COVID-19: Yoga Australia Message March 2020

Dear Members,

I looked back at my February post just now and reflected on how dramatically the universe has changed in such a short time. And it will continue to shift. Making decisions and providing direction in this environment is challenging. I know that you all understand and appreciate that.

As teachers and trainers, you are on the front line. You hear and feel the community concern building. Your classes are already being impacted. I want to reassure you that we will do our very best to keep you up to date with the latest advice around events, teaching your classes face to face and online and adapting your teacher training.

Yoga Australia supports the need for social distancing to reduce and slow the spread of Covid-19. We are learning from the experience overseas and the evidence is clear, social distancing and lockdowns will save lives. It will also give our hospitals and healthcare workers a better chance to adapt to the inevitable surges in demand.

People are understandably fearful. We appreciate that Yoga and meditation provide much needed respite and help us to build resilience at this time of crisis. We understand your concerns about keeping yourselves and your businesses afloat over the next few months. As we work through this, it is important that we do so together. You are not alone.

To that end, please keep in touch with us. Through email, through Facebook groups, through Instagram. There is a lot of information flying around, some of it excellent, some of it not so. When you see something that is credible, from a reliable source and it is something you think will be useful to our community, share it or send it through.

There is a very powerful shift happening to how we live and work right now and not all of it will be bad. I expect we will learn much about ourselves and our adaptability, about the things that matter most…and the things that don’t. We are all learning how to adapt.

What is obvious is that we will need to tap into our wisdom and creativity and try new ways of doing what we do. Whilst the answers might not be very clear right now, they will get clearer. Whilst we might not feel very skilled at some of these new methods of communicating, that skill will build over time. There is a lot of very good information and experience available across our community and it is our intention to help you tap into that.

So please take time to find and savour the joyful moments. The simple things. Protect your mental health. Find stillness and space. Take breaks from the constant deluge of news. Talk to your friends. Talk to your students. Where possible, get out and go for a walk in the park or along the beach. Watch the clouds. Lean on your community, our community.

For more information on Covid-19 see our website. We will be updating information and advice regularly, including:

• Cleaning Yoga mats (and cleaning in general)
• Teaching online
• Adapting teacher training delivery and assessment
• Offering quarterly renewals of memberships

Take care,

Janet Hopkins
Yoga Australia, CEO