My ISO Toolkit
It’s been a few weeks now since I bumped into my friend, teacher and mentor Rachael Coopes and got talking about the huge pressure we feel has been placed upon us to be create in this time of isolation. Be it content, yoga classes, art, learning new skills, a new language, we’re being pressured to be use this time ‘wisely’. Whatever that means.
Since this chat, countless articles have been published about how we don’t need to succumb to this pressure, giving us permission to sit in the muck and really feel it. To stop feeling so pressured and just do what feels right for us.
Maybe that does mean creating something, maybe it doesn’t. I can’t tell you what to do. Maybe you are a super productive person who loves nothing more than endless free time to do all the activities and self-development from dusk till dawn. Maybe, like me, you’re not.
What I have been inspired to do, is to list all the things that I have been attempting to do to stay sane in the hope that even by doing just one of these things you might better navigate this time yourself. At the very least it will give you something to watch or listen to while you lie on the floor eating baked goods.
Stay connected via socials
I really am trying not to spend too much time on Instagram. ISO or no ISO, that is easier said than done. However, there are a few accounts I have found to add value to my day.
Rachael Coopes
IG: @rachaelcoopes
I would highly recommend following Rach if you are at all interested in Yoga Philosophy. Her most recent post went a little something like this:
“According to the yoga philosophy, the manifest world is constantly moving through cycles of creation, sustenance, and destruction. Things begin, they sustain for a while, and then they end.
That’s the deal. That’s the process of living this thing called life.
Right now I think it’s fairly obvious which part of the cycle we are in. If this shit show isn’t mass destruction on a global scale, I don’t know what is. In Australia, COVID-19 comes on the back of horrific bushfires that choked the nation all summer. We were wearing masks months before the rest of the world, because we couldn’t breathe.
Through all of this, of course there have been some silver linings ~ It’s wonderful so many of us are discovering incredible gifts through the process . And it’s great if you’re feeling creative and productive.
However... if you’re still reeling, if you feel like all you’re capable of doing, is lying on the floor eating chocolate. It’s OK. THAT is the natural response right now. We are still in the destruction phase. And it’s normal to feel overwhelmed and side-swiped and like you’re just not ready to get back up and keep on keeping on. Not yet.
Now is not the time to welcome in the new dawn. Oh make no mistake, we will. That day will come, and when it does, we will put our dancing shoes on and be oh so ready.
But for now-we lie on the floor. We get grounded. We rest as much as need. We grieve & cry & let go. We feel all the feels and make sure we get all the support we need in order to do so. Denial and avoidance won’t help us, surrender and acceptance will.”
Jordanna Levin
IG: @jordannalevin
Jordanna is still keeping us up to date with the Moon cycles, something I always wish I paid more attention to and now have no excuse thanks to all this extra time. She’s also been doing some delicious juicy Yin classes through her instagram account and through Byron based fitness studio @hustl._AND she co-hosts a wonderful podcast, The Middle with her dear friend Hollie Azzopardi, which I’ve also listed below as essential listening.
Jeff van de Zandt
IG: @jjzandt
This Melbourne based creative art director has gone Tik Tok mad and has had me laughing every day which is absolutely essential right now. I’m loving all the videos and am very appreciative of all the people uploading them so I don’t have to actually get it.
Sabrina Ten Tricarico
I met Sabrina years ago in Bali. She lives in Rome and has been living alone in isolation for over 40 days now. She has been recording her experiences since Day 1 in her Instagram stories. She’s informative, passionate and absolutely hilarious. It’s been an incredible insight into what’s happening there but also so much fun to watch. She is great, check it out.
Yoga & Pilates
In my home studio
My energy levels come and go but when they’re up I am trying to get moving at least a little bit every day. If you’re into online classes here’s a few teachers and studios I’ve been trying to keep up with.
Bodymindlife
IG: @bodymindlife
BML are running a full timetable of live-streamed yoga and mat Pilates classes every day. With almost all of my favourite teachers under one roof, you can access the past 7 days of classes as recorded videos. Membership details can be found on their website. Special shoutout to Gemma Mills on the yoga vibes and Tali Phillips on the pilates vibes.
Andrew Hampson
IG: @Bad Yogi Retreats
Andrew has set up a studio in his home with his wonderful wife taking on the role of student. Full timetable details can be found on his website. Expect bad jokes and permission to drink red wine and eat hot cross buns. He has also been known to share spicy margarita recipes in times of need.
Peaches Pilates
IG: @peachespilates
Tori and the girls at Peaches Pilates are all still teaching with the same sass and sparkle, just now its from the comfort of their own homes. They have an online membership but you can also just pay $8 for a drop in. If props are needed they’re recommending baked beans or bottles of wine. Love.
Sarah Routhier
IG: @sarahnicoleyoga
This little beauty has been gifting the juiciest of slow flows, offering classes in line with the elements and epic playlists. She teaches for Bodymindlife but has also been running her own clasees. Head to her Instagram for more details.
Mel McLaughlin
IG: @theyinspace
The queen of Yin Yoga has been offering up heavenly classes via a few different studios. There are details on her Instagram and website. Any excuse to light some candles and get snuggled up with blankets, trackies and fluffy socks.
Caroline Layzell
IG: @carolineyoga_
I met Caroline at Serenity Yoga in Bali while I was doing my teacher training a few years ago. It’s been such a treat to do her classes from my living room while she is sat on Nusa Lembongan with the sound of rain falling in the background. She offers vinyasa flow and Yin.
Reading / Writing / Podcasts
I’ve been finding reading a real challenge for my attention span so have signed up to a free trial with Audible and started with Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic which could not be more relevant in terms of living a creative life with meaning. I think that this is something so many of us wish we had right now.
Next on my list is Untamed by Glennon Doyle followed by Oprah’s What I Know For Sure. Recommendations are welcome.
Stuck for ideas? Here’s my Book Club list.
I’ve been keeping up to date with the main news stories but trying to avoid spiralling into the pit of horror stories and conspiracy theories. Here’s a few lighter articles that have been helpful and sparked thoughtful reflection for me over the last few weeks. Not all Covid-19 related.
What Does Self-Care Mean In The Age Of Coronavirus? by Bella Mackie for Vogue
Why You Should Ignore All That Coronavirus-Inspired Productivity Pressure by Aisha S. Ahmad for The Chronicle
I love the UK and would like to stay (please). But you need a few lessons on being Danish by Sofie Hagen for The Guardian
Podcasts
A Bumper Back To School Special with the gals at The High Low
Russell Brand in Isolation on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place
Waves, Tik Tok and ISO dinner parties The Middle with Jordanna Levin and Hollie Azzopardi
Ian Wright on Desert Island Disks talking to Lauren Laverne
Keep checking in
A friend sent this to our girl chat the other day. Sometimes it’s just too much to pick up the phone and run through all the reasons why you don’t feel 100% at the moment. The reasons are endless and collective and can be exhausting to say out loud.
See heart shaped colour coded mental health check below:
Other Essentials
Getting outside every day seems obvious but even a short walk makes all the difference.
Sleep. Take naps. REST. Emotional exhaustion is a real thing.
Eating delicious food, guilt free. Choc chip banana bread recipe here
Play happy music, LOUD. Some playlists I’ve been listening to:
And if you need something more chilled:
I read somewhere recently that although we are all caught in the same storm, we are not in the same boat. Everyone is experiencing this strange time in their own way. So take what you need from this list and leave what you don’t. If it brings you even a little joy, then I am very happy to have helped.
x