CoronaPause: Post # 1 – It Starts

So, quick introduction.

    I’m Sensei John. I’m one of the millions of you presently living under restrictions due to the Coronavirus. I happen to be in the United States, in Bergen County, New Jersey. Here, we’re new to restricted life in what I call “CoronaPause.” (Thank-you to NY Governor Andrew Cuomo for calling the experience a “pause.” (Please see endnote # 1) We’re entering uncharted territory.

Unsettling days ahead. In my family alone I have four people at a severe risk due to various medical factors. My younger brother has advanced COPD and normally uses oxygen. I’m scared I won’t see him after the Coronapause.

I’d like to share with you some of the techniques that I use each and everyday to get through the day. These techniques, both mental and physical are derived from the martial arts. I first started learning them in 1971 when at age ten I set foot in my Sensei’s Dojo. What once started as a means of defending myself has now come to be a part of my life that sustains and nurtures me. I hope they can help you too, be sustained during your own Coronapause.

Tomorrow I’ll put up the first post about a state-of-mind gazing technique used to clear and reset your mental state. The next day I’ll teach you a martial arts breathing and movement technique to keep the lungs nice and strong. Then we’ll keep going from there.

To help you find them, I’ll use the hashtag #Coronapause. Again, please see endnote # 1 for attribution. Now, I’ve got grey hair and am just shy of 60, so I really don’t get the hashtag thing, but I’ll try. All I know is # is the pound sign, so let’s just say “Pound sign CoronaPause” and we’ll know what I mean.

That brings me to another point. I like to consider myself “witty & a trifle snarky.” My wife, on the other hand, says I’m just “annoying.” How bourgeois! “Witty and a trifle snarky” sounds so much more sophisticated. But, hey hopefully my sense of humor adds to all of us making it through the day.

So, I hope the rest of your day goes smoothly. Tomorrow, a state-of-mind adjustment called “Boketto” (cool, trendy, name Huh?!)

Oh, hey, whether you think I’m witty or annoying, if you liked this article please, pass it along – even if its just to annoy your confined friends.

Okay! Now, its official! I’ve affixed my official stamp, called a “Hanko.” Now, its serious!

Sensei John


Endnote:

1. I heard one of the many inspiring press conference of NY Governor Andrew Cuomo. In it, he brilliantly instituted the concept of a “pause” in lieu of “Shelter in place” or other such phrases. I simply combined the Governor’s brilliant acronym with the Coronavirus at the root of the pause to come up with a reference word for this journal.

Tags: #AmericaWorksTogether, #GreatAdaptation, #WithMe