The Wonder of the Internet
It’s pretty obvious that the internet brings value to my life. I get to teach yoga on Zoom, attend gatherings with my sangha, communicate via email, look up information, buy almost anything, get my Curvy Yoga certification, get my Weight Neutral/Diet Recovery certification, and publish blog posts like this one. I’ve also condemned the companies heavily integrated with the internet for privacy issues, sharing my information, and driving the content that I see. That said, I want to give a shout out to the internet today.
Back when I was still connected to social media, I was able to connect with many friends and family across the country, and even the world. Thanks to those connections I am still communicating with a number of those folks, including friends from childhood. Over the past 6 weeks, I have been able to visit with friends I’ve known since I was 3 years old, since grade school, and since high school. I am grateful to the internet for providing a way to connect with these folks. I don’t know if the old-fashioned letter writing methods and snail mail would have kept us together. One friend I visited this past week I hadn’t seen in over 10 years, yet we were able to sit together at a dining table and share memories of the past and discoveries we’ve made over our adult lifetimes.
Through Zoom, I’ve made a number of new friends. When the pandemic started, my Buddhist sangha chose to go online. During those online events, I met friends who used to come to our live events, but the room was so crowded, I never really knew them. In the intimacy of a morning meditation, we have become closer than we ever might have had we continued meeting in person. I’ve also become friends with new sangha members who joined when they needed community in isolation, and they discovered our virtual space.
I’ve also made friends through Zooms via Meetup. One friend started her own virtual Meetup and I met her there. The Meetup has since ended, but our friendship remains. Every week we have a Zoom “date” where we chat about our lives and our activities. Would I have ever met this friend if there wasn’t a pandemic? Who knows. She does live locally. Because of health issues and safety, our only way to connect is electronically. I’m so grateful we have that avenue!
Through Zoom, I’ve connected with many people in the body respect community. Teachers, authors, and podcasters are all out in the world validating that we don’t need to be thin or diet to be valuable people. When the giant diet industry is beating on me from all sides, it’s great to have this community in my back pocket. In the last two years, I have created a virtual toolbox for myself so that I can navigate this difficult environment.
Through Zoom, I’ve also been able to practice and teach yoga. As soon as the outside world shut down, many of my yoga teachers started teaching on Zoom. Some still teach on Zoom, and so do I. During the summer, I take my class outside to a local park. Even while we’re practicing locally outside, I still broadcast the class over Zoom. This Zoom connection has allowed me to teach students from all over the country. If people overseas want to join me, they can as well. Through the flexibility of Zoom, I’ve picked up students that I had never met in person, including one from the town right next to my son’s in Colorado.
This past week when I visited my son, I had the opportunity to meet this yogi in person. Before we met, we really didn’t know anything about each other. We had seen each others’ faces and yoga spaces on Zoom, but that was it. I was excited to meet her, and yet I wondered if we would have anything to talk about. We decided to meet for an outdoor meal, and she would take me to visit the local parks. I wanted to find a space I could teach yoga at. We would reverse the settings: I would teach yoga to her in person, and my Salt Lake City students would attend on Zoom. When she picked me up, I noticed her license plate read, “GD KARMA.” Good Karma! This woman was going to be awesome; I knew it.
As it turned out, she is awesome. We have a lot in common besides the love of a yoga mat. She is a Buddhist, she has 3 children, she loves the Rocky Mountains, she is interested in body respect, she loves guacamole, and we are similar in age. We had plenty to talk about! Our connection bloomed easily. I shared Zoom links to yoga classes and Buddhist meditation sessions. I look forward to meeting with her again when I return to the area.
Would I have made this new friend if it wasn’t for Zoom? I doubt it. I realize we both had to reach out and want to connect with each other. The internet has provided me with some great gifts these last two years, and for that I am grateful.
