We are all currently united in an experience, which has turned our lives upside down and it seems like everything we are accustomed to has changed or disappeared, literally from one day to the next. And although we are all in this experience together, ironically we are more physically isolated and seemingly more disconnected from each other than ever before. Uncertainty prevails but one thing that is certain is that we shall all have a story to tell about this unprecedented time and I’d like to share mine thus far here:
 
My initial reaction was disbelief, closely followed by total denial of the facts and rejection of the ensuing measures taken and imposed on us.
I don’t want it to be like this, I don’t want to accept this, I want it to go away, the inner child ranted. And just like a frustrated and obstinate child, I stamped my feet, I flailed my arms and had an overwhelming desire to shout and scream at the top of my lungs.
In other words, a very, very unhealthy reaction! And consequently, one which only aggravated and intensified the negative energy, which I felt was assaulting and suffocating me.
So what did I do next? I resorted to even more harmful behaviour. I made myself rigid and hard, in a futile attempt to protect myself from the storm raging around and within myself. Needless to say, this too did not have a desirable effect and in my resistance to bending with the winds of change, I came close to breaking point each time I was buffeted by another gust of unthinkable and distressing news. Which by the way, I was heedlessly and relentlessly exposing myself to, glued to my computer screen and leaping wildly from one link to another on the trail of more bad news and confusing information.
But the absolutely worst thing I did was to shun my Yoga mat. Completely worn out, I did occasionally collapse on it but could never muster anything more than a far from relaxing and restorative Savasana.
I should perhaps add that I am in transit, meaning that I am staying at a temporary  place and am not at home where all my belongings are, my books, my plants and all my other familiar things. This was meant to be a temporary interim place but then came the Confinement aka Lock-Down and the closed borders and an end to the freedom of travel – so I was and am still stuck here.
All this did probably intensify my feeling of isolation and insecurity and in an attempt to diminish my feeling  of being all alone and cut off from the outside world, I had taken to listening to the radio for company and had it turned on most of the time. So it was playing in the background one day when, I was lying on my Yoga mat and trying to feel a connection with my breath, at least. And there happened to be a program on, where people were calling in to share how they were dealing with their confinement by coming up with constructive and enjoyable activities to make good use of all the time suddenly available to them. For many people this seemed to involve cleaning, sorting and decluttering, which they all agreed was very beneficial and rewarding.
As I listened to their stories, my mood plunged even lower, as they highlighted the fact that I was far from home and therefore had no things to sort, organise or get rid of.
At some stage during the program, I moved into a Child’s pose and that’s when it  happened…almost instantly, instead of feeling alone and vulnerable, I was overwhelmed by a feeling of safety and deep calm and peace. And with that state came the realisation that I had everything I needed, including plenty of time to sort, rearrange and discard things – maybe not in the space around me – but in my inner space.
I imagine that many of you are thinking that what happened was not at all extraordinary and that this is what happens when we practice Yoga and one of the many reasons why we practice it – and of course you are right!
But up until that point, I had somehow mislaid that knowledge and was stumbling around in the swirling mists of my mind, when where I really needed to be was on my Yoga mat.
My story may appear to be anything but heartening but on the contrary, I hope that it will serve to illustrate that it’s alright to feel lost, confused and disheartened at times. But that what is important is not to forget that in fact we are never lost. We may let ourselves be distracted and stray from the path from time to time but it never disappears and eventually something will draw our attention back to it. That could be a passing butterfly, a unicorn or a radio program!
Since I found my way back, I have come to accept this time as an offered opportunity to enjoy doing things for which there was often not enough time before, rather than seeing it as an obstacle to all the things I could be doing. As for the things I should be doing, well they will just have to wait and I am relieved of the pressure and stress that often accompany them. Of course there are still moments when I feel despondence rising or when I yearn for more freedom of movement and particularly at those times, I retreat to my Yoga mat.
And there I find ample space for exploration and discovering exactly what I need and feels right in that moment. Whether that’s to release pent up energy with an active Yang Vinyasa practice, or to calm myself down with a gentle, more introspective Yin session or just to rest for a while in a restorative pose or simply to sit and let whatever comes, come…and go.
 
I would therefore like to conclude by sharing some reminders of how you can use your Yoga practice to fortify yourself during this challenging time and at any time when you are overwhelmed by the feeling that you or everything around you is falling apart or broken.
 
Encourage yourself with expansive Heart Openers
Rediscover your strength in powerful Warrior poses
Regain your equilibrium in Balance poses
Get back in the flow with Sun Salutations
Embolden yourself with Inversions and Arm Balances
And deepen your connection with the Earth and let it support, nourish and replenish you, while you rest in Child or Savasana.
 
And one last thing, although the mat is a wonderful place to practice Yoga, the place where it serves us most and consequently also others, is off the mat, wherever we may be and in everything we do, think and feel.
 
I wish us all well-being, I wish us all the courage, ease and stability to maintain our balance and I wish that we shall all emerge from our enclosed and isolated places to gather and rejoice in a much brighter, more harmonious and peaceful world.
 
