I still find it so amazing as well as fascinating that our country was the first one that was able to successfully send a rocket up there. I never get tired of seeing footage from it. Thanks for the fantastic opportunity to win!
Reading the book Goodnight Moon to my little boy, he loves it!
I love The Distance from the Moon by Italo Calvino, it was just fascinating to read and very unique~
Liked on Facebook – Holly D Lawson
Tweeted – https://twitter.com/brianmsc1/status/771530869337051136
Goodnight Moon is my favorite story about the moon!
I am very interested in how different I feel depending on the moons path.
Goodnight Moon has always been a favorite of mine and my kids!
Goodnight Moon was one of my favorite books as a kid and reading to my daughter! I shared on FB https://www.facebook.com/clair.freebie/posts/1295672590473680 and liked your FB page as Clair Freebie!
My mom used to tell us stories about the man in the moon watching over us while we slept. She would tell us he lit the way for the owls and other night time creatures that roamed in the night. To this day I say goodnight to him before bed.
wow
My favorite is the story Goodnight Moon. I loved reading it as a kid and reading it to my children! My facebook name I followed under is Cassandra Cap Marquez. My tweet is: https://twitter.com/cmarquez482/status/771292469749227520
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/lesh4537/status/771173596861313025
The man on the moon. I always think of Andy Warhol.
Liked your FB page.
My favourite is the children’s book “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown.
I would say either Good Night Moon or the Owl & the Pussy Cat who danced by the light of the moon.
Goodnight Moon has always been my favorite!
I liked your Facebook page.
Shared on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonya.tipton.94/posts/1277132272308812?pnref=story
After reading this story I would have to say that Eleonora Rises Again with Ode to the Moon is my favorite.
I have to say “Good Night Moon” because it was my children’s now my grandkids favorite book.
my mom gave me a reader from her classroom when i was young called moon magic. it was a collection of storied and poems about the moon
I like The Cow Jumped Over The Moon.
My favourite would be Drawing Down the moon
Goodnight moon 🙂
The Cow Jumped over the Moon – a story I used to hear all the time
Favorite moon story? It has to be Goodnight Moon 🙂
I shared on Twitter and also liked TryBelle on facebook
My favourite story is Goodnight moon ?
I love your story, very inspirational. The poses you can do are phenomenal!
I think my favorite moon story is The Rabbit in the Moon .
Briefly it is about the moon watching 3 animals, and he comes to visit as a beggar. The fox hunts and brings him food, the monkey gets fruit but the rabbit who has nothing to help gives himself.
Sometimes life is like that…. the biggest gift you can give is your time, and yourself- because life is made of tiny precious bits of time.
Shared on https://www.pinterest.com/pin/119486196343050509/ and twitter (the tweet had to be shortened a bit I apologize) https://twitter.com/tannawings/status/769058305264279552
Liked TryBelle Magazine’s Facebook Page
What a great and powerful story Ellen. Thank you for sharing it! Life it totally like that, sometimes all you have to give is yourself, and isn’t that the best gift of all.
My husband first told me he loved me when we were talking about solar systems and looking at the moon!
Tweet: https://twitter.com/LittleMomMaid/status/769021629796081665
Liked on FB 🙂
Good night
I tweeted it
One of my friends got mixed up on what a lunar eclipse was and she called us telling us that tonight we were going to have two moons.
That’s hilarious. Thanks for sharing Kristine. I guess that’s what makes our moon special. We only have one!
I love that the moon waxes and wanes and seems to disappear from the sky every four weeks
Goodnight moon
stry about the moon, the cow in the moon?? Maybe. I just love to see a full moon. I just staring to the sky and watching. And even more the eclipse.
Goodnight Moon brings back great memories from my childhood! ah nostalgia! thanks for the giveaway! <3
Shared on twitter and liked on facebook
My favourite story about the moon is “Goodnight Moon”
My best moon memory was watching Apollo 11 land on the moon and Neil Armstrong walk out there. It was fantastical for me, to wrap my head around the fact that this was actually happening. NASA was the personification of American best and brightest.
That is a fantastic moon memory Rose. It really is a symbol of progress and innovation. Thank you for sharing and reminding everyone of that incredible moment!
Goodnight moon
Goodnight Moon
goodnight moon
My mom used to sing me a song about the moon when she was trying to get me to fall asleep. I shared the post on my twitter @jdcaldwe11.
Love Good Night Moon!
Goodnight Moon is my favorite story about the moon
Liked the Facebook page
My kids and I always say”I love you to the moon and back”
I like goodnight moon FB Evangelist Ireon
I always wear at least one moonstone, charged by a full moon.
The sun loved the moon so much, he died every night to let her breathe.
I’m a Cancer, ruled by the moon, I can always tell when I am being affected by the moon. I can feel its pull and energy during my days and when I’m reacting to something find myself thinking about the phase of the moon as I contemplate why I am having the reaction I am. I also have always loved the Goodnight Moon children’s story by Margaret Wise Brown. My mom would read it to me and my brother when we were children. As I think about the story as an adult the plot of the story which is about a bunny saying goodnight to everything before bedtime I think about how I perform my own bedtime ritual, recapitulating the events from my day to seal it in and wishing goodnight to my environment as I prepare for sleep. Thank you Eleonora for this story, for sharing your strength and path and the leggings turned out beautifully, I absolutely love them! Shared via twitter (@clarissa_mae_)
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and story with all of us Clarissa. Those night time rituals are so important to both children and adults. Goodnight Moon is a popular book and I think we all have some memories of it. Thanks for participating!
I like stories about Selene, the ancient Greek Titan goddess of the moon.
I read “GoodNight Moon” so many times that I can pretty much recite the whole book as could my little ones when I read it to them. Still fun thinking of it.
