Never ever has this catch phrase been more important. With the governor publishing her outline for re-opening the state of Maine, I know many people are starting to get excited about returning to practice as usual. I hate to be a bubble-burster, but it’s going to take a while longer before we join together for in-person practice.
We are currently in the middle of a global science experiment. If you’ve ever engaged in a complex experiment, you know the only way to find a true answer is to move through the stages of the scientific method.
Round one looked something like this:
- Step 1- Question: How do we slow the spread of Coronavirus?
- Step 2-Research: Look to history (i.e. the Spanish flu and contemporary examples)
- Step 3-Hypothesis: If we limit social interactions, we can slow the spread of the disease.
- Step 4-Experiment: States across the country put into place varying degrees of social distancing regulations.
- Step 5-Observations: States with early implementation of rigorous social distancing measures have lower rates of Coronavirus than those who started later and/or had less stringent regulations.
- Step 6-Results/Conclusion: Social distancing does appear to slow the spread of Coronavirus.
These results are important because we, as a nation, have limited resources when it comes to providing medical care for the most critical cases. While the majority of cases will be mild, a statistically relevant number will lead to serious illness and/or death. That being the case, I think it’s essential that we do our part to continue flattening the curve and keep each other safe and healthy. While some may accuse me of being overly cautious … I care too much about each and every one of you to put you in harms way. In yoga philosophy, we call this the practice of “ahimsa”.
As a lover of science, I want to see how round two of our experiment shakes out before moving forward with plans to meet in person. Round two, as I see it, looks something like this:
- Step 1- Question: How do we continue to keep rates of Coronavirus manageable without totally decimating the economy and going totally crazy?
- Step 2-Research: This one is hard. We have no real apples-to-apples comparisons to make. The world at the time of the Spanish Flu is nothing like the world we live in today. So we have to learn from those countries that are just a few stages ahead of us (i.e. China, Italy, etc.) who had lengthly periods of closure and diverse re-opening strategies. They are still on stage four … so that’s really important to keep in mind.
- Step 3-Hypothesis: If we continue to limit social interactions and re-open in stages, we can avoid a Coronavirus resurgence while getting people back to work and rebuilding our communities.
- Step 4-Experiment: WE ARE HERE. Every state/community will try something a little different. NO ONE KNOWS THE ANSWER YET.
- Step 5-Observations: TBD
- Step 6-Results/Conclusion: TBD
While Governor Mills may have included “fitness facilities” in phase two of her strategy (which is set to start June 1st), I am making the very carefully calculated decision to see how things go before jumping into the mix. I also can’t see how we would practice comfortably wearing masks and limiting our contact. It just wouldn’t feel right.
All that said … if you are concerned that I’m planning to close up shop … you can set those worries aside. With your overwhelming support, the business side of this is really thriving and I have been able to come up with some more innovative plans that will help us avoid snow cancellations and all that jazz in the future. In all likelihood, you can plan to have more options to expand your practice as we roll through the year.
So, for now we practice together as a virtual community. The livestream practices will continue on the following days and times:
- Mondays at 7pm
- Wednesdays at 6:30am
- Saturdays at 9am
If you are not on the invites for the these events, send me an email and I’ll get you set up. If you would like to access the closed Facebook group to have greater flexibility in your practice, again, email me and I’ll get you set up. We may be separated physically, but we can still breath and dream together as one big community.
With love,
