5 Actionable Ways You Can Protect Yourself and the Community During COVID-19
At this point we know that social distancing is key to reducing the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Whether you are a young, healthy adult or part of the high-risk population, it’s crucial to practice social distancing to help the collective community.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).”
The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a new strain that emerged in late 2019.
As fear and uncertainty build as the virus continues to spread and impact communities around the world, it is important to be informed and prepared.
Having a full understanding of what COVID-19 is and what we can do to help prevent it is how we stay informed. Using this information to create a plan is how we can help ourselves and our loved ones remain calm amidst the global health crisis.
Here Are 5 Ways You Can Protect Yourself and the Community During COVID-19:
1. Act As If You’re High RiskSocial distancing is crucial. Even if you are a young, healthy adult, it is important that we all do our part to slow the spread of the virus and help protect those who are high risk.
The issue with COVID-19, and why it has spread so quickly, is two parts: First, this coronavirus is highly contagious. Worse, it can spread even if we’re asymptomatic (not showing any symptoms).
Social distancing asks that we all act like that’s our grandma who’s at risk.
While you could have the coronavirus and not even show symptoms, if you were to come into contact with your elderly grandmother, the sickness could impact her much more seriously than it did you. Social distancing asks that we all act like that’s our grandma who’s at risk.
This is why health officials urge for social distancing to slow the spread. The more we remain home and avoid coming into contact with others, the more chance we have as a collective community in slowing the spread (especially for our high risk population).
2. Know the Facts About the VirusAs with anything online, there are countless sources of information, some more credible and accurate than others.
It can be easy to find inaccurate information which is why it’s so important to know the facts about COVID-19, and also have reliable sources you can trust for correct information.
Key facts about the coronavirus (COVID-19):
Credible, reliable resources to stay informed:
If you’re looking for additional information and credible resources, we recommend starting with this article from the World Health Organization. It includes countless additional references and resources for you to conduct further research.
3. Take Preventative Measures for Your Home BaseMost of us are staying home most of the time, and our home needs to be our safe zone! First things first, clean and disinfect your entire home.
After that, take preventative measures to keep your home clean. Take your shoes off at the front door and wash your hands immediately. Don’t let strangers pet your dogs when you take them on walks.
Disinfect all commonly used surfaces (see #2 for best disinfecting products) on a daily basis. Wash your clothes after being out in public. Sanitize your phone often.
If you live in a public building, avoid contact with ‘high traffic’ surfaces like elevator buttons, door handles, etc. and be sure they are getting disinfected often. Take the stairs if possible and wash your hands immediately once you get back home.
These are all preventative steps we can take to reduce the amount of germs we spread and bring into our homes.
4. Take Your Exercise Online and Make Time for Self-CareAs we discussed in #1, social distancing is so important and that includes where you typically go to workout. Many people are choosing to avoid public gatherings of anything over ten people which could include yoga studios and gyms.
Luckily there is no shortage of online yoga and fitness options. YA Classes by YogiApproved is an online yoga and fitness class membership with hundreds of online yoga, fitness, and meditation classes.
Practicing social distancing does not mean that you have to put your yoga practice and fitness routine on pause.
Making time for self-care is always important, but in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, staying calm and grounded should be of utmost priority.
You can still get outside for a walk, spend time in nature, take a bath, read a good book, create art, call a loved one, journal – take time to do the things that fill you up and make you feel good.
5. Be Prepared But Don’t Feed Into the HysteriaImplementing a plan and knowing what we can do to help prevent further spread of COVID-19 is how we can be prepared but not afraid.
Being prepared means having a plan in place for the areas of your life that will be impacted from the coronavirus and potential closures, cancellations, and quarantines that may result.
According to the World Health Organization, it’s ideal to have a few week’s worth of food on hand, but we don’t need to “panic buy.” Planning ahead for the possibility of working from home, having kids home from school, etc is another great way to be prepared.
Implementing a plan and knowing what we can do to help prevent further spread of COVID-19 is how we can be prepared but not afraid.
Most importantly, remain calm. Getting stressed out does not help anyone. Take steps for stress relief, self-care, and maintaining good health. Eat healthy, drink a lot of water, maintain your yoga and exercise (or turn it up a notch!), and stay connected.
Even if you’re not able to be social in public right now, schedule FaceTime dates with loved ones and reach out if you need support.
We Can All Do Our Part to Protect Ourselves and the Community Amidst COVID-19We can all do our part to help slow the spread of the virus and protect those who are high risk. In addition to the above steps we can take, keeping ourselves healthy and calm is also so important right now.
Stress can compromise your immune system response, so the less stress we take on, the healthier we’ll be for it.
While it’s easy to feel stressed, overwhelmed, or anxious about our current situation, it’s also possible to use the above steps to remain cool, calm, and collected.
Know that we are all in this together, and we will all get through this together! Wishing you all peace and good health from the YogiApproved team
Why is cleansing important?Many people use crystals to soothe their mind, body, and soul. Some believe that crystals act on an energetic level, sending natural vibrations out into the world.