                                                  Namaste, Anji
                        

While trundling along on a tram in Vienna today, on my way to teach a class,
I suddenly recalled very clearly one of the first yoga classes that I ever took. 
That was in England, way back when in the 80s, when the word yoga generally evoked an image of an emaciated lungi-clad indian man, sitting in lotus pose somewhere atop the Himalayas.

So a time when yoga was still a little less popular than it is today!

The class took place in a rather dingy and draughty church hall with lino floors and unattractive neon strip lighting overhead.
Remember this was the days before yoga studios with natural (sustainable) wood floors, brightly coloured painted walls and gentle subdued lighting.
The room was empty except for a stack of metal folding tables and chairs in one of the corners. More about those later.

I arrived about ten minutes before the class was due to begin and found a tiny toilet where I changed out of my street clothes and into a baggy t-shirt and a pair of baggy sweatpants. I put my shoes on again, as the floor was none too clean and made my way back to the hall. The teacher and the rest of the class, all five of them, were already assembled and were busy spreading their towels out on the lino floor. 
Yes, I did mean towels! Although yoga mats probably did exist at that time, they were by no means considered necessary for doing yoga and even a towel was not required but seemed like a good idea to avoid having to sit and lie down on a dirty floor.

As for yoga blocks and matching blankets and straps – well, I don’t think I saw any of those until about ten years later when I moved to New York City and things in the world of yoga had begun to change quite dramatically.

But back to the distant past and to the church hall, where the class was about to begin. We all lowered ourselves onto our towels and carefully folded our legs into a cross-legged seat. And then for the next one and a half hours we completely forgot our somewhat unpleasant surroundings, as we bent and stretched and curled and arched and with the aid of the aforementioned folding chairs came into several supported inversions.

There was no music to accompany our movements, unless you can consider the roar of the traffic outside the open windows or the occasional clanging of the church bells to be music – and there was no sweet smelling incence burning at an altar adorned with statues of buddhas or hindu deities, nor were there any candles burning.

No, this was yoga in the rough, so to speak. Just the bare essentials: an experienced and inspiring teacher (who went to India once a year to study with B.K.S Iyengar) and a small group of baggily attired people intent on following her instructions and coaxing their tense and tired bodies to a place of greater ease and release of tension.

At the end of the class we sat quietly as our teacher intoned three sounds of om – it never occurred to us to join in – we even found it a bit strange – but strange in a rather pleasant way – the way the sound hovered gently in the air and reverberated deep in our chests.

And then it was over – and feeling taller and more relaxed, we gathered up our towels, folded them neatly and bidding each other a good night – went our separate ways – until we met again the following week.

We didn’t linger, leafing through the latest yoga book or rifling through the latest yoga gear hanging on rails – and we didn’t sip a chai tea or have a healthy snack – because remember, this was the time before yoga studios, before yoga socializing, before yoga props, before yoga gear – in those days we just came to practice yoga together and then we went home.

Do you frequently suffer from the White Rabbit Syndrome? Muttering “I’m late, I’m late,” as you dash madly through your life, feeling hopelessly overwhelmed by it all. No matter how organized you are and despite the countless lists of things to do, which you carefully compile at the beginning of every week, you feel that there is always so much left undone and that the world is moving too rapidly and that you simply can’t keep up.

Well, the bad new is that this condition is one common to us all and the inevitable consequence is that all of us succumb to stress-related problems sooner or later.

Stress, the most significant cause of a whole range of ailments from headaches, depression, digestive problems, to high blood pressure and even heart attacks.

But despair not! For help is at hand. Although, not quite a miracle cure, Yoga has been clinically proven to relieve stress and to prevent it from accumulating. A regular practice of Yoga promotes not only a sense of emotional well-being, it also boosts energy levels, builds physical strength and rejuvenates the entire body.

And if you thought that Yoga is all about sitting cross-legged on a mountain top in India, while strange sounds issue through your beatifically smiling lips, then please think again! For Yoga comes in many shapes and sizes - just like we do - and consequently there is something to suit everyone. And you don’t have to head to the Himalayas in order to find it! You can find it much closer to home.

Whereas other exercise fads tend to come and go, Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years and is now becoming more popular than ever and no matter which method or style you choose, you will quickly experience the amazing physical and emotional benefits.

Unlike many other forms of body movement, Yoga does not claim to make you look better – you will, however, feel so much better and with time you may also notice some physical changes in your body. You will feel less tension as your body regains flexibililty in the joints and strength and length in the muscles. As you discover how to breath more deeply and fully, you will experience increased levels of energy and a calmer mind.

And a word of advice – shop around!! If you are not entirely happy or comfortable with your first Yoga class – try another one.  Yoga practice is a very personal thing and we all have our preferences. There is so much on offer these days and although this greatly broadens your choice, it does mean that it may take you a little longer to find exactly what you’re looking for!