The physical presence of our community will be so appreciated after this time of separation.
What a strange time this is for all of us. Now that we are entrenched in sheltering in place, we truly are missing and lacking our connection with each other. I have at times found myself even hesitating to hug my own children. I never thought I would experience that in this lifetime.
I’ve commented many times that if we lived in a climate that was 72 degrees and sunny all year long like California, the beautiful flowers and leaves would be so ordinary. By trudging through the drab sometimes cold kentucky winters, we are so much more appreciative of the first flowers and blooms. The fragile plants busting out from the dark earth give us hope. Sometimes we need to experience lack in order to truly appreciate abundance. My hope is that through this time of lack of connection, that our reunions, though they will be slow at first, will be beautiful. Like seeing this lovely spring after a long grey winter, we will appreciate it so much more. I cannot wait to hug my yoga students, to see their faces coming through the door.
One of a few blurbs I share after classes includes this line “may we be more absorbed in the gaze in each other’s eyes, the touch of each other’s hand.” I believe that we will be. I believe that from this wasteland of no physical touch and disconnection, we will come out more connected than ever. My hope is that we will be more absorbed in each other’s physical presence than we would have been without the pandemic. That when we finally get to take off the gloves that separate us from each other, everything will feel even more real. That we will make the effort to feel the energy of another human; what magic it is. Maybe we will even be able to let go of the things that divide us, move in closer to the things that we all need: to be understood, to be heard, to be touched, to feel safe, to feel connected, to feel loved.
I find it so interesting how life gives us the lessons we need to evolve as humans. When we judge someone in a particular circumstance, that circumstance often comes around for us so that we do understand. Maybe years later, but we begin to feel their pain through that shared experience.
What are we learning now? How are we evolving? As a society we had already moved so far toward social distancing by using social media in place of being in the physical presence with people. While social media is wonderful in many ways and has certainly been an avenue of connection for many that would be totally isolated right now, I do think it has caused a disconnect for many of us. How many times have you seen a couple having dinner together looking at their phones? They were taking the person in front of them for granted, while engaging with someone or something else. I am hopeful that from this time of lack, we will become more connected. That we will appreciate the opportunity to sit with a friend or partner at a restaurant, to touch our people, to truly gaze in their eyes, to see them. Can we be present with every cell of our bodies? Can we just be there even if there is nothing to say? Can we hold space for the people we love when they are suffering?
If you are reading this you are likely a past or present yoga student of True North Yoga. Please know that you are missed, so completely, that our community is yours and we are here for you. That we will savor our time with you, that we will listen and hold space together, for each other, enjoying and feeling the electromagnetic current that flows between us when we are physically present with each other.
Missing you all and looking so forward to the present of your presence.
Crystal