Crystals often travel long distances, from source to seller, before a purchase is made. Each transition exposes the stone to energies that may be misaligned with your own.
And when used for healing, these stones are said to absorb or redirect the negativity you’re working to release.
Regularly cleansing and recharging your stones is the only way to restore your crystal to its natural state. This act of care can also reinvigorate your own sense of purpose.Read on to learn about some of the most common clearing methods, how to align a crystal with your intention, and more.
Continue reading ...... https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-cleanse-crystals#overview
The Year of the Rat. 2020 marks the Year of the Rat, with the animal seen as a sign of wealth and surplus in Chinese culture. The rat is associated with the Earthly Branch in Chinese astrology, and the midnight hours. In terms of yin and yang, it is considered 'yang' and represents the beginning of a new day. People whose birth dates occurred in the Year of the Rat include those born in 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996 and 2008.
It's hard to believe that another year is in the books! This year we had to opportunity to travel around Virginia, DC, Maryland, and North Carolina. We started the year with the launch of fly by B.Birdwatcher earrings and collaborations with Khreativ Soy Kandles and Wellevance. I loved working with both talented girl bosses and if you haven't checked out the collabs, make sure to visit the Collaboration tab. We had our best day of the year in March at the Pathway's Natural Living Expo! We were so busy the organizers had to stop our sales one whole hour after the event had closed! What a Blessing!
During the spring, we prepared for our busy season of yoga festivals and added a few new yoga studios to our partnerships. I visited Arizona and picked up some new gemstones while other's added to the #IGotStonedIN campaign. The beginning of summer started off incredibly amazing where we returned to some of our favorite festivals like Oneness Festival and Smoke and Vine, where I almost stepped on a not so pleasant snake!
We had the great opportunity to participate in new summer festivals like Heartful Fest in Richmond and for a few weeks we took up residency on the DC Wharf Waterfront in the MadeInDC tents! It was wonderful meeting tourists who took our stones across America!
In 2018, we worked in Richmond, VA more than in previous years and of course the people of Richmond showed their support! We met awesome peeps at the Jazz Festival, Peace, Love, RVA festival, and our pop-ups around town.
The whole of 2018 I was focused on my October journey to South Africa. It was a homecoming that I had waited 43 years for filled my time there soaking in new cultures and of course hunting for new gemstones. Unintentionally, I collaborated with a jeweler in South Africa to create a mantra band. You never know when or where you will meet a kindred soul to help grow your brand!
The Holidays are always fun for me because I know for each bracelet purchased for a gift someone on Christmas day will gain joy from their gemstones and learning about their energies. So again, I thank you all for our success in 2018 and I look forward to seeing everyone again in 2019!
Welcome to 2019...and the Year of the Pig. Even though the Chinese New Year does not start until February 5th, we would like to express our annual theme which includes many of the Year of the Pig traits. A pig represents luck, overall good fortune, wealth, honesty, general prosperity, symbolizing a hard working, a peace-loving person, a truthful, generous, indulgent, patient, reliable, trusting, sincere, giving, sociable person with a large sense of humor and understanding. *https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/Chinese_Customs/pig.htm
Photo Cred: https://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2019.htm
It's been a little over a month since I returned from South Africa and I am excited to announce the release of B.Birdwatcher's IXam Collection. While visiting the Apartheid Museum, we were told to not take photographs so I went old school and took out a pen a paper to jot down my memories. Upon entering, we gained knowledge about the Khoisan people of South Africa and their now extinct language of IXam. The Khoisan are South Africa's oldest inhabitants and are made up of a number of related communities: The Cape Khoi; the Nama; the Koranna; the Griqua and the San - who also often refer to themselves as bushmen. Throughout the day, we learned about how many of the revolutions of South Africa was driven by the taking away of their own language. It touched me to the point where I knew I wanted to name the next collection, IXam.
Later that week, after having a terribly hard time finding gemstones to use for the collection, I found a souvenir with all the gemstones from South Africa and the collection finally had legs. South Africa is known for their diamonds and platinum mines however some of your favorite gemstones are actually mined there. Tiger's Eye, Carnelian, Amethyst, Blue Lace Agate, Aventurine, Citrine, and Rose Quartz to name a few.
Finding the charms I needed to complete the collection came by two awesome designers, one I met in Johannesburg and the other in Capetown. Shirley Larken of The Jewellery Experience at 27 Boxes in Melville. 27 Boxes is a local fashion and design center in Joburg. Shirley actually created the small Africa Charms and also......the Mantra Bracelets located under fly by B.Birdwatcher ( story to come later). Shirley and I bonded quickly and she not only created my charms with lightening fast speed she sent me awesome recommendations for the Capetown leg of our trip,
The second designer was found by my travel buddy, Sheree in the Greenmarket Square Artisan Market that was conveniently located directly in front of our hotel. Lelhaam Alexander, sets up her tent every day in the market and truly reminded me of my weekend vending here in DC. The struggle is always real but much real-er when you have to physically build your own tent!!
So please enjoy the browsing through the collection! These designs have a meaning and a story to tell!