by Tias Little, author of The Practice Is the Path

At this time of a worldwide shake-up due to the great pandemic, we are all prone to mind states of flurry and worry. Given the crisis in the world economy, health care, and social networks, it is indeed hard to see clearly. When overwhelmed by chaos and unrest, I like to use the analogy of the snow globe to describe how it can feel as if a cloud of swirling debris is all around you. In this time of uncertainty, when cash flow, employment, future plans, and health are uncertain, both a somatic and a psychological settling are required. This is why a mind-body practice is more important today then ever. How do you settle the particles of prana inside? This requires dropping your bones, relaxing your gut, and making your eyes soft. It suggests taking time in meditation to release any clench on your respiratory diaphragm or grip on your jaw. This composure is hard to come by. Perhaps it is not only your own emotional dust getting kicked up at this time, but the dust of those around you. It may feel as if your spouse, your kids, or your step-mom are swirling in clouds of confusion. It may become so murky that you can’t see straight. The strain we are under is liable to stir up old, well-worn patterns of behavior. When everything is blurry and when in the “snow globe asana” we become habitually reactive. We blame, get impatient, lash out, or retreat. You might find yourself getting stuck in snowdrifts of frustration and distress.

In light of this, it is important to be diligent and not to get thrown into a tizzy. Take care not to project your angst, your psychic dust, onto those you live with. Move slowly. Quick and impulsive reactions only agitate situations and stir up your “mind flakes.” Be tolerant, be kind. Practice patience. The shake-up will continue for more time to come. More brouhaha. More fluster and bluster. With the world topsy-turvey, don’t get caught up in petty things that stir up further anxiety and irritability. Time to get into the deep river of your breath. Make your mind still and your heart supple. Don’t react to the next whirlwind that blows through. Settle inside. Penetrate into the marrow of your bones. Stay in your own still center, so that, come what may, you don’t get caught up in the flurry.

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Tias Little synthesizes years of study in classical yoga, Sanskrit, Buddhism, anatomy, massage, and trauma healing in his dynamic, original style of teaching. One of the foremost yoga instructors in North America, he offers intensives at all major yoga conferences and institutes, including the Yoga Journal conferences, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Esalen Institute, and Omega Institute.

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