Covid: the secret yoga teacher we’ve been looking for?

Eye gazing workshop from Costa Rica YTT @soulschoolyoga.com

Let’s face it, the last few years have been rough but that isn’t saying some great things didn’t come from it all.

We lowered our co2 emmisions with less air travel.

We spent more time with loved ones.

We got to work from home and experience what all the hype was about…( yeah it’s okay for like a week and then you start to miss human interaction, like the sweet joy that comes from shaking a well moisturized hand)

But eventually bio-evolution and that one hierarchy need kicked in - the need for community and connection.

Yoga has taught me so many things, but one thing the pandemic taught me about yoga is this :

All of life is one giant yoga practice.

Pretending we are one person in our business life and another in our personal life is a facade. We really only have one hat to wear and that hat is constructed by the values we hold and the integrity we carry. Covid showed me who people were when left to their own devices, and its turns out you either swing one way or the other. I saw people jump deep into health and wellness while other used it as an excuse to do what they really wanted to do. Either way it showed what people truly valued and desired.

Iman, meditation student, meditating at the Costa Rica yoga teacher training.

Having a mindfulness practices is cute when life is sweet and simple, but it is a highly valuable tool to have in your pocket when shit hits the fan and you’re sentenced to not leave your house for 2.5 years.

Being able to call on the skills and practices I have cultivated over the last decade showed me that I was practicing so that when I needed them they were well sharpened and ready to be used. Instead of struggling to develop these skill during the pandemic. Although I do know that this gave people a reason to tap more not their spiritual essence.

Spirituality may just be the one thing we are missing out on as a culture in North America.

There is no doubt that the culture in North America is missing that zest, the umph that makes day to day life feel enriched and satisfying. We have made life convenient and accessible but with that we have lost the space for community, exploration and that juice that holds it all together- a common belief system that there is something much greater then the human existence, something beyond our awareness that can only be accessed through mindfulness practices. So we travel to far off lands like Costa Rica and Bali and be reminded of this energy and experience it, even if it is just for a moment.

Its way easier than you think.

You don’t have to escape to another country to feel that energy. There are amazing communities all over toronto such as Oblong Yoga House. They offer weekend retreats, yoga classes, breath work, sound healing, moon circles. They open their doors to all and any to come and have a taste of the spiritual community while keeping the vibes down to earth and approachable.

This boho soho house may just be what you’ve been searching for.