It’s Sunday, 5th April, it’s a beautiful day. I am sitting at the back of my garden in the vegetable patch. Apart from the shouting noises of my girls, Sunshine, the cockerel, making noises and trying to disturb my writing, somebody in the distance doing the gardening or some building work, there is no other noises. Just birds, the shuffling of the leaves in the wind and the sound of my keyboard. No planes, no cars. Although, usually quieter on Sundays, ordinarily you would still hear the planes and the cars in the distance.

It’s strange times. We are in the middle of the lock-down, the invisible virus is terrorising people, medical, social and economic system. The system that has been in place for years and decades (and perhaps parts of it for much longer than that) is falling apart. It is the system that cannot cope, it is the system that is not prepared for invisible dangers. It is the system that works on precedents and and experience. And the only thing that seem to work to protect this unprepared system seem to be social distancing, somewhere complete lockdowns.

We are lucky to live in a village, to have a large enough garden to grow vegetables in, to have a few chickens and make pancakes for lunch. Some people live in apartments and flats with no garden, some people are truly struggling. My parents for example, live in a flat with no garden. They are over 65 and falling into the ‘high risk’ category, so they aren’t allowed to leave the house at all. My parents-in-law also fall into the ‘high risk category’ and aren’t allowed to leave the house. My husband isn’t allowed to visit them because of the risk passing the infection. Although he is feeling fine, the fact that some healthy people can be carriers showing no symptoms of the disease is terrifying. He baked some bread yesterday and I made some food for them today. He will later take this parcel them and deliver to the door; probably leaving it on their doorstep. Maybe he will talk to them whilst making sure to keep 2 meters distance. It’s all very surreal, but this is the world we live in right now.

And in spite all of this, the lock-down isn’t coming so difficult to us, we live in a pretty remote village. Although, we have definitely felt the economic impact. My husband is able to work from home at the same whilst homeschooling. Some of my classes have moved online (it was an extra expense to get it all set up) and I am now responsible for my children’s schooling as well as cooking all the meals for the whole family. I’ve lost all face-to-face classes and private clients, and the online store isn’t doing so well (people aren’t concerned about shopping for fitness clothing any more, they’ll wear anything and at home and switch the ‘video’ off).

All my workshops (8 in total) were cancelled or postponed for some time, when face-to-face teaching becomes possible. My secure monthly income which I worked for years, has suddenly disappeared (and yet the bills are still here)! I am not charging a fortune for online classes, because the whole country is in the same boat. I know I have to fight for my own family, but I also feel very lucky that I am healthy and have a healthy family and that we are all together.

I feel happy and perfectly calm – in my green dress and wellies having accepted the challenge to wear frocks out of my wardrobe, ones which I haven’t worn for a long time (and so far wearing the ones that don’t need ironing and are still as practical as they can get). I feel blessed that I am able to help others. To run online classes as an offering to keep the business open and help people get to terms with all of this. With everyone in the same boat, the Noah’s Ark is just floating, yet, I am not sure when, how and where it will dock.

The impact of the disease and the lock down will be felt for years, if not decades! Not just because of sheer loss of life, which is growing worldwide by seconds, but because of economic loss, the immense stress on medical staff as well as other key workers, huge stress on ordinary families and homes. So many children that are now having to be home schooled are under a huge pressure. My daughter burst into tears the other day because she was so behind the school work! Stuff the school work! It’s important that we are here and that we are together, and we will fight this disease together!

People’s mental health will be affected to a great extent. And I hope I won’t be one of them.

I still consider myself lucky to be a yoga teacher. To have this knowledge to enable me to deal with all of this. To have this garden to come out and write. To have a home studio (for which I am still paying the loan), to sit in and meditate, to chant, to organise online classes and receive positive feedback for making changes in lives of my students. And to have my family with me, to love and cherish, to respect one another (a little bit more work is needed there with the girls, but I can tolerate this :-)). It is extremely important to be relaxed and grounded throughout all of this. It means a hell of a lot!

And if you say you have no time, believe me you do! You can find and you can create time. At least right now, you can! We will beat this disease, but we all need to make an effort and work together. If we don’t make that effort now, we never will.

Peace, love, light, and health to you all!

Namaste!