IJY Connects Magazine Spring/Summer 2021

COVID BLUES

The past twelve months of being quarantined, unable to see or hug loved ones, having little or no contact with others except your “quaran-team,” has caused many to experience something akin to the “winter blues.” (If you are a native Floridian and don’t know the sadness and depression that can occur when you don’t see the sun for days or months on end, consider yourself lucky!) IJY Connects was curious as to how everyone has coped and asked its members, “How has yoga, and other types of fitness (or any healthy activity), helped you get through the pandemic?” (Writer’s note: We realize that it’s not “over” yet, but with vaccinations and masking, we are creating a new normal.)

DR. BROOKE STUART: Working through this time has to do with people making a choice: Am I going to grow through this, or am I going to be a victim of it? There are very real experiences that make up that victim mentality — but at the end of the day, we have to be open to see the light within it and within ourselves… not just the light at the end of the tunnel.

Obviously, some people already had great routines, but within the pandemic, so many of them were broken… the pandemic broke their design. So, even their routines that they relied upon were stripped, like the rug was swept out from underneath them. So their prior everyday routines required a pivot, some flexibility and some resilience. Intuitively, during the pandemic, people who wanted to self-regulate and stabilize were drawn to wellness versus destabilizing activities. Fitness and wellness, being outside, organizing your home, taking time to meditate — these were all practical tools that they could choose and, on some level, at first it might have felt like a survival mechanism, until it turned into something that was deeply gratifying.

When people shift into a growth mentality or are experiencing a chaotic time, fitness, among other fundamentals, can become a way to ground and anchor, making their own experience more clear. Whether they lost their job, knew someone who had Covid, or were feeling lonely, isolated, or afraid to live their everyday lives…this is where I find that wellness and tools, such as meditation, were so helpful to anchor this transformation and growth-oriented experience. It’s not just about their choice to change, but these empowered choices also fueled supporting themselves. What they basically ended up doing is investing in the choices that invested in and supported them…this is

self-love in action. I am going to grow, and I am going to make the choices that affirm that.

Compiled below are the thoughts of some of our members, led by some professional and personal insight from Dr. Brooke Stuart, who practices what she preaches!

Writer’s Note: Dr. Stuart was not immune to experiencing the same feelings as her clients. When everything was “shut down” in mid-March, Dr. Stuart spent the next four

days, working almost around the clock, to turn her practice from a mix of in-office clients and virtual clients — to 100% virtual clients. She quickly shifted gears to create a telehealth (virtual) practice to redirect her focus on supporting her clients through these difficult times. In addition, Dr. Stuart cut out various items from her diet and started cross fit last August at CrossFit Orlando. By joining this gym, she was able to continue to be involved in the community by being outdoors and staying active. In addition to cross fit, Dr. Stuart also practices yoga and meditation.

HELEN BUCKLEY: I taught “chair yoga” for seniors, but due to Covid-19, I was unable to go in person and staff didn’t provide me with the option for teaching remotely. However, some long-time friends (sorority sisters) talked to me about doing zoom yoga classes for them. So once a week, for quite a while, we did “yin classes.” The goal was to slow down the breathing and have them focus on themselves. They were all stressed from trying to teach their students remotely, and making sure the students were still learning, to being stressed about not being able to visit family, to just being stressed about going to the grocery store and not getting Covid. The ladies in my class mostly had zero yoga experience, so we focused on getting rid of the “whirling thoughts” going through their brains by breathing in for four counts, holding it for four, and letting it go for four. Yoga is all about focusing on mind, body, spirit…it allowed them to slow everything down and focus on themselves. And, it also gave me an outlet, as I missed teaching my seniors!

CHRIS SEARS: Exercising outside saved my mental and emotional health during 2020. I live alone and I worked at home during the year, so I needed to get outside to interact with people in a safe way. I’m fortunate that I have many friends who were happy to join me on my adventures. My exercise of choice is yoga on the beach (with awesome teachers!), paddle-boarding, kayaking, running and cycling. I naturally love being outside and I embrace the heat. I am grateful to live in a place where we experience weather that consistently allows us to be outside. I can’t imagine being cooped up inside for days at a time without the ability to get out in the sun and fresh air. During 2020, exercise provided an outlet for me that benefited my mental, emotional, and overall health.

TINA FUSSER: Taking an immersion into nature, meditation, prayer, reading, personal growth deep dive and my essential oils helped me stay calm and balanced during the most stressful times. It then led me to create nature retreats for women. In the end it led to something AMAZING.

KRISTINE ASHE JOHNSON: Yoga practices, all eight limbs, ground and center me in the present moment with all that is well among the chaos. As a Bhakta, I trust in an all-loving power greater than myself. My practices help me deal with all the fear that arises, frustration, sadness and grief. Yoga taps into deep, inner wisdom and gives me discernment between what is mine to do and what I need to let go of to be lovingly free and fully present. My Yoga (connection/ relationship) helps me take a “stance” or posture in humility for justice.

PAM MCCOLLOCH: Last year at this time it was all new. New normals, new to Zooming, new shortages, and news, news, news. In all of the changes, one of the hardest for me was the closing of my beloved yoga studio. Where was I to go to practice the art of stillness and of stretching in a hot room? It did not take long (a few extra pounds and a bad attitude) for me to turn my dressing room into my own yoga space. It was perfect, especially since dressing for an occasion was a past memory. This experience has taught me what I always knew, that yoga is all mine, anywhere and anytime.

COLETTE FERRELL: As the founder of ‘It’s Just Yoga Health & Fitness Festival,’ and a supporter of the yoga community for well over a decade, when the pandemic forced cancellations of events, and closings of studios, I experienced MANY of the same feelings as everyone described above. Out of this uncertainty, I created “IJY (It’s Just Yoga) Connects.” The goal was to keep the Central Florida mindful, health-conscious community CONNECTED virtually when we could not gather in person.

IJY Connects’ mission is to CONNECT our community together to share, discuss and enjoy yoga and other holistic lifestyle options.

Our members support each other sharing their skills and knowledge. Our members include yoga teachers, holistic doctors, nutritionists, therapists, and many other types of small business owners who are also positive, inspirational people.

NANCY KING: As a Rollins alumna, I’m thankful for Theresia Portoghese, a Rollins professor who teaches virtual yoga classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights. They aren’t too much for my “non-yogi” self and I appreciate being able to participate virtually with my camera off. I’m also finally getting to know my neighbors by walking with a gal on the nights we’re both available.

You can join IJY Connects by following us on social media, participate in our onlineclasses, sign up for our newsletter, or join our member subscription service.

For more details on all of the above, go to www.IJYConnects.com.

SPRING/SUMMER 2021 | ijyconnects.com | IT'S JUST YOGA MAGAZINE 9