This week one of our wonderful SkillfulMIND Leaders has taken the time to write a short piece for us on how she has been coping with COVID19 and the isolation it has brought.
Joanna Mason is from the North East of the United Kingdom and has been continuing to run classes throughout the covid crisis. Her words of encouragement and methods for getting through all of this positively are a great motivation for us.
Although Joanna wrote this during the peak of things last year, much of this is still very relevant now as we move forwards into a very different period
For me, this is starting to feel like a new normal; just being at home all the time. I used to worry about being at home all the time with two teenagers, that I wouldn’t be able to “entertain” them enough at home without resorting to technology.
As this new norm seeps in, I find myself questioning how I might have coped at their age. There would have been arguments and shouting about the amount of time I wanted to spend on the phone talking to my friends.
So now I relax and embrace the fact that my son spends many hours laughing out loud with his friends on the Xbox, and my daughter Facetimes her friends to discuss make up, or maths homework.
They too are finding their new normal, and I am pleased that they are doing it effortlessly, and with much less anxiety than I think many adults are doing.
We live in a society that does not encourage stillness, or self-awareness.
We have a pandemic of anxiety, depression and sleep disorders, which means we are highly medicated, because we don’t know what else to do about it.
Our ingrained personal expectations drive us forward, along with our mounting external responsibilities. We have become over-stressed and under-rested, too awake to fall asleep, and too tired to enjoy our waking hours. Then, when we are thrown into a situation where we have to be in our homes, life becomes full of uncertainty and fear.
There is no doubt that over exposure to stress leads to real health issues and problems with our personal relationships.
We don’t have to live in blurred mindlessness. There is another way. It’s free, easy and effective.
Meditation can really help, by inducing relaxation, calming the nervous system and improving our sleep. Meditation gives us the space and the time to
become aware of our thoughts and feelings, to our responses to the world and those around us, and to the fact that we are all connected.
I have been teaching Meditation for three years, following the training of SkilfulMIND. I always try to make Meditation easily accessible, and I want my students to experience the benefits of meditation, without feeling uncomfortable, or out of their comfort zone. I like to introduce different ways of incorporating meditation in every day life, and my aim is to get my students to feel confident practising on their own.
Since the lock down, I have moved my classes online, and this has worked really well for me. It allows the class to still make connections with one another, and to practice meditation from the comfort of their own homes. I am even considering continuing this, once the lock down is over!
The main benefit is that wherever you are in the world, you can join us! We meet weekly, on Wednesday evenings 7-8pm (BST), and I would love to see you there.
Joanna Mason
joanna@lavidayogauk.net
https://www.skillfulmind.net/Joanna
Many of our SkillfulMIND Meditation Leaders are continuing to hold classes online. While some parts of the world are still going into regular lockdowns and others are starting to heal, many of our leaders have found that holding virtual classes is benefiting more people than they could have imagined.
Some of our Leaders are preparing workshops to teach in schools, with essential plans of helping children process all that has been this past year and a half. While other of our Meditation Leaders are putting their focus into corporate settings, retirement homes and hospitals.
Our wonderful Leaders are truly taking it upon themselves to support their local communities in so many ways and it is incredible to witness all of their hard work.
Keep an eye on our Facebook Page for more updates on what our Leaders are doing, and how you can get involved!
And is always, if you are interested in becoming a SkillfulMIND Meditation Leader, book a call with us by clicking the button below.
