Being as physically and emotionally healthy as you possibly can has never been more important than it is right now. Luckily for us there are many professionals available and giving their classes for free online, all you need is an internet connection to join in. And we don’t have to look at Joe Wicks “The Nation’s PE Teacher” either, we have plenty of excellent trainers living and working on the island who are trying to keep us fit and well. There is something for everyone, from free coaching to boxing to yoga to crosstraining out there for you to try. If you wanted to give meditation a go then it could be that this is finally the opportunity you have been waiting for. It may also help you stay calm, focused and balanced through our period in quarantine, and it gives structure to your day. You can find all of these classes through the Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/MajorcaMallorca and you can also contact all of the teachers directly as well. Over the next couple of days At Home Together is dedicated to these people who have given their time for free to help us all feel better and take care of our health. Thank you to you all for your service.
Sweet Om Yoga: Coco Achinger and Mara Infantado
Coco has been working as a Women’s Health Coach and Yoga Teacher, whilst Mara, works in different fields as a Business Consultant and Yoga teacher. They live in the Andratx area where they have created the sweet Om Yoga garden, an outdoor Yoga Studio
Vicki McLeod: What is your motivation for doing what you do?
Coco: “I love to live a vital joyful life with depth and I am motivated to support women especially in living a happy and healthy life.”
Mara: “I love the balance of spirit and mind, where I can combine the tasks of the brain with the needs of our soul.”
VMc: How are you coping during lockdown?
Coco: “I see it as a chance and a challenge. A challenge to be actively working on our mindset and compassion and as a chance to slow down, connect to the essentials of life and find some new awareness about what is important and what is not.”
Mara: “This is a historic momentum we are living in right now. Our generation has never experienced anything close to this. So of course there are good days and there are worse days. I try to allow all feelings to come and go, all of them are valid. After all, Yoga does not ask you to be more than you are. But it does ask you to be all that you are.”
VMc: Do you have anything you want to say to help people through these times?
Coco: “We often experience circumstances and situations that we are not able to change and this may make us feel powerless and helpless. But what we can always change is how we deal with the situation. It is up to us what we make out of it. We can always choose to look at what we don’t have or we choose to look at what we do have. Practicing gratitude by evaluating what we do have is a powerful tool to change our mindset and feeling about a situation.”
Mara: “Right now is a time where we are painfully reminded of our own mortality, of our evanescence. Life as we knew it can completely change within a few weeks. But nevertheless, we are all connected, as human beings. We share the same fear, the same love, the same motivation. We are in this together. Nobody is immune to this situation. I truly hope that we will remember this connection to heal as one. Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise (Victor Hugo, Les Miserables).”
VMc: Has the lockdown changed the way you do business?
Coco: “As long as the lockdown is active we will continue offering three online classes free and live via zoom or facebook live video. But we can’t wait to reopen the sweet OM yoga garden to breathe, sweat and flow together again in person with the Yoginis and Yogis from our area.”
Mara: “Coco was already offering online classes via Zoom during the winter period since our outdoor studio is not equipped for the colder months. Probably we will continue those classes. But to be honest- we cannot wait to welcome everyone again in person!”
www.sweet-om.yoga
Chetana Annette Adelskamp, Bodhana Wellness Centre
Vicki McLeod: How did you get into what you are doing?
Chetana: “Over 20 years ago, I strongly felt that I wanted to find out more about myself, and I began to meditate, to explore different techniques and therapies, I travelled to india and met many like minded people and it was so nourishing and inspiring that I wanted to have this in my life always. I quit my job and wanted to share with others that which gave me so much joy and that I loved. Having always had the facility to organise and create things with ease, It was more of a happening than following a goal, and I started organising personal growth groups, concerts, meditation festivals and events, bringing people to the island that I had met on the path and who had inspired me. I hadn’t really planned on having the Bodhana Wellness Centre either, it was more of a spontaneous decision, and kept on growing by itself, moment to moment, learning day by day.”
VMc: What have you learnt about yourself and/or other people during this period?
Chetana: “I love the response of our community, it feels great and it is amazing how much creativity and action is going through the media. The attitude of most of the people that I know or come across, is beautiful, generous and kind. It’s our decision to fall into a hole or go through a portal, to take it as an end or a beginning, it is totally up to us… and almost everybody I know, has chosen the portal! There was a moment that I had to tell myself to stop trying to be productive. I was putting pressure on myself to come up with solutions and ideas, so many things that I wanted to do in this time I had been given, that it was becoming stressful. So I did stop for some time. There is a social demand in this, but there is also a spiritual demand and I just needed to find the right balance in between the two.”
VMc: Is there anything you would like to tell the readers?
Chetana: “Worry and fear are our worst enemies right now, much more than corona itself. The stress and anxiety that fear is causing, weakens our immune system totally, reduces its functionality and makes it very vulnerable. Also, anxiety by itself is expressed through the same symptoms in our chest and shortness of breath as corona does. We will get through this, and hopefully we all discover some of our own personal lessons in this, and understand the global message, that change is necessary. A crisis brings out creativity and progress, and if we overcome it, we overcome ourselves, without being overcome. Lets boost our immune system, allow emotions to come and go, trust, stay positive, maintain a bright vibration and share some love. When we come back, let’s remember that we are guests on this earth, not its master.”
VMc: Has the lockdown changed the way you do business?
Chetana: “People have been buying many personalised gift vouchers and I will put more energy into this in the future. I’ve given lots of free distant healing sessions and guided meditations which I enjoyed sharing very much, and will continue doing this.