I stand beside on my boys beds at night & we I open their blinds and we gaze at the moon. Talk for abit and then I leave them open just enough so they can lie in bed & see it.
The moon is the dream you can reach for and achieve.
Goodnight Moon
Goodnight moon is what we read to our kids every nite
I love James Thurber’s “Many Moons” which is a children’s book that, at its core, is about not complicating things. It’s charming, but somehow not quite fitting for this post, which is so moving and inspiring to me. So I’ll add something that I’ve read about the moon, from astronauts who have visited. They say that in pictures the moon looks grey, and in person it is grey, but its greys contain such a beautiful multitude of color – they are purple greys and green greys and blue greys and yellow greys. So we think of it as being black and white, but really it contains all the colors of the rainbow, just hidden a bit. Whether this is a meaningful metaphor for anything, I don’t know, but it is, in itself, wondrous to me and part of the beauty of the moon – it is more than it seems.
The fact that it is more than is seems is the wondrous and meaningful part. Similar to all our life stories – it really is more than it seems at the moment. It’s later on we realize what we’ve come through, and that brings with it growth and meaning. Thank you for sharing this elegant story!
I’ve always enjoyed the story book “Goodnight moon”
I used to read it to my son
I think of the children’s story, Goodnight Moon–so sweet.
My favourite story about the moon is “Goodnight Moon” – I used to read it to my children when they were small and they loved it!
The only story that I know about the moon is we were told as children that it was made of cheese, though there is also the werewolf story.
Google+, pinterest shared, tweet was too long, and like FB
My favorite story about the moon is from my parents and how when my dad was deployed they slept under the same moon nightly and that kept them together
I love how it guides me when there is darkness.
ps. I love your story 😉
Love love these yoga leggings. I really have to up my game when it comes to my yoga clothes
Great gift
you can place your thumb over the moon and it covers it no matter where it is or where you are in the world. That even though 2 people are far apart they see the same moon- it’s from a movie
I am fascinated with “Moon Planting Guides.” I use the cycles of the moon to improve my gardening. Planting seeds during specific moon phases will increase your harvest.
I forgot to mention that I shared via Facebook ( Jenny Chomiak ) and Twitter ( @PumpkinGirl78 ).
We didn’t know about this. How interesting. Thanks for sharing Jennifer!
My favorite is Goodnight Moon and being able to read that book to our grandchildren.
In Norse mythology, Máni is the male personification of the moon who crosses the sky in a horse-drawn carriage. He is continually pursued by the Great Wolf Hati who catches him at Ragnarok. The name Máni simply means “Moon”.
There are many mythological tales that include the moon, Indian, Greek, Roman etc., but today we learned something about Norse mythology. Thanks very much for sharing Ruy!
When you see the moon…know I love you
I actually don’t know any stories about the moon.
My favorite story is one we make up to the quote: “The sun loved the moon so much that he died every night to let her breathe.” Our stories could get pretty intense, loved when Grandma was alive and told hers.
Thanks for the giveaway.
My favourite story about the moon is still “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown. It makes me nostalgic.
My favorite story about the moon is from the movie Dear John. You can place your thumb over the moon and it covers it no matter where it is or where you are in the world. That even though 2 people are far apart they see the same moon. Thanks for your story and the wonderful organization you started. I know the pain of domestic abuse too.
My favorite story about the moon is actually inspired by my cousin Lisa who got married the evening of a beautiful full moon and her gorgeous daughter Lilly-Allen was also born on a full moon! Great giveaway! Shared on twitter @pmaklifts
loved reading your story and how you found your true inner self through yoga , a great story to share with others thank you!
I like this moon poem from childhood “I see the moon and the moon sees me, God bless the moon and God bless me!”
My favorite story about the moon is that it’s made of cheese. shared on Google+ and tweeted
Having the courage to pick up and leave everything you know is what I wish I had the courage to do! Very inspiring story!
As a kid, I would here the moon was made of cheese or there is a man in the moon. It really worked my imagination.
I love hearing about the moon landings from the sixties!
The Moon is a giant cookie, and its waning occurs when the North Wind takes bites out of it throughout the month.
Thank you for sharing your story. There are too many stories with unhappy endings and ai savor the stories of people who made it out. I found yoga for my life too and it heals me inside and out. ? i would love to wear these pants. (I tweeted and shared on fb). ?
Oh and my favorite story is I love you to the moon, dont know who wrote it but i read it to my babies ?
Inspirational story thank you. I have read and was moved by Catching the Moon the story of the girl who grew up to become the first woman to play for an all-male professional baseball team.
My favourite story about the moon is HG Wells the man in the moon. Thank you for sharing your story and turning your experience into something that has the potential to help others.
I am not a huge leggings fan but these are gorgeous..so are you!
I really enjoyed your story. The pictures of you on the beach, make it quite clean that NYC was not for you.
My favourite benefit of the moon is the brightness it gives off in the darkest of nights.
How about a favorite quote featuring the moon?
We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls. Mother Teresa
What an awesome quote Cindy. Thank you for sharing with all of us!
I love all the kids stories about the moon
My favorite story is “the cow jumped over the moon.”
I would love this
My favorite story about the moon would have to be about my daughter! When she first learned to say “moon” about a year ago, she would drag me out on the porch at night to show it to me. And every time she said it she dragged the word out like m-o-o-o-o-n! It used to make me giggle so hard!
Love that story Christabelle! A great memory worth holding on to. Thanks for sharing.
Love the story
My mother will always tell my son she loves him to the moon and back. He could see the moon and knew how far away that was from the earth. He always said Nana loves him a lot.
This isn’t exactly a story, but I’ve read a lot about the moon representing feminine energy and that’s my favorite thing about it 🙂
Would love to win this