We are less than 2 months to the end of yet another year in the shadow of Covid-19, but life finally feels like we are getting back to some kind of normal, and it's awesome to see everyone head off to vacations, staycations, festivities and gatherings, that make us feel like ourselves once again. Hopefully we will not be living under the shadow of the virus by this time next year, and we will be able to look back on this time with some amount of amusement and sentimentality of all that we had to go through in these strange 2-3 years of our lives.
For those who have found these years to be challenging, and who struggled to find some kind of sanity, routine and balance in unpredictable times, there is finally, the opportunity for reprieve, for regulation and for the beginning of the process of healing. We give a lot of attention to managing the practical aspect of life in the pandemic, but we tend to not give much attention (or support to those who need it) in relation to the emotional trauma of living through the pandemic. For many, the loss of predictable income and schedule, disruption of life plans, personal budget and being apart from loved ones and significant others for the extended duration of 3 years is more than one can bear. This community has been a safe space and I hope that the way that I have created and curated this space will set a precedent for those who have benefitted from it, to create similar safe spaces within their own communities.
The last 2 years have taught me to live with the need to be ready to pivot at the drop of a hat, and to know that I am able to, rather than to fixate on what used to be - the pre-pandemic life that is now a thing of the past that we no longer can return to. We have all changed somewhat, in the course of the last 3 years, whether we realise it or not, and while it is part of our life story and who we now are. There are families in our community who have gone through repeated 2 week quarantine orders and multiple rounds of isolation, even being removed from their safe home environment. There are some of us who have been living with being unwell for extended periods of time, or who have had to be the caregiver to someone who the virus has had an adverse effect on. Even more so, there are some of us who have had loved ones who never recovered from the virus and who are in the process of grieving and self-healing. Who knew that this thing we vaguely heard about in the news would affect every single aspect of our lives for such a long time, and continues to linger in our consciousness and daily life choices.
Regardless of where we now stand, know that you have done your best to do all that you could have done. No guilt, no regrets, no blame. Life goes on. We will go on.
These days I think of myself less as a yoga or pilates teacher, and more of a movement educator, supporting the community who comes in to seek clarity and guidance in how they inhabit their bodies. The modality of choice is but an interface, and at the end of the day, its less about whether its yoga or pilates, and more about what makes sense to us, that we find a connection with, and within us.
And now that safe distancing restrictions are far less than what we had at the beginning of the year, we have welcomed several new people into our space. There will always be flux and shift, and I am always careful to curate and regulate the people who are coming here so that the community remains a safe space, and those who have made their movement practices their priority will always be the priority when it comes to booking into sessions and workshops. Now that schedules are changing, the session schedule is also changing to grow with the community and will continue to evolve alongside the needs of the community. You will also see new programmes emerge now that it is easier to predictably plan ahead without the need to anticipate potential lock-downs and increased safe distancing measures. Lots to be excited about for 2023 now that things are way less hovering over our heads.
Have a lovely year-end and do all the things that spark joy, especially if its something that you haven't been able to do for a while. Life is to be enjoyed, not endured!
Thank you for being a part of this beautiful, magnetic and glowing community always!
Amanda