In the spiritual world, self isolation periods are intentional to invite transformation, deeper awareness and awakening. By mid March the news that Covid-19 virus was spreading in NJ was clear and inevitably social distancing, and self isolation boundaries were put in place. For me that meant the studio where I teach must close doors for an indefinite amount of time. I decided not to teach online and just lean in to this gift of time, and spaciousness and give my attention to home life and my personal practice, and let the rest unfold. It felt really liberating and free at first. Of course, I went through the typical stages of having my entire lifestyle disrupted. But I knew if I just allowed the experience and feelings to arise I would grow from this. The concept of sheltering in and simplifying is not completely new to me. I went through a similar period transitioning from corporate city world to suburban full time at home mom, and I went through a small business bankruptcy during 2008 market crash. So, I've been through reinventions of myself and economic hardship. I'm full of gratitude that so far I've been spared getting sick and loss of income. That said... I recognize this as an opportunity for personal growth, reflection, and transformation. Here's my short survival guide for living in that space between the old normal and what will be the new normal when we go back to living our post global pandemic lives.
1. A private space with a door that closes because even though I love my family and pets, I need quiet uninterrupted time to do the personal things that were part of my pre-quarantine normal like exercising , meditating, reading, journaling, listening to music, creating and working from home.
2. A flexible daily schedule so home schooling, housework, meal planning actually get done on time instead of sleeping late , eating dinner at 9pm and bed at 1:30 am. My body and nervous system get thrown off quickly from irregular sleep and digesting late. Part of the quarantine is trying not to get sick , so with the time and freedom to make good choices...home cooked meals , eating on time have been great things.
3. Regular exercise and movement. After a week or so of catching up on sleep and relaxing, I then started to feel muscle tension and stiff joints. Just goes to show, all my teaching and regular working out was helping. I started doing my own barre pilates sequences that I would normally teach and taking some online classes, and started learning yoga wheel moves. After all, this was my normal before quarantine , teaching aerial silk and aerial barre. My body was missing that and I was in physical pain.
4. Minimal media consumption. I enjoy my social media accounts and seeing what friends and family are up to during the shelter in time, but the politicizing, propaganda, conspiracy theories, and neighborhood watch dogging of the new rules is a bit negative and draining. Everyone is already going through a lot and doing their best. We're not all in the same boat that's true. We're not all the same. For me consuming media is a source of irritation. I enjoy getting quiet with myself and long periods of silence without information. Like the exercise ... during this quarantine , I noticed how my meditation practice has really paid off.
5. Healthy Light Nutritious Diet. Even though it felt good initially to enjoy the corona-cation large meals of pasta, meatballs, sausage bread, and cheeses that too quickly wore off for me. One of the flip sides to living healthy clean plant based, is that when you eat heavy processed foods and desserts, your body can't take it and it makes you feel sick. So, my next take away tool in my survival kit was I have to eat foods that make me feel good. It's challenging for me, because I feel rude saying no but I suffer for it. I took advantage of the down time and ordered raw juice cleanse with shakes, and healthy soups to get rid of the inflammation and get my gut back to normal.
6. Meditation and Prayer & Ritual. I've always had the good spiritual karma of having teachers appear with perfect timing. I feel blessed to be surrounded by good positive people. One of the unexpected tools that ended up being so important in my self isolation journey was daily FB lives with my spiritual teacher friends who I've known for years from women's wellness retreat. I've always gotten a lot out of group meditation and prayer because I feel that collective energy of healing intention is so powerful. I've been meditating in studios for years, but not practicing formal religious prayer in my Catholic background. Our group does practice the Rosary, and I went to Catholic school so the words and the ritual were immediately familiar, comforting and grounding. The height of the pandemic was over Holy Week and Easter holiday. The combining of the spiritual with the religious tradition was something I hadn't planned or set out to do. But it ended up being my social time online. And I think it's been the most important tool in my quarantine survival guide. Meeting up to support each other, check in with each other, praying together, sharing our stories, writing our intentions, requesting prayers for loved ones creates so much connection to the bigger picture. For me this makes the mind, body , spirit whole. I first take care of the physical, then the mind, then the spirit takes care of itself when its contained in this healthy mind and body. I think that's the secret to how I keep my yoga calm.
Quarantine, self isolation, social distancing don't have to be viewed as negative. It's like a gestation period of intentional stillness to prepare for transformation. Maybe come out with clarity of vision for self with a fresh perspective. It is a massive refresh or re-boot not only for our individual selves but collectively. I have a lot of hope that on the other side we'll appreciate our communities more, and how important it is to be supportive of others. A reminder that some of the old school ways of shopping local, praying for people, calling people, taking your time eating a meal together makes us feel healthy and whole. I noticed it more and more during these weeks of quarantine. I think its been a painful uncomfortable necessary reset for many obviously in different ways. I'm more affirmed than ever in my health and wellness lifestyle of mind, body and spirit. Sometimes you have to feel discomfort to figure what's true for you. This really put my personal practice to the test. But I figured out how I survive self isolation.
Love, Health and Blessings Always!
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