Waving Moon is BOTH practice & philosophy

ANCIENT WISDOM FOR MODERN HEALING

Waving Moon is a healing practice rooted in the principles of yoga, Taoism and the Five Elements theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

We believe a few fundamental principles can realign our bodies with the rhythm of the universe to heal pain, patterns and trauma of all kinds.


Our Roots

  • Five Elements Theory

    is a fivefold conceptual scheme that many traditional Chinese fields used to explain a wide array of phenomena, from cosmic cycles to the interaction between internal organs, and from the succession of political regimes to the properties of medicinal drugs.

  • Taoism

    refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; daojia) or to a religion (道教; daojiao); both share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the Tao

  • Qigong

    is a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation used for the purposes of health, spirituality, and martial-arts training. With roots in Chinese medicine, philosophy, and martial arts, qigong is traditionally viewed by the Chinese and throughout Asia as a practice to cultivate and balance qi (pronounced approximately as "chi" or "chee"), translated as "life energy".

  • Yoga

    is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciousness untouched by the mind (Chitta) and mundane suffering

THE PRACTICE

Waving Moon is a practice about connection.

Beginning with the internal connection between mind and body, a harmonious connection with the community becomes possible.

Modern society encourages and incentivizes the dis-integration of the mind and body.

The mind is our most powerful human capacity. To learn to override our instilled fears and develop a safe practice that harbors trust, safety and love is to restore our connection and foster fullness.

What is within is the mirror.

We seek to rewire the brain to the body, without the unconscious patterns derailing the path to a balanced, joyous freedom within. Pain, suffering and dis-ease are shed through this practice as new waves, new ways and new paths are explored, discovered and created, culminating in a balanced, ever-changing self.

THE PHILOSOPHY

Everything is inside of us already. 

Balance is the key to health and harmony. We have all deep ancestral knowledge we need inside of us, but need guidance to navigate the confusion that the modern world brings to our bodies and minds.

Everything is always changing.

This is the only fact and the only truth. By acknowledging the inevitability of change - in our bodies, our minds and our environment, we open the opportunity to embrace change and engage in an ongoing practice of seeking healing and balance.

The seasons guide us.

The seasons are our teachers. They show us that change is constant, growth and decay are perennial. The cycles of the moon, the ocean tides, every piece of the natural world serve as reminders of how to live life well, and that to thrive, we must embrace balance and change.

Our Founder

About Melissa

Melissa has been studying bodies and body language as long as she can recall.

First as a photographer, too shy to be in the forefront, the camera allowed her to record what fascinated her about nature, humans and everything in between. A formally trained artist, studying at Rochester Institute of Technology and graduating from School of Visual Arts. Connecting with people has always been her passion. Melissa served her school community as a tour guide, resident assistant and student teacher.

It was Melissa’s first year of college where she discovered yoga. As a transfer student, Melissa’s extra credits allowed her to enroll in a unique class called Kundalini Yoga. Not knowing what the chanting was or the poses with the anjulations, began her love affair for connecting the body with the mind. Since the age of seven, Melissa suffered headaches and by adulthood, these pains blossomed into migraines. Melissa was always seeking and experimenting on a holistic level to heal herself from the disconnection of her energy.

Meilssa dove into writing by Oliver Sacks, who also studied, suffered and wrote about migraines, she eventually discovered Gabor Mate, Bessel Van Der Kulk and Thomas Hübl to name a few, to dive into the mind, body, emotion connection. Simultaneously, Melissa explored all styles of yoga from vinyasa to bikram to ashtanga.

Everything came together when Melissa began studying a lineage of yoga that was connected to Daoism. At this time, Melissa was also studying acupuncture, Chinese medicine, TCM, medical qigong, zen shiatsu massage as well as studying with a Shaman with roots in an ancient form of Tai Chi. With all of this, Melissa created a simple, clear way to move through the body using yoga as the vehicle to travel time and space. 

Melissa lives in New York City with her partner and two daughters.

 

What People Are Saying

 

“

Melissa taught me so much about a subject I thought I was already an expert on: myself!

”

— KATY F.

“

I was able to rekindle certain relationships with others from Melissa’s teachings.

”

— ELIZABETH B.

 

“

My confidence in my body has gotten so much better!

”

— SARAH P.

“

I let anxiety and pain take over my life for too long. Now I have the strength to control balance myself.

”

— VICTORIA G.