Yoga in the time of Covid-19

(with apologies to Gabriel Garcia Márquez)


How many times did you wash your hands today? Have you stood on line yet just to get IN to Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s? I’m trying to stay calm but I suppose I’m doing my share of extra shopping (not hoarding, though!) and being extra careful (doing a Look-Ma-No-Hands routine on the subway and wiping my cell phone down with disinfectant wipes). With most of my classes and other obligations cancelled, and concerts and other events I had expected to attend postponed, I’m looking forward, as most of you probably are, too, to at least a month of relative isolation and waiting. But despite social distancing, you don’t have to give up on yoga…yoga helps to lift our spirits, calm our nerves, and even strengthen our immune system.  I’d like to offer a practice here that you can do on your own, even while you’re sitting in front of the TV watching CNN (or your purveyor of hysteria of choice), to help you focus and become more calm and relaxed.