Finding our way back - Reopening, reconnecting & getting together in person
To be really honest with you, like many people I’m feeling a bit worn down by the effort of navigating the ongoing uncertainty brought about by Covid and feeling so unprepared for each new challenge thrown up by trying to keep a small business going during the challenges of the past year.
Don’t get me wrong, what we’ve managed to accomplish since the world quite literally turned upside down in a matter of days last March is nothing short of AMAZING. Despite my initial hesitation what we’ve achieved by moving online is at least as good and sometimes, I’d argue, even better than what came before.
And here’s the thing.
When I think about my “WHY?”. About why I teach yoga and why I’ve built MCY, none of that has changed.
I teach yoga to help people feel healthier and happier than they do just now, whatever that means to them.
It might be helping them take good care of their body so that they feel fitter and stronger. They might begin to feel that their whole body is working together in a more integrated way and learn to appreciate how amazing their body is. They might even realise that they’re capable of so much more than they think.
Or, when they get into the habit of checking in regularly they start to notice what’s happening in the present moment. They have the space and time to see what’s under the surface, to notice what happens when they feel frustrated or angry, scared or under pressure. Over time they get to know themselves a little bit better and see the games their minds play and the stories they tell us. They even believe in and accept themselves more, and navigate life a little more skilfully.
When they come to class regularly they connect with others and become part of our community, part of something bigger than their individual selves. Connecting with others in a meaningful way has been shown to help us all feel better.
In working to support our community and keep our doors open over the past 15 months myself and all the MCY teachers have consistently delivered such a high level of teaching while continually learning and investing in this new way of working and connecting.
We’ve all had to refine our verbal cueing, learn to trust and respond to what we see on our screens rather than rely on what we feel and experience in the room and give as much support as we can to students as they find their own way.
As practitioners ourselves we’ve all had to get creative using things around the house as props, get used to practising when the rest of our households are going about their business around us and figure out how to get ourselves into postures we believed we needed assistance with!
So as we consider again how to connect back in, we bring every part of our experience so far - the good, the bad and the downright ugly. It’s likely none of that makes this transition any easier or more comfortable but maybe it makes it richer?
I reckon this time of constant change and uncertainty has helped us become better teachers and students, better people. Even if it doesn’t feel like it just now.
We get better at what we practice and we’ve all had loads of practice now at trying to hold steady in the midst of chaos. We’ve had to rely on ourselves more to stay the course. And we’ve had to figure out new ways of making and sustaining meaningful connections with our community.
Even if it’s all still a work in progress, I think we’re moving forward. And after all we’ve been through, I’m so thankful I still get to do what I do.