Quarantine Mornings

We are living in strange times. A time which is, as is the prevailing word, unprecedented. I don’t think I’m speaking for a minority when I say this time in isolation has been emotionally and mentally challenging. Of course, the quarantine life and all the effects of lockdown hit us differently, but they nonetheless hit us, no matter our personal circumstance: still working, furloughed, unemployed, living alone, with a new partner, with family or a friend, or with someone you’ve recently separated from. And then all of the in between and the very heart wrenching.

I’ve been through my own difficulties over the weeks and while talking a good game at first, didn’t really allow myself long enough to simply sit, absorb, and find my own new rhythm. I found productivity difficult in all of its forms: cleaning, exercising, yoga practice, job searching, reading, even using my allotted daily walk allowance. I hated that routine was getting plastered about everywhere – it added pressure to be ok, and I wasn’t.

But I eventually allowed myself days of not getting out of bed – or getting back into bed in the afternoon, days filled with crying (mostly instigated over and over again by a lovely comforting message managing to just tip me over the edge - you had any of those?!), and days with some ‘productive’ occupation and then endless Corona meme and home makeover searches and scrolls. You know, new life new home, kind of.

After I’d felt most of the vast fear and negativity had gone through me and I had some capacity, I gave myself the simplest morning checklist, the only thing I will ask of myself each day: breathing practice, head-to-toe stretch and mobility, and mantra meditation. Anything on top of that is considered a job/productivity well done!

This works for me because I’m used to slow movements and calmness in the morning (cue Ashtanga Mysore yoga) to set me up for the day, I can’t get into a heavy gym session first thing – or in honesty, any time really! This might work for others as an evening checklist or a midday one. It started off as only 30mins each morning for me but now it lasts around an hour as I’ve felt more settled and able. I do it everyday now, on the days I feel energised and the days when I want to slump - a small request which is met, from and to myself, has truly helped to lift and find stability within.

Resonance Breathing – using Breathing App

Created by a few brilliant and not at all well-known figures (Deepak Chopra, Eddie Stern, Moby!), the Breathing App is equally brilliant because of its simple design and function.

Resonance breathing is a simple technique that helps to balance the sympathetic nervous system (the goer) and the parasympathetic nervous system (the slower) through conscious breathing. This breathing practice helps to put a pause on anxiety, stress and distraction and creates mental equilibrium by giving the parasympathetic nervous system a bit more space to come to the fore.

There is no tracker or talking on the app, with the only settings being the breath ratio (inhale:exhale seconds) and how long the practice will be. The app has three screens to choose from to help guide your breathing: a breathing ball, a counting clock and a starry view accompanied by musical cues. The last is the one I’ve always used.

The added beauty of the music is brainwave entrainment, the brain’s natural ability to synchronise its frequencies with rhythmic sounds. When resonant breathing correlates with delta brainwave frequency, we are tapping into our states of deep sleep and deep meditative states. This practice of resonant frequency is used by Buddhist monks and Yogis in their own practices.

Head-to-Toe Stretch and Mobility – using Insight Timer

Insight Timer is already widely used and incredibly well-known for its massive free library of guided meditations, music, and courses for sleep and mindfulness for children. It’s filled with talks by Elizabeth Gilbert, Sadhguru and other greats in the spiritual space.

For my stretches, I choose a piece of instrumental music around 20-30mins long, my favourites so far being pieces by Guenther Goerg and others that invoke hope, movement and focus. Other times I listen to chants, Tibetan singing bowls, sounds of nature – there really is everything on here!

Working from a place of slowness, patience and detail, I start stretching and practicing mobility exercises quite literally from head to toe. Starting with neck stretches and full range movements, to shoulders, elbows, wrists, fingers, chest, spine (cervical, thoracic, and lumbar), glutes, hips and pelvis, hamstrings, calves, ankles and finishing at the feet and toes.

Having done a short mobility course with specialist Zack Deckelbaum and with my background in Ashtanga yoga, the thing I keep in mind throughout is giving all of my attention to the area of focus. This includes trying to hit my full range in mobility, passive and active stretching, and engaging the related areas (i.e. flexing the feet and keeping a long back for seated hamstring stretches.)

Key things to continuously remind yourself of: engage your core for better posture and greater focus on the body part, and KEEP BREATHING. Five long breaths, in and out, in each stretch gives your body and brain time to feel, adapt and adjust.

Mantra Meditation – using Mala Beads

So this part doesn’t use an app, it’s a time to be quiet and still. Sitting comfortably and using mala beads, I repeat the same mantra in silence until I’ve gone full circle and back again if on the bracelet, or full circle once only on the necklace for a longer meditation session.

The practice of the using mala beads helps to count out the mantras without having to actually count and is used in a similar way to other prayer beads by passing the beads through the thumb and forefinger on each recitation. My malas have a guru bead, where you start, and additional counter beads, which feel different to help let you know how far along you are. By repeating the mantras over and over, we are able to set intentions and thoughts deeply and bring in more relaxation, peace and feeling of centredness.

 Mantras can be anything you want them to be, some kind affirmations for yourself, a single word or sound to induce calm or in Buddhist tradition, a short chant.

As things have felt particularly chaotic recently and my own emotional triggers have been set off, I’ve been choosing words to bring loving kindness and compassion to myself. A practice we could really try and do more, pandemic or not!

I finish my morning checklist session with a few slow breaths, chanting Om Shanti Shanti Shantih and a gratitude bow. For me, it’s important I don’t rush out of this time so I can carry the peaceful, grounded feeling with me as best as I can through the day. I do all of this in my pyjamas with a tea or coffee nearby, so afterwards, I take my time to get changed and finish the cup off.

Have a go at these practices, at the apps and at finding your own checklist and rhythm. For now and beyond.

Take good care x