LEWES, Del. -Â The pandemic gave people more time at home and more time to finish new projects. It inspired Hiba Stancofski of Lewes to help others get out of their headspaces and into a book based on the city she calls home, titled I Feel Better Now.
"It's a story of two siblings who are going through a lot of difficult emotions because of the pandemic and the whole setup is basically how mindfulness and yoga can help us feel better," Hiba says.
Yoga positions are depicted on Surf Bagel towels on Lewes Beach. The characters visit other Lewes landmarks like Kid's Ketch, the Dogfish Inn and even DQ to help readers take note of how they feel.
"St. Peter's Labyrinth, this is where actually Alia and Tommy the two main characters in the story start their mindfulness adventure," Hiba says.
Hiba says the initial goal was to help readers feel better during the pandemic. She hopes young readers will fight off other anxieties too by keeping the mindfulness and yoga skills on these pages alive throughout their lives.
"When you are walking in a labyrinth, you're focusing on where your stepping," Hiba says. "We're trying to walk on all the little stones and pebbles, basically getting you out of your headspace, which is what we're trying to do in mindfulness."
I Feel Better Now consists of 29 pages of yoga and mindfulness lessons.
"Movement, stillness, and breath work can actually really help us ground ourselves," Hiba says. "It would be an awesome field trip for the kids to just go through town and try all of the stuff Alia and Tommy do in the story."
The book is for sale locally at Surf Bagel, Kid's Ketch, Browseabout Books, Involution Yoga Studio and at SoulFire Collective. Interested readers can also find it on Amazon.