We’ve all heard it: use this unprecedented time to slow down, go inside, reflect upon what is truly important. Yoga practitioners are given the tools to go inside and “be with what is” and dig more deeply. But none of us have ever been here before. And, we may have another month or so of “being here now,” so contacting our joy on a daily basis is actually a form of self-care. Personally, I think that it also fulfills our contract with life. What more would life want from us, other than to find some joy in these moments? When I look back at this time, I want to know that I utilized it well, as a yoga practitioner and as a human being. You may have a COVID-19 bucket list of your own. I offer mine to you: 

• For the sake of slowing down, draw. Draw very slowly. If you aren’t comfortable drawing outside the lines, find a coloring book and have your drawing be a meditation. Drawing turns out to be the second-most-de-stressing activity after meditation.
• Appreciate your senses, particularly your ears. Put together a list of all your favorite songs of all time, as well as discover new favorite songs of all time. Choose a genre of music that is new to you, put on some earphones and listen like you’ve never listened before. Or, simply step outside in the morning and listen to the birds continually announcing spring!
• Yoga practitioners regularly digest wisdom that came before them. Learn from your favorite wise people who would have gracefully made it through this COVID-19 experience. Think Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, Martin Luther King Jr… or maybe one of your older relatives is still alive? Sit down with them on the phone, and listen to their stories about how they worked with the challenges of their lives.
• Already bored by your surroundings? Travel! Choose an author, a genre, or reading material outside of your culture that you’ve always wanted to read to open up your world.
• Take in the big picture. Download a star-viewing app, like SkyView, and step outside at night! Lie down in your yard or on your deck, pray for no clouds, and remember your place in the scheme of things.
• Cherish the past; edit and file your photos. Or, let go of your past; finally go through those boxes of old cards, letters, and pictures which are ready to be released.  
• Create; write a poem or haiku (five syllables, then seven, then five) to describe what it’s like to be here right now. For instance: 

Being here right now,
Joy and Sorrow at my door,
I dwell in silence.

• Who will you become when this ordeal has passed? Donate what is no longer serving you. Make a few bags, and wait for the time when we can go to Goodwill again.  
• Write a list of all the people you love that you haven’t heard from in a long time. That likely means that they haven’t heard from you either. Use letter paper, envelopes, and stamps. Make it a love letter.
• Miss going to your favorite stores or small businesses? Chances are that they’re struggling right now. Send a donation, or shop at their online store. Or send them a love letter as well. Remember receiving a letter in your mailbox from a distant friend? Small business owners love their work. And they rely upon us.
• Take a day of silence. This can be difficult for those of us with families or roommates. But, speak with your compadres beforehand, and vow to take a day of no talking. Or, let them know that you’ll get back to them in 24 hours. During your time in silence, be with silence like you’ve never been before.
• Move your body, alone or online. The body needs to move every day. For an incredibly moving experience, go to BreatheTogetherYoga.com and sign up for a Zoom class.
• Do a walking meditation. Walking meditators walk slowly so they’re present to each step. How present can you be to the moment? What can you see as if you are seeing it for the first time? Pay attention to how your foot transitions its weight on the ground. When your mind wanders, gently return to the moment. And you don’t have to go far. Or try a “washing your hands” meditation. Completely present to the act of washing, feel the soap between your fingers as if you’ve never been here before. And repeat this activity often. 
• Yoga practitioners acknowledge their mortality so they can more fully enjoy the present. Review your living trust and make a medical directive. People tend to avoid these two activities, but we have a responsibility to those we love to have our things in order when we leave this earth; and, the medical directive spares the use of highly sought after ventilators. Haven’t done it yet? You can find the forms here. (In her book The Art of Dying Well, Katy Butler also offers a very well-written letter that addresses these considerations about facing our mortality. Frank Ostaseski, director of the Metta Institute, recently offered an adaptation of the letter for COVID-19.) 
• Set aside a day of self-care that includes mind, body, and spirit. Begin with your skin and work from the outside in. Moisturizing, washing, and conditioning could be considered level one. Then, feel what there is to feel, feel all of it. A meditation to allow for all emotion is likely what the doctor within ordered; and, your spirit. Honor the God of your own understanding. Set aside time to love yourself like you wish every member of the world would love each other.
• Dedicate a day for random acts of kindness, particularly for those whom you are sharing your space. 
• Do you have plants? Fertilize, water, and prune. Taking care of the living world around us begins here at home.
• Celebrate the new! Practice “beginner’s mind.” Step out of what is comfortable and do something you’ve always wanted to do – right here, right now. Try a new recipe, take on a sewing project (masks are good), or pull out the old chalk and draw on the pavement outside. Think waaaaay outside your daily box.  
• Dance naked. Choose wisely considering those around you, but turn on that playlist you made, and dance like it’s 1997. Weren’t things alive then? Yoga practitioners live in the moment. Dance like there is no tomorrow.
• Got glue? Got screws? Fix items in your home that are broken.
• The dream life, often overlooked, is another realm of a yoga practitioner’s existence. Write them down. Dreams often can tell us about aspects of ourselves that perhaps we haven’t been paying attention to.
• The world unfolds in spring. Flowers are everywhere: be inspired by them. What is opening in us? Take spring’s lead and make beauty around you.

Add to this list things you really know you want to address during this time that supports you in being a more present, compassionate, and grateful human being. Let go of the things you “should” get done or the items on your never-ending to-do list, and focus on listening and acting from your heart.