At this moment, we are not just suffering from COVID-19, we are also suffering from the absence of a dependable source of fact. It is specifically in times of public crisis when we look to steady leadership for reliable information. Sadly, we are now left groping in the dark, anxious, experiencing the end of the truth. 

Can we cohere as a society around the truth for the common good? Let us know your thoughts below.

Now that we have awakened to what makes life sacred and worthwhile, we know this: We are enough. Right here in our pajamas. We are enough. 

We can envision a new human story, once obscured by smog, but now visible on the horizon not solely because we’ve awakened but because we stopped spewing filth into our skies. 

In our quarantine, something shifted. Quietly, as if out of a collective unconscious, we all imagined the same thing.

Bonus points for how big you smile...

Ever since I first heard Chubby Checker sing “Let’s do the twist” at a second-grade sock hop, I’ve loved songs that make you shake your body until you can’t breathe, or stop laughing, or both. 

Shaking just feels right. Happy, wet dogs wading out ponds and tiny kittens trembling for a warm touch know what I’m talking about.

This where I could point you to ancient qi gong shaking practices or the groundbreaking trauma work of Peter Levine, but I don’t feel the need for a hard sell here...

I don’t need to teach you any poses or positions.
Amazon.com has no special equipment to sell you.
Carpet or hardwood, it’s all good.
No partner required. 

Welcome to the perfect social isolation self-therapy.

Turn on some music.
Set a 5-minute timer.
Don’t. Stop. Moving! 

In this little timelapse, Julia and I were listening to:

What is your favorite shake soundtrack? How did you feel after...

We have inevitably been forced to adapt and evolve in the face of COVID-19.

What patterns have you seen evolving? Are you learning to live with less? Are you experiencing more gratitude for what you do have? Have you gotten out of your pajamas today? (I'm personally business casual on top, bedtime jammies on the bottom ;)

We'd love to hear more about how you have been coping with this new way of life. (as best you can) 

#Commune #Commusing #COVID_19

PS - If you'd like to receive more conversations like this in your inbox, please be sure to go to our site and sign up for our new weekly newsletter designed for deep thinking, quiet reflections, and unhurried self-care: https://ww2.onecommune.com/

It is important to feel your feelings. 

We cannot transform that which we refuse to feel. You probably were not taught to sit with discomfort or acknowledge your pain. It's more socially acceptable to numb out than tune in. Yet the key to healing on a psychological level is connecting to those parts of ourselves that feel out of control and wild. The only way to heal is to feel and process our feelings. In this video, master teacher Hala Khouri explains more. 

Hala Khouri is a co-founder of Off the Mat, Into the World, a training organization that bridges yoga and activism within a social justice framework. She leads trauma informed yoga trainings nationally.

Rose, Bud, Thorn is a nightly conversation game I learned as a summer camp counselor years ago. Surprisingly, it has become a big hit here in Commune Topanga quarantine. Every night Jeff and Schuyler’s daughters insist we play — maybe because they want to head off any talk of statistics and politics, but, I have come to suspect, because they crave the healing hidden in the game.

Here’s how it works: Each person shares their Rose, Bud, and Thorn for the day. The more specific the better.

Your Rose is something positive, an opportunity for us to collectively rejoice in your success or relive a happy moment. Recent examples of family Roses include:

• “Today we picked a bag of oranges on a neighborhood walk."

• “I got a good grade on my school essay."

• “How sweet it is that we sit down for dinner as a family every night these days."

Your Bud is either something that shows promise and/or something bittersweet. This how we know what you’re...

Plus, all fives of these common plants have a host of medicinal qualities. Here, our resident nurse and herb-nerd Julia explains some of their benefits. 

What herbs are you harvesting and steeping right now? Let us know in the comments.

We have entered an era where the CDC is posting articles on how to make your own mask and videos with the U.S. Surgeon General in full dress uniform folding an extra t-shirt. Scientists are rigorously testing the filtration merits of vacuum cleaner bags vs. pillowcases.

In the early 1980s, my mother’s first job out of college was working for the local waste management facility promoting their new recycling program. I vividly remember her coming to my elementary school classroom to teach us the three R’s — Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. 

Unfortunately, time (and corporate propaganda) has obscured that the three R’s are actually a hierarchy. Reduce your waste, creatively reuse what’s left, and only...