Inside Yoga 303 (18/5/2020)

As a slogan, the World War 2 poster campaign “Keep calm and carry on” was an effective message for the population as it fought the Nazi threat, and as we fight the invisible enemy that is Covid-19 we are often reminded of this message, as government and media use the war time metaphors as a way of galvanizing support and effort among the population. Yet, during this period of stress, upheaval, uncertainty and anxiety, it is better said that we need to learn how to reclaim our calmness.

Keeping calm is not a realistic proposition for most of us during the Covid-19 pandemic, because there will always be moments when we feel the opposite of calm, or unsettled, making calmness something we want back. Our emotions are always changing like our weather.

Through yoga practice, whether it is focused on asanas (physical exercises) or meditation, we train ourselves to reclaim a sense of calm, by removing what we do not need in our lives. Through practice we shed layers of negativity which cloud our view of the world and how we feel, leaving behind a conscious sense of calm and clarity, unaffected by thoughts or conditions around us.

Once we feel calm, maintaining it can be a challenge, because things change all the time, so this is why learning how to reclaim our sense of calm is so important, because we will always need to reclaim it…and frequently. This view is not really meant to be pessimistic, but realistic, because nothing lasts forever, and this includes calmness. Look at our weather, it’s always changing, and we accept this (most of the time) and learn to adapt the changes. In the same way, we adapt with the ebbs and flows of our daily life, reclaiming our calmness as often as required.

A short thought for the day: reclaim your calmness and carry on.

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