My favourite part of yoga is the coming together of people of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, ages, and interests to breathe, move, and share the same experience. The community is why I return every day as a teacher and as a student. When I first heard about the government orders to stay at home, my biggest concern was the impact of isolation on health. We are social beings and we need to be around other people. Dozens of studies show that spending quality time with family, friends, and community is the secret to a happier, healthier, and longer life.
Community is about union and connection. A yoga community allows you to feel comfortable. It allows you to feel like you can be yourself, instead of just attending another yoga class. A community helps you grow, not only as a yogi, but also as a person. A community motivates you and allows you to build connections – to learn from each other, to share your struggles and your successes.
So how do we build community when we can’t be physically together? Yoga is adapting to this by creating communities in different ways. We’re using facebook live, YouTube, Instagram, and live-streamed classes on zoom. There are lot of different options out there for collaborating, for gathering virtually, and for trying to gain that community that we’re all craving without actually being physically together.
I encourage you to join an online public class, either by yourself or with a group of friends. Come and build the kind of yoga community you want to be part of. At Slowpoke Yoga we welcome everyone, whether you are new or a seasoned yogi, to join and share your practice with us.
Until we see each other again (online or in-person),
Namaste
Xoxo Christina
