Yoga is Community
Recently, I was invited to speak to a group of women about social isolation during the pandemic. Two things came to my mind rather quickly, resilience and community. Resiliency is the ability to bounce back from difficult life events. A sense of connected to oneself and the community enhances resiliency.
As a psychologist, when I think of resilience, I think of children because it is in childhood that resilience is developed and acquired – its not something we are born with. There are numerous studies of underprivileged children who, despite their circumstances, go on to do great things. What is the difference between children, who may live and go to school in similar communities and circumstances, who have a stable job and positive relationships and those who end up in jail, addicted to drugs, homeless or under employed or unemployed. Frequently, It’s the relationship they had with a teacher, coach, relative, or a member of the clergy who showed an interest in this child and supported and encouraged them. Developmentally, social interactions and friendships are the most important thing as adolescents. The importance of relationships does not diminish as we grow older. We are biologically hard wired to be with others.
On the other end of the spectrum, social isolation and loneliness are common in older adults. In fact, social isolation was widespread among older adults even before the pandemic. Social isolation is associated with a 50% increased risk of dementia and other senior medical conditions. Immigrants, LGBT populations, first generation immigrants and victims of elder abuse experience more stressors that increase social isolation. Older adults often have less access to technology and often less able to use technology effectively. Additional barriers might be hearing loss (2/3s of people over 70) or impaired vision (13.5 % for those over 65). All these factors work against technology being a tool for reducing social isolation. Although social media does not replace in person contact, it can provide value.
Recent studies have shown that older adults are more resilient than we think. Older adults have protective factors that may alleviate the risk of social isolation and they are better able to regulate their emotions and manage stress than younger people. A lifetime of experience, perspective taking, and wisdom may help them cope with difficult times. If you are familiar with the Blue Zones, you know that one of the characteristics of people who live healthier and longer lives are those who put family first and people of all ages are socially active and integrated into their communities.
Social connections are a great way for people of all ages to stay healthy! Ways to foster social connection include:
Focus on relationships and activities you enjoy the most.
Have at least 1 trustworthy and reliable person to communicate routinely.
Pets provide a great form of companionship if your housing community approves
Reach out to clergy and professionals at drop-in centers.
Make a call to a telephone hotline.
Teaching many yoga classes virtually since March 2020, I discovered that yoga not only brings resiliency; yoga is also community. I heard from many of my yoga students that participating in at least one yoga class each week brought consistency and predictability to their lives. Despite the benefits of interacting before the yoga class in person, my students looked forward to meeting with fellow yogis online. They felt a connection to a community despite being virtual.
For those of us living in Montgomery County, Maryland, our rules around social distancing continue to be very conservative. We never dreamed the pandemic or the restrictions would last so long. While others are eating in restaurants and many children have returned to the in person classroom, many others remain at home for work and for school. The Zoom platform has become a household word. Zoom meetings are the vehicle for gathering in the workplace, the classroom and for socializing with family and friends.
As the weeks and months evolved into a year, I remain positive and have discovered a silver lining in the pandemic. The silver lining for me is the continuity and staying power of my yoga community. Yoga allows me to give back to my community by providing virtual yoga during the pandemic. Word spread, and I have met students from around the United States who show up on Zoom to practice yoga. We don’t have to rush or fight the traffic. Virtual yoga has made things simple. We set up our yoga mat and props and create a yoga space - connected to community!