Be calm in your heart. Patient with yourself and others.
We have not been here before and we do not know what to expect. This unpredictability can be a trigger for the nervous system. Below are a few suggestions for self calming.
- Light a candle and focus on the flame. - Pay close attention to your surroundings, listen to the bird's song, gaze at the horizon, find water and sit along its bank. Make a few notes (a poem perhaps) about your experience.
- Sit still, sitting bones grounded or feet planted firmly on the floor, and watch your breath. When the mind moves away, notice where it went and gently come back to the breath. Keep returning to the breath.
- Listen to music that you find balancing/calming. It may not be what you expect. The other day I listened to opera, something about the newness, perhaps that it was sung in Italian, allowed me to focus on the sound only. This was, in itself, calming.
- Move the body. Dance. Practice asanas. Walk. Twist the spine.
- Lay down and look at the world from a different perspective. Downward dog is great for a perspective shift and a mild inversion...both things can be calming.
- Sit in the light of the sun.
- Touch the earth. Touch the dirt. Place your forehead on the earth. Remember we are a part of the earth. Our bodies feel better when we remember and connect to this.
- Practice gratitude. (And remember it is ok to not feel ok.)
Online Recommendations The Yoga Workshop Online is great Ashtanga Yoga resource if you are interested in deepening your asana practice during this hiatus. www.yogaworkshoponline.com
If you are interested in online group discussion(s), with a focus on exploring our current situation through yoga philosophy, Molly Lannon Kenny, a teacher of mine, is hosting many sessions each week. This is a great way to make our practice pragmatic. www.mollylannonkenny.org