Now that we are 6 months, yes 6 months into sheltering-in-place, I'm feeling the need to reconnect. So, I've been reaching out to friends past and more present. This whole experience, since March, has been like a retreat for me. I've pulled away from the noise of the outside world and have become focused on the internal world - that within my being.
Sometimes the internal world and the Zoom universes converge and I find myself asking, "is this TV or actually my friend?" So was the case this evening when I reconnected with my yoga family Joe and Christine. Joe calls me his yoga wife and Christine is for sure my yoga sister and teacher. Here we were - seeing each other on Zoom - when we have known each other's bodies so intimately through our yoga teacher training and ten years of practice togeher. Our love for each other transcends time and space - it is based on a practice of body and breath.
We talked about our other family members as well as the business of this somatic practice. Our dear mentor is in a difficult place and that was a topic of exploration. What do we do when one of us is disconnected and lost? Is there support for yoga practitioners who can no longer teach and have no safety net - because of age, health or even economics. This brings into the discussion our position as contractors or are we employees? Yes, this is the conversation that pollutes our practice. Ironically, this business of art is what I teach all day. But here it is merely a distraction from our shared practice, passion and connection.
Thankfully, we have made plans to see each other in person - albeit socially distanced. These are my people. These are my family of choice.
