what I'm keeping for the after-times

A year of social distancing, cancelled events and waaay more time in our own homes sure taught us a thing or two about ourselves. We learned new skills, rediscovered our personal spaces, and explored ways to care for ourselves that didn’t involve expensive treatments or faraway travel. And although we may have missed some parts of our previous lives … it soon became clear that we also found a few practices we’d like to hold on to, too.

Here are a few from my list:

daily reading. Yeah, I read in the Before Times, but I finally cracked open texts that had been on my list for a long time: Autobiography of Yogi by Parahamsa Yogananda, Buddha’s Brain by Rick Hanson, The Inner Tradition of Yoga by Michael Stone, and rereads of the Bhagavad Gita and When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron to name just a few. These have brought about a different layer to the observance of self-study, or svadhyaya, for me, as I found myself taking the time to re-read and digest passages much more fully.

learning something new. Over the holiday season I jumped in to something else I’ve been wanting to do for a long time—learn more Sanskrit. It was challenging to consume a new alphabet and unfamiliar grammatical rules, but it opened my eyes to the history of a practice I love … and no doubt helped rewire by brain a bit in the process. Next up: raising honeybees!

formalizing my self-care practices. I scheduled (and rearranged, and shifted again) my days to build in time for movement as well as quiet sitting and journaling. Making them an integral part of my day ensured meant that I noticed the ebbs and flows of my energy, so I could respond to them by delivering the practices that served me best each day.

Instead of rushing back out to our old ways now that things are starting to open up once again, take a little time to honor those activities that got you through the past 12+ months. Then decide how you’d like to incorporate them into your new life so they continue to sustain you, shoring up your reserves for the next time life gets challenging.