The corona virus has changed the world and lives of everyone. Suddenly we are all home bound and families spend much more time together. Here in The Netherlands, the schools will partly open again next week, which I am grateful for. We have been so lucky with really sunny beautiful spring weather for most of the intelligent lockdown so far. I would like to share some tips that may help you get through this time a bit better.
Music
‘Music is medicine for the soul.’ I use Spotify to make all my yoga playlists and to discover new songs. You can follow my account: yogalovenz. Since I am not on Facebook, the best way to find me is to type the following in the Spotify Search Box: “spotify:user:username” (Spotify:user:yogalovenz). I made a playlist called Vinyasa Corona. Don’t forget to have a little dance party at home to boost your mood.
Meditation
If you haven’t got a regular meditation practice, now is the perfect time to start. Deepak Chopra and Oprah share regular free 21-day meditation experiences. You can download their app and easily access the meditations on your smartphone. They have recently released the following 21-day meditation: Hope in Uncertain Times. Every meditation lasts about 20 minutes and starts with an introduction from Oprah, followed by Deepak who shares a mantra to silently repeat.
Online Yoga
Although a very different experience from going to a studio, I would encourage you to keep your yoga and/or other movement practices going while in lockdown. I have shared a couple of online classes on YouTube for you to try, they are all in Dutch, sorry for my English speaking friends”: Jacinta Aalsma Of course there are many other classes on YouTube, as well as paid subscriptions for online classes. I can recommend Glo (http://glo.com) and Ekhart Yoga (http://ekhartyoga.com). Why not try something different to not get stuck in a rut? Try a different style of yoga or maybe an online dance class?
Cooking
Now you are more stuck at home, it is a great time to start cooking more at home. If you have little kids at home, they can help you out (and make a big mess). Try new (healthy) recipes and share the results with loved ones or neighbours while keeping distance of course. And in line with cooking start a veggie garden, you don’t need much space, even a balcony can be sufficient or some indoor gardening.
These are my top 4 tips to get through this mentally sane. Above all be compassionate and kind for yourself and the people close around you. This will pass. I try to focus on the positive and beautiful moments, maybe the unexpected advantages that appear. Our kids for example enjoy that their dad is around more often and they go upstairs to show their new Lego work.
Much Love!