What Covid is teaching us
Hello to my lovely Yogis and Friends!
WE ARE LIVING IN VERY STRANGE TIMES
We are living in very strange times with uncomfortable restrictions, and we have had to adapt very quickly indeed to unexpected social distancing. It seemed to happen so quickly! One minute we were dealing with “flu” then suddenly we all had to take on
board that this was a much bigger issue and one that would affect each and every one of us, albeit in differing ways.
Even when we began lockdown I did not envisage how long that would be...did you?
I started teaching online in the vague belief that in a couple of months life would return to some sort of normality, to an acceptable
version of the lives we led before.
Clearly not. This hit home this past weekend when my IT support from Near You suggested that I set up classes for another year (I was planning to set up to mid-July) and this was hotly followed by the news that Australia may well not accept International Visitors
for a possible three years. Really? Would I have to wait three years to see my family in Australia? Really?
The moving picture continues to unfold and we are going to have to work hard now to maintain our equilibrium, take time for self-
care and self-development, connecting and supporting each other as best we can.
FACING FEAR TAKES COURAGE
Facing fear takes courage and it is vital that whilst I acknowledge my frustrations, sadness and grief, I cannot afford to dwell on
what “might” occur and I need to draw on inner reserves of resilience and trust.
I have been teaching the Vajrapradama Mudra - hands together - fingers intertwined in front of the chest, as if in prayer, because it is the “gesture of unshakeable trust”.
Just sitting with my breath, counting up to ten and then back down from ten a few times whilst
holding this gesture has helped me to centre and connect.
Suddenly the unfamiliar has become familiar, and the familiar has lost its' initial meaning.
They say the hardest prison to escape is in your mind - so using breath, yoga, meditation, qigong, walking in the fresh air,
gardening, cooking nourishing meals, staying in touch with family and friends as best you can are all available in some form or another.
I DO BELIEVE THIS PANDEMIC WILL PASS
I do believe this pandemic will pass and I plan to live my life fully and keep growing from within. It has been a time of enforced self-reflection and I now have a greater sense of gratitude for all I have in my life.
Despite our shared struggles and those challenges that seem to be singular to each of us, we can each open our curtains to a beautiful new dawn and still wonder at the setting sun.
May you too feel free........
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre