Good morning. What an up and down week it’s been. Remember that graphic I shared a couple of weeks ago? I am really living this right now.

THE EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER OF CORONAVIRUS

(Graphic is from @now.or.noodles on Instagram and drawn by Hannah Reeves.)

One of the most unsettling things about all of this is the emotional roller coaster that comes with it. Some days are like…

I’ve got this. 
I love everyone.
I needed to slow down. 
I appreciate this change of pace.
This time with Finn is invaluable.  
Everything is going to be okay.
I’m so grateful. (Which I truly am, for so many things…I do recognize how much privilege that I have in all of this.)

Other days are like…

This is so surreal.
Did I really just wear a mask to the grocery store and feel scared to be there? 
This is a financial disaster. 
I am lonely.
How can I get work done without childcare? 
Will this ever end? 
When will I see my family again? 

POSITIVE WAYS TO DEAL

While I have been practicing a lot of yoga, walking and working out, I have been avoiding my meditation practice. So after a particularly blah end to last night, this morning I made my coffee, sat down on my yoga mat and spent time meditating and deep breathing. Unsurprisingly, it was not my easiest meditation practice. It always takes some consistency to settle back into it and for my mind to surrender but it felt like exactly what I needed to be doing. I’m looking forward to welcoming it back into my daily routine. <3

I love and highly recommend the Insight Timer app if you are interested in meditation. It is FREE and includes over 40,000 guided meditations. I oftentimes just use the meditation timer and sit quietly but I also love the guided meditations that Insight Timer offers. Some of my favorite teachers on the app are Sarah Blondin, davidji and Tara Brach (I also LOVE her talks and podcast – the recent sheltering in love series is so good).

I also wanted to share a link to this New York Times piece with Jack Kornfield about how to cope in scary times. A friend sent it to me and I want to pass it to you. <3

SELF-STUDY, JOURNALING + LEARNING

I want to dive into some yoga books that have been on my radar to ready/study and I’d like to do some journaling. My therapist is forever encouraging me around journaling and I am forever avoiding it. I’m not sure why because it’s something that I did a ton of when I was growing up, through my teen years and into college but I have mostly abandoned it in adulthood. This is going to sound silly but Jessica Simpson’s memoir really inspired me to get back to journaling. She talks a LOT about journaling and all of the notebooks that she’s filled up throughout the course of the book and shares insights on what she’s learned from the practice.

Lastly, Yoga Alliance is temporarily allowing online/virtual teacher trainings while studios are closed so I have registered for a couple of online modules for my 300-hour at Asheville Yoga Center. I am really looking forward to the one that I am doing next weekend, The Moon Path: The Sacred Teachings of Yoga for Women with Sierra Hollister. While I will miss being there in person, I cannot wait to dive into this topic.

Here’s the workshop description:

Sierra has studied the ancient practices of Kundalini Yoga, with a special focus on the teachings for Lunar Beings – women. These teachings are thousands of years old and are first mentioned in the Upanishads. Sierra’s teacher was instrumental in introducing Sierra to this wealth of knowledge as he was incredibly inspired by the strength and grace of women and believed that elevation of the status of women, worldwide, was a key step to peace and harmony on Earth. This training is offered exclusively to women students.

Woman is Shakti, the embodiment of the creative power of the universe. This power has been worshipped for centuries in the form of various goddesses. Every woman has that divine goddess power in her own being, waiting to be recognized. Woman is a mystery to many, but should never be a mystery to herself. Join us on the Moon Path to explore these ancient and sacred teachings together.

KINDNESS + DOING FOR OTHERS

Those of you who follow along on Facebook and/or Instagram have already seen this but on Monday night Dorie and her family snuck over to my house and chalked my driveway. When I went to wheel my trash to the curb on Tuesday morning, this is what I found. I stood at the bottom of my driveway next to my trash can crying. It’s so beautiful and lifts my spirits every time I see it. I am praying for no rain for a while, haha. 🙂

I issued a challenge on social media to do something kind or in service to others. Here are some of the responses that have rolled in so far:

• I’ve been baking your paleo banana bread and leaving it on the porches of family and friends
• My kids and I have been doing walk and chalks around our neighborhood with special pit stops at friends and teachers houses. We feel good doing it and the receiver does too!
• I sent flowers to my bet friend from nursing school this year.
• You just inspired me to Venmo a friend who’s a NICU nurse so she can buy coffee and a sweet treat.
• I’ve been sending cards, it’s kinda fun like pen pals. Also, I have tried to recognize the health care workers in my life with small gifts.
• Venmoed my hairstylist a virtual tip.
• I’m in the midst of a project where I bless my friends and family (and frontline workers) with products from small businesses that are struggling right now!

I am signing off to prep for my 10:30a virtual yoga class for Charlotte Yoga. Don’t forget that you can practice with me on my on-demand platform. There are eight classes available and I’ll have another uploaded today!

QUESTIONS

What are some of your positive ways to deal right now? 

Do you meditate? Journal? 

I would love to hear about acts of kindness/service that you have done for others recently.