With the start of the Covid-19 lockdown mid March, I could perceive a clear relief at the level of my nervous system. It was a response to changes that came with the lockdown.
It was less noisy in the streets and public transport had reduced its frequency. It sometimes was even quiet outside. When you live in the middle of a city like we do, you recognize the difference.
The pace of daily life had slowed down. Less stimulation, less opportunities for entertainment and distraction. Daily life had turned into a much simpler version. The simplicity of it amplified what really was important and nourishing. It amplified for me what really counts.
I finally gained access to a space that I’d been longing for being in for quite some years. I’m talking about a space of better balance between my working hours and leisure time. A space where I could easily make choices as I didn’t experience the usual pressure (that I most often put upon myself), neither from the out-, nor from the inside. Part of this was the decision to quit working on Sundays.
It all did me good. The word ‘me’ refers to ‘my different bodies’ and how they express themselves.
My physical body showed clearer signs of healing, my emotional body entered into a state of equilibrium and my soulful being sensed a time & space gap to bridge. I’d known for some time that change was about to come and where I was heading. It all made sense as I felt more than ever in harmony with my ‘bodies’.
It worked wonders in my private life.
During those weeks I started worrying and dedicated active thinking to how I would continue living after the lockdown.
It is mid-July now and the most serious restrictions that came with the lockdown have been over for a couple of weeks.
We could have moved our group classes back to the Yogashala since July 1st and quit teaching online only. We didn’t, but instead took the freedom to extend teaching online only til the end of August. It is a great solution to bridge the holiday season.
I traveled last week to visit my family in Berlin and it was okay to do so.
I can easily see friends and enjoy interacting with them in person again.
Unfortunately, quiet and slow have gradually been exchanged for noisy and fast paced again. Traffic has been increasing, public transport returned to its usual timetable, street life has been increasing as the Summer brings warm temperatures and long days. Some people had to give up their home office and are back to commuting to work.
I still focus on simple and accessible as this is what I can influence by my daily behavior and the decisions I make. It actually turned out to be a way to make my dreams come true!
For quite some time I’d planned to cut down the number of group classes I’d been teaching for 15 years. With the lockdown we moved our group classes online and reduced them by 50%.
I had visualized to substitute more of the group classes with private classes. Simply because it suits me, I’m good at it, I love working in a private setting and it often turns into a win-win situation. Even though I lost half of my clients with the start of the lockdown, I’ve been back to a full weekly teaching schedule for a couple of weeks now. I am observing changes in my work with the clients who had stayed. New clients bring new energy with more specific and well-thought of requests into the sessions, ready to invest in their well-being, emotional and physical quest, inner peace and healing.
I explained to one of my oldest clients a couple of weeks ago that when someone reaches out for my support, it is an opportunity for me to heal as well, bit by bit and with gratefulness in my heart. In my work, one-on-one work is always an exchange and we learn from and heal each other. We are each other’s mirror. At least that’s how I perceive the gifts that life has provided me with, the gifts that everybody got and can develop to express in action.
I invite, give and receive. I speak and I listen simultaneously, verbally and by being present and aware. I am holding the other person by simultaneously showing them how to spread their wings and fly.
I remind myself every day of the dimensions of life that go far beyond our imagination and ability to grasp. These reminders keep me sharp in my intention of living out-of-the-box and only framing the parts of life that are easier to integrate when being framed. I learned a lot of what I just described from inspiring people and during challenging years.
Do you feel like having a look at your life with a magnifying glass and look for the adjustments that could transform your life into a smoother, more spacious and far more enjoyable version? It would be my pleasure to offer you my assistance, guidance and the possibility to construct, together with you, the framework needed, or break down the one that withholds you from change.
One of my best friends, being 72 years old, keeps telling me that I’m doing a great job by making people a bit happier. Hell yes, this is my intention! Keeping it simple and accessible is a great stepping stone for my mission.