I put together three short videos with three different kinds of breath that I learned through my yoga practice. I find these immensely helpful and I hope they will help some of you out too. Think of them as tools in your tool box. You can add them to your list of things you can do for yourself when you need to calm down, energize or release tension.
For me, the shift into the school year has been jarring. I think it’s the sudden expectation that I get into some kind of routine along with the idea that as a teacher I’m in a leadership role, trying to model for my students calm/collected when I feel totally out of control and frantic. We are no longer in the emergency mode of pandemic lockdown that we experienced in March/April/May but we are still feeling the effects of the pandemic in every aspect of our lives. Trying to go back to school amidst it all and trying to give our children and our students a sense of safety and “normalcy” seems an impossible task… and it is!!
This all reminds me of my experience as a new mom. There was the “lockdown” of the first few months of parenthood where my husband and I were supported by family and friends but there were zero expectations that I would put on pants let alone return to work or show up somewhere at a certain time. However, month 3 and then month 4 came and with that the expectation that I could start back to teaching, performing and socializing. By month 4 you have it figured out right? Ha! I found that season of new parenting + pants + schedule much more challenging than the initial newborn arrival.
How do we navigate this pressure to have it all together as we shift from our initial pandemic lockdown mode and back into work and school life? My strategy has been to remind myself that any expectation of normal should be laughed out of the room. Under these circumstances, feeling overwhelmed and anxious is much more normal. With that in mind, it’s still imperative that we find the energy to care for those depending on us. My son and my students don’t need me to be perfect with home cooked healthy meals or brand new shiny lesson plans, but I can be warm and loving and I can find joyful moments of music making even when I’m stressed. In fact, finding those moments will help me keep the stress at bay. To access those moments, first I need to keep up my attitude of gratitude (being around kids helps a lot!) and I also need to be attentive to what my body and mind needs. I recommend making a list of things that calm you, things that give you energy, things that help you focus and use those as “medicine” as those needs appear.