Balance in yoga poses is never a static thing or concept – neither when applied to our bodies, nor minds. Balance in yoga poses is a never ending stream of minor adjustments and slight tremors. Balance is not a result, it is a process. I think we are all living that process now – with those continuous adjustments and corrections, ceaseless adaptations and modifications of what we all used to call our everyday reality.

Everywhere you turn you get news that is important, but also can be misleading and confusing, and scary…  and reality changing. You also get the well intended advice to stay calm, come up with wonderful ideas and plans as to what to do, which TV series and live streams to watch, and how to fill your stay at home days. There is advice everywhere, encouraging everyone to come up with some noble deeds one could (possibly, potentially) accomplish while in isolation. And, yes, there are many helpful ideas and free resources online, and many examples of kindness, magnified by the current situation.

We have been at this sheltering in place for quite some days now, and, yet, there are many things I personally still want to do (none of them that noble, really!) while on lock down (the list mainly consists of books, knitting, house work, watching MetOpera Live Streams, cooking, making some phone calls, writing letters, painting, sewing, yard work, writing, playing board games with my husband and those of our children, who are sheltering in place in this house with us). And yes, I also did help my neighbors and friends with their grocery shopping like everybody else. I also have been supporting my friends and family  in Europe and here through phone conversations, texts, messages like everybody else. And I also still enjoy finding space and time, and courage to just be and experience the slower flow of Time.

We are so lucky to have a garden here, and even though garden work is not the most favorite activity in my family, it is still a perfect outlet  for pent up energy, and a perfect chance to get a workout and get some fresh air! We have found that balance between staying cooped up inside and going outside is not just needed – it is essential. We find that balance in our reluctant yard work hours (mainly in  increments of half-hours, if I am being honest) , and our walks along the ocean at odd times (either very early in the mornings or after we are done with our respective online classes, work, writing, etc for the day), now watching not only the tide tables but also the number of people and our distance to them. We have decided (well, always known!) that we are not made of sugar and can go out in slight rain, moderate rain and rather serious rain, too, as well as in slight wind, moderate wind and ferocious wind … letting our worries be washed and blown away (at least) for those moments.

When our boys were little I used to tell them “to bottle up” the magical moments – imagining a real (bottomless) bottle that can be filled with the wonders we see, live, experience – the purple color of the jacaranda tree blossoms, the smell of orange blossoms, the tingling of your body after a swim in the cold ocean, good books, the songs of crickets, birds, frogs, the sunsets and sunrises, meaningful and uplifting conversations, snow and rain, white laces of the ocean waves, dolphin sightings, hugs, the impossibly green color of spring grass, color of fall leaves and so on. And, of course, the idea is that we can “open that bottle” (and recall the magical content of it)  and use a drop of it when we are out of balance… When we are confused and lost, when desperate and when not knowing where to find strength for the next step, when reality seems too harsh and just too much… Especially now and for the weeks to come.

Remembering to fill my own bottle with awe and wonderment that could potentially nudge me back to the present moment and allow me to find balance again is vital.  And I am aware that balance is not a goal, not a result, it is a process, underscored by patience, resourcefulness and resilience. Especially now.

Written by Indra Strong, Certified Let It Go Yoga teacher.

Want to know more about Let It Go Yoga? Start here with our Diaphragmatic Breathing Video!