These are very unique days.
I’ve found myself going through 3 phases over the last month..
- The Whoa Phase
- Restlessness and Anxiety
- Laziness and Boredom
The Whoa phase brought about a thought, “WTF is going on right now? This is real. Let’s hunker down and stay safe.” There was a feeling of deep uncertainty and unknowing, the way any pandemic begins.
It wasn’t long before the restlessness settled in. Restlessness comes with difficulty to land the mind on one thing. It is accompanied with a sense that we should be doing something else. As a race, restlessness is almost unavoidable. When life is normal and we are in our do do do, go go go mode, if restlessness is not observed it’s only because we are not looking. I believe this is one of the reasons the Buddha listed it as the 4th of 5 main hindrances that prevent us from enlightenment.
Restlessness continues to come and go but now I am officially hitting lazy (also one of the 5 hindrances the Buddha highlighted). Within laziness is a feeling of not wanting to do anything productive. This prevents us from generating the creativity we all need to lead a fulfilling life.
But laziness, especially during these times, has its benefits too. You can stay in your pajamas all day. Make pancakes for dinner and watch lots of movies. My love and I devoured season 4 of This is Us, Unorthodox on Netflix (have you seen it? It’s only 4 episodes) and I am finally introducing her to the Rocky series (don’t worry, we won’t watch #5). All of this is bringing me joy so I must admit, I am momentarily pleased with this phase.
But I know it can’t last and I am beginning to feel the dissatisfaction sink in. Perhaps this will be the coming of phase 4, action.
This is where my spiritual practices come in. Without them, I’d be quite lost and very possibly depressed.
I was watching CNN the other night (another daily ritual these days) when Chris Cuomo was describing what he has been doing to combat having COVID-19
If you haven’t seen the interview, you can do so HERE.
He basically says that his doctor told him he must stand up and fight against the virus. It wants him to be lazy and he’s gotta take deep breaths even though it hurts. He’s gotta take his arms over his head even if he feels he can’t. And he’s gotta do everything he can to keep his body open even if he feels like all he can do is lay down.
I thought that was a powerful message and advice we could all abide by these days.
When it comes to combating depression and lethargy, yoga can be a tremendous support. Doing poses that open up the chest, activate the muscles around the scapula and open up the rib cage are vital.
With that in mind I decided to put together this 30 minute sequence. It is intended for you to use as if you were doing a regular yoga class online. I hope you enjoy and get a ton out of it.
All best to you,
