Hold The Pose

Have you ever been on an airplane and are on your descent to your destination when the plane, instead of continuing on its path to land, begins to ascend instead? I really dislike that feeling. For however long the flight, when I'm close to getting to the destination it says on my ticket and I can see it out of my window, I'm truly ready to land. But no...instead the pilot comes over the speaker and says they're not ready to land and we'll be in a holding pattern until given permission to do so. 

It feels like that's what this social distancing quarantine scenario we are experiencing is like at the moment...we're in a holding pattern and nobody knows when it will be safe to land back in our "regular" daily life. We have a new normal and for so many of us, it's really uncomfortable.

This past week in classes we've been practicing "holding a pose" and noticing our reaction.  Some yoga practices encourage you to endure a pose even when your muscles are quivering or a pose that you don't really enjoy and you're ready to exit and move on. We are instructed to practice coming back to the present moment by focusing on our breath and staying put. It's encouraging us to focus and cultivate patience as we transcend the uncomfortable physical experience of the present moment. It's trying to find ease with whatever we're experiencing. And it's challenging! So often we want to quickly remove ourselves from things we don't really like and both our yoga practice and home quarantine are inviting us to find equanimity with discomfort and monotony.

Beyond the physical aspect of holding a pose or staying in place, is the more esoteric invitation to stay inwardly focused and not be drawn outward. Distraction shows itself through avoidance, procrastination and self-medicating (shopping, drugs, alcohol, Netflix, social and news media). Many of us don't have the same deadlines as we have had and are maybe floating through our days without structure or purpose. 

Now is a great opportunity to get curious, create ritual, dive more deeply into something you have been wanting to pursue but haven't been able to perhaps we've been overly committed to work or study. During this holding pattern, bringing structure and purpose to our day will support us in navigating it more smoothly. If we allow time for turning inward to nourish, weed, and feed our inner garden, this could be a time for enormous creativity, insight, and awakening. So often, we are on the treadmill of life and giving ourselves this sort of time seems elusive and only done on vacation.

So here we are...for an unknown while longer. The normalcy of our lives is shifting and we may emerge on the other side of this with things never being quite the same. Can you allow an inner voice to be heard during this time so that your exit strategy is one that offers a smooth landing?

Throughout the week, I've been reminding students to use the tools we've been talking about over the past few weeks. One breath at a time. Come to the present moment. Make self-care part of your day by asking what it is you need to do today to nourish yourself physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. What are you grateful for? What joy or inspiration have you found today?

We're in this together and are finding new ways to support the collective well-being of our earth family. In the meantime, as we hold the pose...find your breath and send love bombs to those you know who could really use a dose.