WE’RE NOT IN A BUBBLE. WE’RE IN A CHRYSALIS

Corona is – at least for now – part of the world we inhabit. The way we react to what’s happening during the pandemic will determine not just our own future, but impact those around us. Think of it as a domino effect.

Being anxious is entirely reasonable when we’re faced with a situation beyond our imagining. To pretend otherwise is harmful, and ignores the emotional, psychological, economic, and other effects people are experiencing.

Maybe you handle things one day at a time alone with a depleting crate of wine and a yoga mat, working from home using Zoom. Or you’re locked down with a partner and kids supporting each other the best you can while practicalities mean one or more of you is exposed to hazard regularly. Perhaps you’re doing what you can to support an ailing parent you simply can’t visit right now.

What matters is making the most of our resources to be in a good state, as often as we can, for as long as we can. The better place we’re in on an ongoing basis, the better things will work out. That doesn’t mean ignoring realities – knowing at least some of what’s going on is essential, and triangulate information sources will help you get more of a sense of the different agendas at play. It can be fun, playing sleuth to look into where stories or nuggets of data come from, and help you get a bigger and better picture of what’s going on.

Approaching life in this proactive way puts us at the centre of the situation, rather than being at the mercy of whatever new event pops up. It’s good for mental health, and also invaluable in whatever our spiritual journey is. Teachings in many traditions communicate the importance of finding a point of equilibrium within yourself. Physically, that’s what the hara referred to in aikido in is – the body’s centre of gravity. It’s a couple of finger-widths below your navel. Breathing into and acting from there is a great way to take charge of ourselves.

There are other ways in of course. Meditation, yoga, exercise. All of them put us in a much better position to be the adult in the room: that person able to bring some coherence to what’s happening around us, through adjusting our own state so it has a positive effect on those around us.

Ayurveda is an immensely powerful resource to nurture those skills. Embrace it, and whatever you know from elsewhere, to navigate through the situation we’re in now, to an unimaginably better world the other side, for you and yours, and for all of us.

Take some time to think and feel how that brighter future looks and sounds. Consider different aspects of the lives we lead, as members of the various communities we are part of. As lovers. As children. As parents. As people who can listen and talk, lead and follow, works and play, nurture and be nurtured. Discover what words and images come up, and put them somewhere in the space you live. Use music, scents, mementoes to boost the effect if desired. In doing so we create feedback loops between our desires, our immediate environment, and our state that will amplify our own effectiveness and allow us to inspire others.