The last 15 months have brought heartbreaking loss across the globe. No community has been left untouched in the wake of the pandemic. Jobs remain uncertain and people continue to lose loved ones each day. It is hard to know how to best show up in service to our hurting world.
At the same time that so many have faced pain and hardship, others have experienced a kind of rebirth as a result of the changes that covid-19 brought about. Being confined to home allowed many of us to reclaim a quality of simplicity and present-moment awareness in our day-to-day living that we now hold dear. It is natural that the pandemic has led to a reevaluation of our priorities.
My prayer for our world is that we recognize this moment as uniquely precious and that we remain as conscious as possible in the process of deciding how we wish to reengage with life. My prayer for our world is that we each remember that we have a choice.
Social distancing measures slowed down the unconscious momentum of our lives long enough for us to gain fresh insight into what really matters and to become more keenly aware of the conditions that allow each of us as individuals to thrive. It is a rare opportunity in life to be given a foothold outside of our usual habit patterns and the chance to see with clear eyes. The burden of clarity is that we are obliged to act on it. This invariably requires courage.
I believe that each of us is equipped with an internal GPS system that is unerringly accurate. We might call this prajna, intuitive wisdom, or conscience. It is the voice of our soul and it will never lead us astray. But it can be hard to hear in the din of the world.
My brilliant teacher Kia Miller recently said “There is no greater form of activism that you can do than living from your heart and living your truth.” I have hesitated to share my truth over the last 15 months because it has felt strange and confusing to admit given the climate of loss that we have been in. But the more I listen to people, the more I realize that I am not alone and that many of us are feeling this way. So in spite of how naked this makes me feel, here goes:
Last March I stepped back from teaching in-person yoga classes for the first time in a decade and have enjoyed what has easily been one of the healthiest, happiest years of my life. My personal relationships are richer, my connection to family is closer, my anxiety level has dropped, and my sleep is the best it’s been in ages. Perhaps the biggest change I’ve noticed is how much more energy I have. In taking off the “hat” of teacher, I gave myself permission to receive the compassion of my own heart and to reclaim my humanity as an open, vulnerable, loving, caring person with personal dreams of her own.
We cannot be of genuine service to others if we are acting out of alignment with our own truth. This is a difficult pill for many of us to swallow. It’s human nature to get tangled up in the net of other people’s expectations. The magnetic pull of outside world is undeniably strong. So too is the propulsive force of our past conditioning. My fear is that if we stop paying attention for even one second, the precious insight we have gained over the last 15 months will vanish into thin air. This moment in our world history is so incredibly rare. We have an opportunity to choose consciously. Covid-19 released us all from the known into the unknown. Why step back into the known?! I want to keep exploring and expanding!
I would absolutely love to hear from any and all of you about how you are navigating this transition. What insights have you gained from the last 15 months? And in what ways will you be charting a new course? Please do share in the comments below if you feel comfortable so that we can support each other in moving forward with intelligence and heart.