Namaste,
I'm Amber Love.
Let me welcome you to this talk as a yoga teacher and not a doctor.
If you show signs of a cold,
Immediately go seek your doctor for testing.
This is mainly about the coronavirus epidemic that we are experiencing,
But you'll find that it can be applicable to all sorts of situations.
What we in the yoga community do to alleviate the panic,
Fear,
Anxiety,
And depression of this global epidemic could be found in Saocha.
First of all,
You may have noticed a lot of public spaces like schools and libraries are having to close.
Independent yoga teachers often teach in diverse places like churches,
Libraries,
Schools,
And even rec centers.
We're not always in pristine yoga studios with aromatherapy diffusing and ambient music.
You might hear all kinds of disturbances when you practice in non-studio spaces.
What you may not know is that a lot of the teachers are paid per student,
Meaning if there's no class,
They have no income.
That doesn't mean at all that places should be staying open to cater to the needs of our yoga income.
Yoga is a mere drop in the bucket of industries affected.
Restaurants,
Art galleries,
And even comic book conventions are closing and postponing their events.
This first point I'm trying to make is that you are not alone,
Though you may begin to feel isolated during these times.
Secondly,
If you are able to get to the store for cleaning and hygiene products,
Food,
And medicine,
Please do not hoard those items.
That 100 count of face masks you bought probably won't do you any good anyway.
Items like those face masks are for people who have the symptoms and are positive for coronavirus to prevent them from spreading it and not as a way for healthy people to keep from getting it.
Hoarding means there is less for others.
It's classist,
Which often means it's also ableist,
Racist,
Or some other bigotry because people are only thinking of themselves and not of humankind.
In yoga,
We have the Jewel of Saatcha,
Which means purification,
Purity,
Or cleanliness.
This can be broadly applied or quite literal.
As Deborah Adele says in Yamas and Niyamas,
Saatcha invites us to purify our bodies,
Our thoughts,
And our words.
Those are things I invite you to consider when you sense this virus panic taking over.
Are your thoughts so selfish you think you're the only one who is entitled to buy a 24-pack case of hand sanitizer?
We must include purification of our toxic thoughts in the practice of Saatcha if we are going to get through this pandemic together and come out the other side.
Another one of the options is to purify the tongue.
Spend one day,
Even just one day,
Speaking no untruth,
Speaking no harm,
Spreading no unverified information or hoaxes.
We know the data will change every day that more and more people of more diverse populations are allowed to be tested.
Purity of your words can save you the energy of anger and rash decisions or lashing out.
Allow the purity of words to gently guide you to one part of the loving kindness or metta bhavana ritual.
May you be healthy.
May you be at ease.
Think of those people out there,
Your neighbors,
People around your state or your country or the world,
And send those wishes to them even if you dislike them.
May you be at ease.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
That anger will otherwise weigh you down and cause physical symptoms to appear in you like tight muscles in your back or chest pains,
Throbbing veins in your head,
Not to mention what your anger does to people around you.
Find the purity in your relationship,
Starting with those farthest in your orbit.
Can you wish people around the world peace and ease from suffering?
Bring that orbit closer.
Can you wish people in your region or city peace and ease from suffering?
Can you find your orbit surrounding your business or small town community and offer good thoughts of compassion to them to have peace and ease of suffering?
Can you find it in yourself to find peace and ease of suffering?
As you practice loving kindness,
You may notice that mental clarity finds its way to the surface of the prefrontal cortex.
You can think logically again without the unthoughtful reactions of panic,
Rage,
And fear.
You can figure out that you may only really need one bottle of rubbing alcohol and your normal weekly supply of toilet paper.
If you have been hoarding,
I implore you to please consider donating to a local food bank or program for the homeless.
You don't need enough for an army.
You need only enough for your household.
Deborah Adell says,
Whatever term we use,
Purity asks that all of us be in one place at one time.
And that means that our head and heart are unified.
Our thoughts,
Actions,
And speech are congruent,
And we are in the present moment.
You are allowed to feel the panic sensations in your body.
You are allowed to process them in safe and healthy ways.
When people say don't panic,
It's shorthand for the much longer sentiment of hold on,
Slow down,
Allow yourself to find the way to think with clarity,
And then take steps to resolve your issue.
Don't panic is the first thing we learn in CPR and first aid training.
Someone has to keep their head together and be able to calm the crowd,
Assign people to carry out supportive tasks,
And then take the lead to address the person in crisis.
This is that time.
You may not have medic training,
But you have the ability to apply this technique.
Slow down.
Find your way to clarity.
Organize your thoughts into a productive set of tasks.
Assign help as needed.
I'll end with a quote from Mark Nepo.
A wholehearted society tries to honor and join the seemingly separate citizens that live within it.
Wholehearted integrity is inclusive,
A matter of welcome and congruence.
So let's seal our time together with some loving kindness.
First we focus on ourselves.
May I be happy.
May I be free from suffering.
May I be open in my heart to compassion.
May I be filled with loving kindness.
And then we think of someone we care about.
May you be happy.
May you be free from suffering.
May your heart be open to compassion.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
And then we think about a neutral person,
Maybe a neighbor or someone you see at the store.
May you be happy.
May you be free from suffering.
May your heart be open to compassion.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
And then we think of someone with whom we may have a conflict.
May you be happy.
May you be free from suffering.
May your heart be open to compassion.
May you be filled with loving kindness.
And now let's broaden that wish out as far as possible.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be free from suffering.
May all beings have open hearts for compassion.
May all beings be filled with loving kindness.
I hope this talk has helped you find some peace and ease in a time of crisis.
Blessed Be.
