It's time to adjust the sails, folks. I know it's sad that our world doesn't look like it did a year ago. I know that our jobs are different, running errands is different and socializing is much different. I know that our kids and grand kids aren't doing school/extracurriculars/sports exactly like they did a year ago. We can be sad about that, but then we need to let go of "normal."
Aparigraha
The studio where I did my yoga training (Yoga Source in Richmond, VA) spent the last two weeks on Facebook relating the Yamas to the Covid-19 pandemic. I want to expand upon that idea here.
First, the Yamas are the first limb of the eight limbs of yoga (asana or the physical practice doesn't come in until the third limb). Yamas are focused on our own behavior and provide a backdrop for ethics and integrity.
Aparigraha is the fifth of the five Yamas. Aparigraha translates to non greediness or non hoarding. I love to use this idea as an intention during my classes. I will usually phrase it as "letting go."
So, that's my yogic advice to you right now, take it or leave it. Let go of what you are holding on to as "normal." Let go of what you think the world "should" look like - of what school should look like or what sports should look like or even what your trip to the grocery store should look like. Let go of expectations. Your kid's senior year is not going to look "normal." That doesn't mean they can't have a great year. It will certainly be a memorable year!
Remember, there is a difference between non attachment and apathy. We can let go, release what we are holding on to, and still care, still want the best. But "the best" will look different now. We are doing our best during a global pandemic.
Try to practice Aparigraha in small ways first. Are you holding on to your "idea" of something? Are you fantasizing about what might happen? We aren't fortune tellers; we can't predict the future. Let go of "what might have been" and embrace what is here, right now.
