I Tried Meditation for Five Days Because There's a Pandemic Outside

This pandemic cost me my vacation, my yoga studio, and then my job. I grieved most over the yoga studio (though admittedly the stress of unemployment has not yet sunk in). It was a 25-year-old establishment in Vancouver and a place many called home. It was where I met my favourite instructors, where I fell in love with the practice, and where I gathered with friends to breathe. Twenty-five. I'm twenty-five. I thought by twenty-five we (including businesses of this age) would all have ourselves figured out - that we had endured some strength and stability to withstand threats. It's a discouraging experience.

While scrolling through Instagram at 8:00 am, all slouched and sunk into the couch, I stumbled upon one of my favourite yoga instructor hosting a virtual 10-minute guided meditation. I quickly grabbed my mat, stole a pillow from Winston, and sat down. Breathe in. Breathe Out. My mind wandered everywhere. My job. Breathe. Ex-colleagues. Breathe some more. Finances. Long exhale. My heart raced and it felt like an anxiety attack. Every day since that Monday, I have been sitting on my mat for 10 minutes with Randelle. My mind still wanders but my heart beats a little softer.

There is information about the pandemic everywhere we look. 'How to be Productive During a Pandemic,' 'Don't be an Overachiever this Pandemic,' 'Do These Things for Your Mental Health,' and 'Home Exercises Using Your Couch!' I'm not writing this to tell you to meditate because there's a pandemic outside. Be okay with (un)productivity, (un)happiness, (un)healthiness, and everything and nothing else. Just don't forget to breathe.

This pandemic may have cost you a few things too. Maybe it's a lot worse than the things I lost - it most likely is, but let's not make this a competition. Let's not also lose our sense of community. Let's band together (virtually).