As the world grapples with the shift toward social isolation, managing pandemic-related stress, and an uncertain future, we at Wanderlust know that our greatest strengths are the wisdom of our leaders and the power of community.
We have reached out to the lighthouses in our teaching community to share some succinct, actionable insights with our community, as well as to call on us to be bold and envision how this shift can create a better world. Because extraordinary times call for extraordinary leadership.
COPING IN THE PRESENT
I have to admit it — this unprecedented time really kicked my butt at first.
As a total solo parent, I was already overwhelmed and exhausted with daily life, like all of us, right?
So getting my classes up online that first week, canceling Trainings in Bali and Mexico and all over, while trying homeschool was truly a shit show beyond compare.
I realized pretty fast that what my daily routine — the things I chose to do every day — would make or break this time. Here’s what has helped me immensely…
Sat Siri’s 7 Steps to Sanity
1. I put my hand on my heart every morning, as soon as I wake up and ask myself, “What do you need today?” I take a few deep breaths, and listen. Some days it’s been, rest and a bath, other days it’s been clean and tidy up, other days it’s been sweat and laugh and play more. But it’s been a sweet ritual to undertake (even before my morning meditation) to check in with myself.
2. Meditate before my 6 year old wakes up. Being a single Mama forces me to prioritize my self care, and setting the tone of my day is integral for me. I wake up, make tea, light a candle, meditate and journal. Then I’m ready for the monkey to wake up and start bouncing on me like I’m a trampoline. I am less likely to lose it when I’ve had that quiet time in the morning. 😉
3. Daily walk. Rain or shine, getting outside and walking is everything right now. It shifts my perspective, lightens me up and widens my lens on any emotion or perspective I’m experiencing.
4. Daily dancing. Sometimes short breaks with Alexa… sometimes longer dance breaks or mini Mama/Daughter hip hop classes. Dancing at least once a day for 30 mins has helped us a lot!
5. Some unstructured time for us to connect. I just say to my daughter, “What would you like to do?” And whether it’s baking cookies, or making a potion with leaves and dirt, or playing hide and seek, we do that!
6. FaceTime with friends. Just like my daughter has FaceTime playdates, I have them and need them too!
Checking in and sharing the good, bad and ugly with my sisters helps so much!
7. Sleep! 7-8 hrs. Ahhhh… that makes everyone ok!
ANSWERING THE CALL
I am really seeing this time as giving us the space and pause we need to reset our priorities.
To slow down, to reassess our imprint on the planet, to reassess the pace of our lives.
This virus is a real leveler. It doesn’t matter how much fame you have, how much money you have, what your sexual orientation is, it does not discriminate. It truly connects us all at a very deep level, the absolute contrast to the social distancing.
It’s forcing us to take stock, and reprioritize what’s truly important.
I have never felt so useful as I do now. I always felt like yoga and meditation was a luxury, but in these weeks that have passed I feel like an essential worker. So many people have reached out and thanked me for getting classes up online, they say time and time again that they are saving them right now. It’s true our sanity is regained and we remember the peace is within us, one breath at a time.
One of my favorite messages of all time seems so pertinent right now.
A Hopi Elder Speaks
You have been telling people that this is the Eleventh Hour, now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour. And there are things to be considered…
Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?
Know your garden.
It is time to speak your truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for your leader.
Then he clasped his hands together, smiled, and said, “This could be a good time! There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly. Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water.
And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate. At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey come to a halt.
The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word ’struggle’ from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.
–Hopi Elders’ Prophecy, June 8, 2000
Sat Siri is a trailblazing, next generation, Kundalini Yoga teacher and trainer. She travels the world teaching Kundalini Yoga in places like Bali, Maui, Mexico and India. She has been practicing Yoga and Meditation for over twenty years and teaching Kundalini Yoga for fourteen. She practiced Iyengar Yoga, Vipassna Meditation, and many other modalities before finding Kundalini Yoga.
A former ballet dancer with the Australian Ballet, Sat Siri found ballet meditation in motion, a creative expression that renewed her perspective with each step, turn or jump. “I fulfilled my childhood dream of dancing with the Australian Ballet. The truth that no matter how many times I practiced a step or a turn or a jump in the studio, once on stage everything was new and fresh, I was in the present moment. I had to be, sublimely so. Every breath mattered.”