Yoga Begins Now
Yoga in the time of the coronavirus pandemic.
Life has a way of marching on quite unremarkably. Days fill with back and forth, pack, unpack, commute, work, make meals, clean up meals, keep kids active pick up toys, try to fit in some self care and time with a partner. Maybe some Netflix and chill at the end of the day, before sleeping, not-quite-long-enough, and then repeat. Next thing, a week has passed – and the toys are still all over the floor.
Until one day, it doesn’t anymore. At first, there is news about a virus that is devastating China. Then it’s also in Italy. Our hearts goes out to them, but, of course, we’re human, so the focus remains on picking up the damn toys in the kitchen while preparing school lunches and running out the door with a cup of coffee. Then there is news that it’s also spreading rapidly in the next state over, but again, we are human, so we build a little wall of denial and keep on trucking.
And then, everything changes. Coronavirus is here. Shit, this is serious. Every day more news rolls out, more things change. Schools are cancelled. Activities are put on hold. We’re told to stay home, avoid unnecessary errands. Restaurants shut their doors. Yoga studios close, gyms close, even the parks and trails and playgrounds close. One morning, we wake up and realize that we can’t even remember the last day that felt “normal.” All those things that filled days to the brim are suddenly gone, or very different.
Perhaps we are stuck at home, left with a vast spread of days that we are not quite sure how to fill. Perhaps we are now working from home, navigating unfamiliar technology, or juggling work and family all in one space. Or we are a small business owner, forced into the scary place of shutting doors on income. Or, a vital healthcare worker, working more than ever before, fighting on the frontlines and being placed at risk, all in the name of helping others.
No matter what, life has shifted drastically. No matter who we are, life as we know it has been shaken up, tipped over, spilled out, and is flowing in directions we never expected.
So friends, NOW begins our work. We can panic, or we can see this time as a great teaching moment.
Yoga Sutra 1.1: Atha Yoga Anushasanam. This is the very first of 196 aphorisms that make up one of the most sacred yogic texts there is. Consider it a roadmap of yoga, threads that weave the blanket, the direct path to follow to achieve enlightenment. We can talk about it all we want, but when we suddenly are faced with the opportunity to ACTUALLY practice it, to take it one step at time – well that’s hard. But here we have an opportunity to take – at least for now – step one.
While there is no direct translation of Sanskrit into English, this sutra can be interpreted in any amount of ways:
Atha: A term that indicates an auspicious, or good-fortuned beginning. It implies a sense of preparation for a journey.
Yoga: Meaning union, yoke, balance, harmony, oneness. Of breath and body, or masculine and feminine, of yang and yin, of lover and beloved, of seeker and sought. The possibilities are endless.
Anu: “That follows, in accordance with.”
Shasanam: “Discipline, bringing into practice.”
For now, let’s keep it simple: YOGA BEGINS NOW.
Now, in and amongst all this weirdness and hardship and fear. Right here, steeping in the middle of the coronavirus outbreak. It begins in this moment, whether we’re safe at home with our families or scared at work in the hospital or struggling to pay bills or missing our families who live across the country. NOW.
Atha: THIS is the moment we have been practicing for. The coronavirus pandemic, the quarantine, the inconvenience and unknown and instability we are experiencing as a culture. All our practice, all our preparation, all our work up to this point has led up to now. It has all been preparation for this very journey we now find ourselves on.
Yoga: If there is one thing that this virus has already taught us, it’s that we are all equal. Social hierarchy doesn’t have a role here. Tom Hanks, Rand Paul, and many unknown souls have all tested positive. Looked at another way, we can also see that we can’t fight this alone. Everyone has a part in this story. Our actions – for example, whether or not we choose to stay home when told – directly affects others. We could be responsible for helping to keep the pandemic at bay or promoting its more rapid spread. We all play an equally important role here.
Anushasanam: The willingness to adopt the discipline of practice. The voluntary acceptance of the yogic path. The choice to show up and do the work. The willingness to see how this time can transform us.
Coronavirus has swept the world, touching every single life. It hasn’t needed a passport, it hasn’t stopped at walls, it hasn’t discriminated based on religion or economic class or sexual orientation. It has touched every life, and so too every life can affect the outcome. NOW is when we discover the underlying connection we all share; a connection that knows no walls, knows no borders, knows nothing about social distance. A connection that knows only a seamless, extensive, all-encompassing, non-discriminating union of everything.
So here we are. Let’s take step one. Let’s honor the beginning. Let’s see this as an opportunity. Let’s remind ourselves that we ARE prepared. But we must remember to put heart first.
What does that mean? How do we practice now?
We stay home, follow recommendations from our local and state government, wash our hands. Drop food off for a neighbor, call a friend, smile at a passerby. Ask for help. Offer help when able. Do things for ourselves or others that have been put off for too long. Enjoy moments of silence. Let there be boredom. Learn something new. Sleep. Spend time with our families. FaceTime with our families. Take pleasure in the small tasks of life. Breathe more, practice asana (yoga poses) more. Trust that nothing is permanent, and that this too shall pass.
As a world, we currently have the beautiful opportunity to put human life ahead of convenience, money, and materialism. We must be willing to see that the inconveniences we are experiencing now are simply a divine and extensive act of love. We have to remember the ripple affect we have on the world, and that so very much of the outcome of this situation rests in our collective hands.
And remember: it’s actually ALL YOGA. All that you have done, all that you are doing, and also all that comes from this point on. The journey begins now.
***Credit goes to one of my teachers, Brooke Coletta, whose lovely class this week inspired this post! Deep bows.***