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Our 2020 story..

covid home school pandemic spiritual path Aug 03, 2021

As the Covid Pandemic turned the entire world on its head last year, I was called to step way out of my comfort zone and offer something online. The idea of teaching through a screen absolutely terrified me.

I was feeling called to be of deep service to the particular challenges brought by the restrictions, lockdowns, and global transformation. My own Spiritual path has challenged me to ground into dark spaces, and find comfort within discomfort...to allow space for deep & often painful transformation. I had the feeling I had something that might be of service to offer.

I have been a dedicated & devoted student of Yoga for more than 20 years, and I knew that pranayama (breath & energy practice) was something that would deeply benefit all people.

These practices work to strengthen lungs and immunity, decrease overwhelm & anxiety, and instantly boost mood & energy levels. What I love most about pranayama is it can be done by everyone, everywhere. You don’t need any fancy equipment or clothes, you don’t need to touch your toes or stand on your head, and you don’t need to fit a certain body type.

To make this practice even more accessible & inclusive we started to offer the foundations course as ‘pay what you choose,’ starting from completely free. And just like that, I got out of my own way & was sharing pranayama live on zoom every morning, and quickly understood that the sense of community & connection we were able to cultivate online was profound, and deeply supportive during all the various restrictions and isolation from community. Online wasn't just ok - it was amazing!

I’ve always been a bit afraid of tech, and never could have done it alone…I happened to be in lockdown with Dingo, who manages to seamlessly do everything from sound production to complicated web graphics & programming without blinking. Together we were able to create something that was not only meaningful & helpful, but also technically very smooth. Pretty soon we had created 3 breath courses (from Foundations to Dynamic), and, as so many of our breathing community wanted to learn how to teach these practices, it wasn't long before I was writing the manual for a Teacher Training immersion - Breath of the Heart. The focus of the immersion is, of course, how to share Pranayama with authenticity & integrity. However it is extremely important to me that the course holds a solid foundation of History & Philosophy, as well as deep focus on Social Justice and Trauma Informed approaches…so before I knew it I had created a 100 hour continuing education course for Yoga teachers & practitioners, and we were delivering it before I had a moment to talk myself out of it!

And so we spent 2020 waking up at 4am, in order to get a little moment of self practice, before setting up the zoom for our growing International community to join at 6am. There was always something to prepare or share for the 100 hour, and somehow we were homeschooling our kids all day too. It was busy, it was big. I loved every moment. I never could have imagined that so much incredible connection & community was possible via the screen. Exhale!

If you'd told me a few years ago I would be teaching online, I would have laughed...but now I am deeply committed; I will continue to share these practices in an inclusive & accessible way.

I’m getting more comfortable with a (messy) leadership role too - exploring how we might continue to practice and teach Yoga with integrity and authenticity, as well as respecting its source and bringing reverence to the practice as a Spiritual path of service, not just a form of gymnastic exercise (as most studios would have us think).

For now, I’ll keep focussing on continuing education for Yoga teachers & practitioners - especially my 100 hour/10 week immersion Breath of the Heart, which aims to initiate participants into a truer understanding of Yoga, grounded in self enquiry, integrity & service.

As these breath offerings ripple out into the world we are committed to creating a platform (BOTH Yoga) that can continue to expand via the vast & wonderful experience that exists within our community. In the next months we will see the Discover (foundations) course delivered in different time zones & languages, as well as specialised breathing courses for pregnancy and optimal sleep…and that’s just the beginning.

As we build this platform, it’s really important to me that we communicate clearly what it’s all in service to. Of course, helping everyone in the world to get more out of every breath is a good aim, but it doesn’t mean much if we don’t have oxygen to breathe. BOTH Yoga is committed to protecting forests and planting trees. An ever increasing percentage of profit is being donated, and when I'm not working I am committed to activism and getting my hands dirty, I am obsessed with planting trees!

The bottom line is reciprocity - we can’t breathe without the forests, they are the lungs of the Earth. And, the forests urgently need our help. Each conscious breath is a reminder.

xUma 

ps - this photo is from my recent trip to Tasmania where I was supporting the Bob Brown Foundation with frontline activism to save the Takayna/Tarkine old growth rainforest from a toxic tailings dam being built. Please support this by clicking the above link and adding your voice.