Sending you love, support and grace right now
May, 2020
It's been a little while since I've written on here - and oh, how the world has changed in the the months since I was last in touch.
I hope that you are safe and well, and navigating through all this as best as you can. I hope you are being really kind to yourself and giving yourself so much grace right now. We're not all having the same experience but we are in the same storm. Although we've found a new normal, this is definitely not normal. So we simply cannot expect ourselves to function as if it was.
These are strange times, as we all keep saying. For me, I've found the last couple of weeks to be the hardest. I'm trying to stay positive and keep consistent with my daily routines - but it has felt much harder to do so. The weight of not seeing family and friends and everything we have lost is beginning to take its toll.
As much as possible though, I've been trying to maintain a daily practice. When I feel anxious, sad or depressed, my default behaviour is to hide away or numb out with the internet, social media and food. Mindless consumption so I don't have to deal with my feelings and emotions.
I'm not saying those things can't be useful from time to time. But what I know from my own life is that the more I numb out and allow myself to hide away, the more lonely I get. The more anxious I get. And that's worse than anything else. Having a daily routine in place makes sure I am taking care of myself first and foremost. It helps me to keep doing the things that make me feel centred, grounded and balanced.
So, if I could offer one piece of advice to support you right now, it would be this: put in place a daily routine and healthy habits that make you feel safe and well on a day to day basis.
As much as you can - and you will know if this is realistic for you or not, be honest and kind with yourself - wake up at the same time, go to bed at the same time. Eat your meals at the same time. Do the same things in the morning. If you aren't doing it already, now is the time to commit to a daily meditation or yoga or breathwork practice.
And that's where I can help. Here's a few things that I'm offering to support you with this, including some for free:
FREE MEDITATIONS
When we first went into lockdown, I began offering daily meditations. I felt a very strong calling to do something to bring us together as a collective when life suddenly turned upside down, and so went live every morning at 7am for a series of short daily meditations. A huge thank you to everyone who joined me and to those of you who continue to watch back the videos and practice with them.
I took a short pause at the end of April as I needed some space to pause and reflect - but I'm ready to begin offering these again. I will be offering a free meditation on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7am UK.
I'd love it if you would join me live - I'll be streaming on Facebook here and on Instagram here. Do join live if you can - the power of a shared energetic space is not to be underestimated - but if you're not able to, that's ok as the videos will be on my Facebook page and on my IGTV channel to watch back whenever you like.
Here's those links for you again - I recommend liking and following so that you get a notification when I go live:
Facebook page - www.facebook.com/yogabylauren
Instagram profile - @yogabylauren
ONLINE CLASSES VIA ZOOM
I am teaching a small number of Zoom classes through local studios. Sadly, but somewhat inevitably, my teaching schedule has thinned out as the studios do their best to navigate through this very difficult time for brick and mortar businesses.
As much as possible, we need to support our local studios to get them through this challenge - so if you value coming to spaces like The Yoga Factory and Body Bliss where I teach locally, please do consider taking a couple of classes online with them to support - it doesn't even have to be with me!
Here's where you can practice with me online:
Wednesdays, 6pm - 7pm - Vinyasa Flow, through The Yoga Factory
In my online classes, I'm teaching asanas, kriyas and philosophy to help get us through this time - physically, emotionally and spiritually. I'd love to see some of you there online with me - it's not quite the same as real life, but almost ;)
Booking is via the individual studio - once you've booked you'll receive your link to access the online yoga room.
If there is interest, I am open to running one, maybe two of my own Zoom classes to replace the ones which have now had to stop. This would be dependent on interest - if you'd like to practice with me more online, please do drop me an email letting me know what you would most love in times of timing and days of the week.
ZOOM PRIVATE SESSIONS
I am also available for Zoom 1-2-1 classes if you're struggling to make it to a particular class time. These are available for £25 per session. For NHS workers, I have a number of sessions available for free. Please email me to find out more about private sessions.
FREE HOME PRACTICE COURSE
Finally, I'm creating a free resource for you all around building a daily yoga practice. As I said at the beginning of this article, in my opinion, having a daily routine is THE most important thing we can do for ourselves right now. And naturally, I really think yoga and meditation should be a part of that!
What I've learnt over the last seven or so weeks is that getting to a yoga class or two is great - but what happens when the studios close? What happens when we can't physically be with our own teachers? Where do we go from there?
I want to help you find the confidence to begin a home practice - and stick with it. So, I'm creating a free 7-day e-course that will guide you through some of the barriers to practicing at home and give you somewhere to start so that you can receive the support of a consistent daily practice.
I am hoping to have this ready to offer you from next week. It will be totally free. Watch this space.
That's it from me for now. I so miss teaching in person and getting to see you all in real life.
Know that I am sending you all so much, love, support and grace right now.
Take good care of your precious self,