Even though a massage business doesn’t seem to be the easiest in going back to working fully soon, I do trust that our clients have enough insight and understanding, that sooner or later almost everybody will be infected, that this is totally ok and most of us will not even notice it. that by the time the lockdown finishes, hospitals will have space again, for the very few severe direct corona cases to be taken care of, and they will book their treatments as usual. The amount of gift vouchers that were bought these days confirm this feeling.”
www.bodhana.com
Joe Arrindell and Amanda Villegas, Care for Health, Osteopaths
Vicki McLeod: How did you get into what you are doing?
Joe: “I enjoy fixing people, always have done. Actually due to the lockdown I ran into an old school mate from St.Maarten and he still remembers me saying I wanted to become a physiotherapist 26 years ago when nobody else wanted to study that.”
VMc: How are you coping with the lockdown?
Joe: “Quite well, I have to say, I have taken the time to do things I would not normally never do!”
VMc: What have you learnt about yourself and/or other people during this period?
Joe: “Always stay focused, it is not easy and I have really learnt that these days, what is in the mind is in the body! From what I am seeing from other people, some are changing but many won’t.”
VMc: Has the lockdown changed the way you do business?
Joe: “Yes it has, we have started to do online telehealth sessions to help people reduce pain in their bodies, and we are spreading the word about that now. Our regular clients are still allowed to come to see us if they need us, we are taking all of the precautions and it is allowed.”
VMc: Any message?
Joe: “See you on the other side, this too shall pass! Many of us remember 2008 and look where we are, we can and will have to just do it again!”
www.carefourhealth.com
Ian Bonsall, Renegade Martial Arts, Martial Arts and Fitness Coaching
VMc: What opportunities do you see in the lockdown?
Ian: “We actively encourage everyone to become more active and conscious of the benefits of challenging their perceived limits. Lockdown is a great opportunity for us all to reflect and appraise the “normal” way we approach life. Our hope is that following this period we will all be inspired to continue to uphold the positive differences that this period has provided.
VMc: How are you coping with the lockdown in your business?
Ian: “It was significantly challenging initially as the doors had to close on our studio. We deal with both group and private class formats and all had to cease with no notice to customers. But the community feeling amongst the expats is very strong and has been a great moral support. Moving our sessions to an online format is in its infancy and presents an opportunity to provide continuity of some sessions. The lockdown has served to provide us with the impetus to place our efforts into the initial development of YouTube channel.”
VMc: Will you offer more online classes now?
Ian: “We will maintain and further develop our YouTube offering. We believe this multifaceted approach to social media is of true benefit allowing us greater reach and exposure. Our core aim is to facilitate meaningful offering of activity which is accessible both externally (i.e outside of the four walls of our facility) and internally (personal delivery in a small group or private format).” www.renegademartialarts.net
Vivian Borsani, artist
Vicki McLeod: As an artist of more than 20 years, how has the lockdown affected you?
Vivian: “I am used to organising my day and to being alone. I would normally paint in my studio in Santa Catalina, but I was lucky enough to get all of my stuff home and I’ve been painting there. Normally I like to go to my yoga classes , but Earth Yoga is now doing online classes so am I doing even more yoga than before! I miss having coffee with friends in my painting breaks, but we have them on line now and that is nearly as good.”
VMc: Have you seen yourself and other people changing?
Vivian: “Yes, people around me are genuinely much more caring and it is the same for me. I talk to my father, my mother and my sister who are all in different countries regularly and a “ real” talk has become much more important. Another thing is decluttering, having the time to really let go of things I had at home, I wouldn’t normally have had the time to do this so intensely. And I always wanted to meditate on a more regular basis and now I have this time. The trick with meditating is that you do the opposite of what we do normally, we do not fill our mind, we empty it! And not in a forced way , just by being very gentle with ourselves. This is so different from our normal behaviour. Where we force ourselves to always do more and more… So everyday for 15 to 20 minutes try, and if in these 20 minutes you achieve only 5 minutes of stillness ..that’s fine! Tomorrow you can try again, especially now with all this time at home!!”
VMc: How has your business changed?
Vivian: “I work more on Instagram. I already did but now I post even more to show my work. Also I’ve done some online classes, helping people to paint which is something I would like to continue.”
www.vivianborsani.com
Nicole Eden, English teacher and Face Yoga consultant in Alaro at Eden Sanctuary
Vicki McLeod: Face Yoga?
Nicole: “Yes! I got interested in face yoga when I started noticing lines and wrinkles in my own face. Personally I would rather not make cosmetic changes to my face so when I found out about face yoga I was really interested. I did a two week course and having noticed changes, then a six week course. I couldn’t believe how much brighter my skin was and that my lines and wrinkles were fading. It is a wonderful way to self care. I decided to train with Danielle Collins to become a consultant.”
VMc: How are you coping with the lockdown?
Nicole: “I am in lockdown with 26 animals and no humans! In the beginning I thought it would be awful, but actually it has given me the opportunity to spend a lot of quality time with my 26 wonderful best friends. I am very lucky to have the outside space and be able to spend time in nature and I have spent a lot of time reflecting, meditating and reminding myself of what is important in life. It has given me time to cultivate my spirituality and Ihave spent much more time connecting with friends and family overseas. I am also teaching and offering face yoga via zoom which is working out great. You can find me at Glow Face Yoga, Eden Education and Eden Sanctuary on Facebook!