Time to Restore

Who would have guessed after a hectic and unpredictable few years that we would find ourselves now experiencing a pandemic.

It’s like the last two years were preparing us for this very moment as we’re all in lock down and having to socially isolate to help flatten the curve of this virus.

As a whole we are learning really fast to be resilient and adaptable to change, we have no choice but to listen deeply and trust the flow of life in these unpredictable times. This potentially means experiencing loss on some level and different opportunities than what we were given before.

Scrolling through my social media feed I applaud all of the teachers who have jumped into the online space to continue teaching in support of their community. It makes me smile seeing the increase of confidence as so many classes are being streamed live, making the practices of yoga available to all regardless of where you are in the world. It makes my heart sing reading how generous you all are at offering free classes to people who are experiencing financial hardship due to loss of income and jobs.

Never in the human history have we ever been able to predict the impact of a pandemic like we can now. Never before can we connect so freely and easily across time and space, across town, cities, countries and continents like this. And never before can we invite so many into our homes without having to leave the comfort of our own homes. What a weird and wonderful time we find ourselves in.

Lately, I’ve been wading through the responsibility of refunding retreat payments, rescheduling work commitments and quietly listening to discern the best way forward in order to support, inspire and serve you; my community. Having taught online for years, with collections on Vimeo for purchase, with many free videos on my YouTube channel and my Mentorship program still running, I am still pondering what’s next?

The wisdom in my cells are asking me to pause, my adrenals are calling for self care and my energetic body is pulling me in the direction of restoration. Then there is the conversation in my mind telling me to be more productive with this extra time I have by updating my offerings, creating more content to share, to give away and sell, but in all honesty there is no kindling for this fire currently.

I am sensitive to the fact that the fast rise of online teachings wont last long for everyone. By observation it looks like a scramble to fulfill a financial need and not miss the boat so your community doesn’t go with out – all of which I totally understand because I have also suffered a huge financial loss and feel the urgency to replace this. Regardless of my personal opinion or views I really hope that we can sustain this current rise and make the distance.

Reflecting back on different conversations over the last few years within my teacher training group and global community, there was a lot of talk around needing time and space to ground, to rest and to breathe deeply. We are living in a time where mental health issues are not unusual and where stress and anxiety are the main causes for many diseases in the body which seems hard to grasp given the rise of yoga and wellness in the western world. Shouldn’t this diagnosis be on the decline instead of on the rise? Perhaps this pandemic is a blessing in disguise, encouraging everyone to come back to basics of what we have been taking for granted being health, hygiene and home life.

Over all there have been a lot of positives that have come from this. Collectively we know we are all in this together and to come out the other side we must pull together now to act accordingly. On the Winknews website they reported that NASA images show how pollution is dropping rapidly in the world-famous canals of Venice, Italy and other cities across the globe. The Guardian also reported that the Coronavirus pandemic has lead to a huge drop in air pollution and the Conversation website stated that the Coronavirus has forced an immediate scale-down of how we travel and live. People are forging local connections, shopping locally, working from home and limiting consumption to what they need.

We are living in unprecedented and unpredictable times. For the teachers and studio owners, please give yourself time and space to restore. Unplug regularly from being of service to recalibrate with some much needed deeply nourishing and calming breaths so you can continue to be a much needed and valuable service to your community.

For those of you who have lost your financial security please know you are not alone and that this too will pass. Until that time reach out to your loved ones for emotional support. This connection is so vital right now as we all continue to navigate and figure out the best way to keep rising without forgetting to restore ourselves so that we can create a sustainable future for all to thrive and shine brighter than before.