It’s been a difficult year.

I’ve heard said a few times now that 2020 is a year to forget.

But I think that’s completely wrong. I think 2020 should be a year that we remember. And remember for a long time to come.

It’s been such a year of fear, suffering and loss. Of kindness, compassion, gratitude and hope. Of learning, adapting and creativity. We shouldn’t forget any of it.

When I look back over the past year it’s been a rollercoaster of highs and lows, but here are just a few of the bits that really stand out for me, dominated of course by the Covid-19 crisis.

Closing the studio

We had our teacher training weekend as normal in March but with plenty of hand washing and none of the hugs that are normally in plentiful supply on these weekends. We even speculated about how the virus was going to affect our studio and community.

As it turned out that was the last teacher training weekend in the studio. Within a couple of days I had announced my difficult decision to close our doors which was then closely followed by the government’s announcement that the country would move into lockdown.

Teaching in lockdown

For the next two months we ran a skeleton schedule of live classes online supplemented by Facebook and You Tube live sessions and published loads of free on demand classes and resources.

Come June, when it was becoming clearer that we were all in this for the long haul we introduced more live classes and welcomed our much loved teachers back onto the schedule.

Joining class online really divided people. Some were quick to embrace all that it had to offer - a means to carry on practising in community with others, convenience and in many cases a lifeline in a crazy world.

Others, like me(!), were more reluctant and hesitant - what could an online class bring, how much more benefit was there joining a live class online to practising on your own and didn’t everyone spend enough time on a screen anyway?

I really hope it’s made all those who come to class aware of the importance of their yoga practice for their wellbeing and protecting their health.

Technology

I won’t lie. Embracing technology has been a real challenge. I’m not what you would call “techie”. I even get impatient when the lift doesn’t arrive after the first press of the button and end up pressing it many times in quick succession. Because that’s going to make it arrive faster, right?

Fast forward to lockdown 2020 and this shows up in clicking my mouse instead - if I don’t get the desired result immediately after the first click I simply click again. And again!

I know you’ll all have discovered this for yourself by now, but it doesn’t work. In fact, it usually ends in everything hanging or spinning forever.

So, despite not being renowned for my patience when it comes to tech, I have learned that everything is work-out-able if you choose to.

Guest Teachers

Life here at MCY consists of more than weekly classes and lockdown meant that we couldn’t host much loved guest teachers Peg Mulqueen and David Keil.

They were both hesitant to take some of their teaching online for us. But they both did it anyway to support me and you, our MCY community. When our teachers do things that take them outside their comfort zone it shows us that we can do it too.

Their support means so much to me, and it means I’m able to offer support to you.

Community

One of the biggest challenges in a year that’s been choc full of them is that we’ve had to redefine how we connect with each other. It’s taken creativity and determination. We’ve had to figure out how we can still support each other despite not being able to be physically close or even present in the same space.

It’s really clear that we all need each other.

Learning from the past

The explosion of the Black Lives Matter movement earlier in the year prompts questions of cultural appropriation, exclusion and racism in the world of modern yoga. The misunderstandings around what yoga is and its journey to become what we see now means that its roots in colonialism, oppression and revolution are often glossed over.

Rather than ignore we must try to embrace yoga’s roots, seeing in this an invitation to explore what it means to practise yoga today. How can we address the separation, injustice and division that still exists? Does our practice foster connection, unity and even liberation?

We can’t change our history. We can and must however learn from it; acknowledge its legacy and that much of what we understand has come through the lens of colonialism and capitalism; and question and challenge the systems and structures that we are part of.

Fundraising

In a year like no other charities have struggled more than ever. Our chosen charities are part of our community too, and there was no question of not trying to raise some much needed money for them.

And let’s be honest, Christmas wouldn’t be the same without our annual 108 Sun Salutations in aid of Yogability and our Candlelit Meditation in aid of Fareshare Glasgow (administered by Move On Glasgow).

I am so frigging chuffed with your efforts. We raised a magnificent £4050 this year.

Being outside

At the beginning of lockdown I made a point of getting outside every day and April and May proved to be the most beautiful in a long time. Remember the silence with no cars on the roads and no planes flying overhead? Remember how clear the skies were? It felt like we could see for miles…

And I became addicted to Gardeners World with Monty Don - a safe haven of quiet amidst the chaos of uncertainty!

I’ve learned a lot from this crazy year. It’s clear to me how important our yoga practice is to our physical and mental wellbeing, and also how important we are to each other. It’s made me even more aware of how important it is to share our experiences, even when it’s not the same as connecting in real life.

In a world that has turned us all upside down the truth is yoga communities look after us as much as we tend to them.

We’ll keep showing up for you in 2021 and trust you’ll keep showing up for us ❤️

Judi x

PS If you’ve found this post of interest please share as other people you know may find it interesting too…