I have to pinch myself to realise it’s Christmas this week, and I have still been at home teaching on Zoom. Who would have thought when we started this year what would happen next….
As I began 2020 with the climate crisis in mind I said to myself I would fly less this year and do more things locally, I had a calling to be at home more after running lots of retreats. I wanted to teach more in Worthing and build community after moving there the year before. I had inner calling to not focus so much on teaching in yoga studios but to really make it accessible and help a wider audience, to really feel like I was making a difference.
In ways I could not have imagined this has all happened!
The enforced lockdown has helped me to feel at home in Worthing and to feel like I have a community here. I have heard other people mention about how people seem to be acknowledging each other more, talking a little more freely to strangers, I have found this to be true too. There’s been this feeling of “we are all in it together” and with connection being somewhat taken away from us we have sought out ways to create it where we can.
Connection, collaboration and faith in humanity I feel is what is needed now more than ever.
With all of this going on a new centre opened in the summer in Worthing called The Tribe Hub. It’s not like a usual “yoga studio”, it is more of a community hub with a cafe, shop with local crafts and classes from yoga, mum and baby tea and cake morning, over 60s dance and HITT classes, It’s down to earth, welcoming, all ages attend and it’s just a lovely place to go to have some time to connect with others.
Who would have thought when we went into lockdown in March that life would be able to continue so much on Zoom!!! Whilst we complain about the sound and the “your internet connection is unstable”, what would we have done with out it?! I have caught up more regularly with old school friends, have received valuable support from my teachers, Norman Blair and Ben Wolff, in London, I have ran my Yin courses this way and have shared 3 classes a week for the people at the Sussex MS centre where I teach. These are people who have more or less been indoors all year shielding, whose lives usually revolve around the routine of going to a centre to see each other, have a laugh and get support. I feel really blessed to have been able to offer them this support and connection through this time.
Whilst studios have been on and off closed, and numbers have been lower than usual, I have been reminded that really you don’t need that much to live on. It’s easy to spend more than what you actually need and then feel the need to earn more to cover that. In some ways I have more content this year living way more simply and locally. I realise I am extremely privileged though, the fact I have a house to live in and money to cover costs is a blessing.
Travel is in my bones though, it is one of the things that brings me joy and freedom. I am very fortunate to have done a lot of it, I have had many amazing experiences. This year I have discovered the joy of memory and imagination, which actually are not that much different. I have spent time going back to places in my memories and creating new magical adventures in my head. Did you know the body responds to imagining, just as if you were doing it? This is why athletes and Grand Prix drivers rehearse these competitions in their heads as part of their training.
I have learned that drawing these imaginary adventures and what I would like to create in my life is also powerful. The left side of your brain describes and the right side depicts, generally we don’t use the right side enough. And it’s fun! I regularly draw now what I would like in my life and I am realising it is already starting to come true.
Around what I want, I have learned (thanks to the teacher Ben Wolff) that actually there are 4 things that will certainly help with many things:
Peace of Mind
Connecting to Joy
Being strong in who I am
Having triumph over mind made fears
All pretty important don’t you think?
All this time at home more has given me more time to learn. This year I have taken further courses in meditation, breathwork, Yoga Nidra and Yoga for seniors and back care. I feel I have more tools in my kit now to support those who come to see me. In 2021 I am going to be specialising in offering help for those with asthma, as this something I have experienced through my life and I have learnt some practices that can help ease breathlessness.
The Black Lives Matter movement highlighted to me this year the great divide and racism that still exists in our culture today. I think after living in London for 13 years where I was surrounded by all cultures, worked with people of colour and never witnessed it, I just didn’t think it existed anymore. How blind I was. I now understand that it’s not as obvious, it can be very subtle and insidious , and as a person with white privilege what it now needed is to be an anti-racist. Actively standing up for people of colour, supporting them, their businesses, their voices, listening to their stories and what they need. I am still learning about this but it’s something I am committed to.
To summarise this year has taught me that anything really is possible, you just never know what is around the corner. I am resilient, I am creative, I am flexible and all these years of practicing Yoga and exploring personal development have given me tools to navigate crazy crazy circumstances and support others too. The real Yoga is off the mat.
Don’t get me wrong…..there have been times when I have felt extremely low, bored, anxious, scared, overwhelmed and trapped. I am only human. This has been a tough year. I can’t wait to hug my parents and friends again. I can’t wait to dance again in the sunshine with others. I can’t wait to go to festivals and to teach my Yin training in Goa again. One thing I am sure of though, I will never take any of that for granted and I will prioritise seeing those I love. Connection really is all that matters.
