The Next Dark Age
We're in it Now
Getting Some Damn Exercise
Illinois’ stay at home order will go through at least April 7 (and I have been already been working from home for a week). The Chicago weather is not cooperating and I happen to be stockpiled with Girl Scout Cookies. I’m not ready to talk about COVID for real yet, but can we talk about how the hell to get some exercise? Most of mine this winter has been yoga. There is a studio I use regularly, Evolution. I just found an emergency back up studio, Samadhi, where my first ever yoga instructor now teaches. And the church where Project Linus meets has hired one of my favorite instructors to do a once weekly gig. All required to close up.
I subscribe to a streaming service called The Yoga Collective that I meant as a travel tool but haven’t really used. I figured I would try that. And then Evolution said they would hold online classes with the regular instructors at the regular times.
Last week, I tried using Yoga Collective for real. I’m already paying for it, after all. And it was ok. There are a lot of programs that focus on different areas and many are of a shorter duration so I could piece together a program that would suffice. But by the end of the week, it became certain that we were going to be in this for awhile and I’d better go back to supporting my regular studio.
I registered online as I normally do. Then a few minutes before the start time, I received an email to join a Zoom meeting. And there was Debbie. Doing my very regular, one-hour, 
well-rounded class.
I don’t have all of the regular props at home, but I have a block and a strap and I don’t normally use much else. It wasn’t always easy to see what Debbie was doing, but her cues are good enough that it wasn’t a problem. You can’t shut up my dogs or my birds, but that only kills shavasana.
It was such a relief.
Since all of my other extra-curriculars are on hold – Project Linus, library, book clubs, theatres – I might even start adding classes. So I am doing this one small thing to try and take care of myself and support a local business. Which reminds me.. I should order a pizza today.
The Next Dark Age 