This year would have been Jamestown’s fourth International Day of Yoga celebration and it was going to be bigger and better than ever.  My friend and fellow teacher and I were coordinating with a local non-profit nature preserve to host the event there complete with events for the kids so parents can do yoga and food trucks.  Because IDY falls on the Summer Solstice there were going to be meditation walks in the morning and for the late sunset, as well as a bonfire.  Alas, as you can well guess none of that is happening because we are in the midst of a global pandemic.  Most of us are having to accept that the big trips and events that we were excited for are not going to take place this year.

That’s not great, but it’s ok.  Hopefully we all still have our health which is the whole reason to social distance and cancel major events.  Acceptance is often a teaching of a yoga practice, now is a great real life lesson for all of us to practice acceptance of situations that we are unable to change and to warm heartedly stay home and social distance for the health of others.  Already, three months after quarantine, many places in the US and the world are loosening their quarantine rules, but if we have to go back to being safe, then I hope we will all try our best to do so kindly.

For us yoga teachers it has been a learning curve and a stressful time since classes can no longer go on, but it has also been a time for creativity and developing skills.  In terms of this year’s IDY 2020 in Jamestown, we did not want to completely cancel the event but rather to offer it in a virtual way.  Teachers will film their classes ahead of time to be released on June 20, 2020.  It would have been nice to have the celebration that we were planning, the biggest one this city has seen yet, but with time.

If you would like to practice with us teachers of Jamestown, NY & Samsara Yoga Center, then please visit the event page here and join us on the 20th of June.