By Robin GOLDSWORTHY and Sabrina SHELTON

The term COVID fatigue, unfamiliar a year ago, is now something that people are not only familiar with but eager to combat. In an article published by UC Davis-Health, COVID fatigue results from people being cooped up, tired of being careful and tired of being scared.

To maintain – or regain – a sense of wellness can take a concentrated effort with the first step being to identify an area on which to focus. A side benefit may be that other areas might be positively impacted as well.

Joanne Pingry is an exercise instructor at the local YMCA facilities. When the pandemic first struck, facilities were shut down in response. Like many businesses the Y went virtual, hosting fitness classes, first through social media then via its new members app. Now nearly a year into the pandemic, Pingry is seeing people slowly and cautiously returning to in-person, albeit outside, fitness classes.

Though the exercise routines can be performed at home, folks are returning for the social aspect that gathering together brings.

“I have one senior who came back to exercise class,” Pingry recalled. “Her attitude is ‘I’ve lived a full life and [coming to the facility] is really important to me.’ It’s a priority for them – not just working out but seeing friends. The mental component is a bigger factor than the possible danger by not staying at home.”

The Rev. Antonio Gallardo leads the congregation at St. Luke’s of the Mountains in La Crescenta. He said, “In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, I heard about spiritual communities struggling with not being able to worship in person. As time passed, not being able to worship in person forced us to find ways to stay in touch with that God that we say ‘dwells in us.’”

He added that he has seen people tapping into that “well of spirituality within themselves.”

“We have realized that, yes, we miss meeting in person, and yet we have been reaffirmed that God is not confined within the walls of our sanctuary,” the Rev. Gallardo said. “God is with us at home; God dwells in us.”

To create a more intimate space in preparation for at-home worship, Gallardo invites people to light a candle, set flowers and set up pictures of their loved ones.

“I do this as a way for them to embrace the fact that they can create a sacred space to worship from home, just as the early Christian communities did,” he said of his advice.

He added that a benefit he has seen is people wanting to do more as part of their spiritual journey, to learn more about spirituality, to pray more, to give more.

“We created a phone bank to keep an eye on one another,” he said. “We established a food program [that] from May to December distributed over $10,000 in gift cards, and more than 10,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables. This program will be extended through 2021 thanks to the generosity of volunteers and donors who signed up for the entire year.”

While many people are coping with COVID fatigue, Rabbi Janet Bieber is recovering from the fatigue relating to having COVID-19.

“I was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Dec. 30, two days after experiencing a high fever,” she recalled. “I had been so careful but now the monster attacked.”

Also an asthma sufferer, she was in the hospital for 11 days “fighting for my life from double pneumonia.” Since returning home on Jan. 13, Rabbi Bieber said she is getting stronger and during her recuperation has discovered “this is a good time to reconnect with every avenue of faith and meaning” that is open to her.

“My faith has expanded and grown. I recognize the purity of connection to goodness that I share with all others who have goodness to connect with,” said Rabbi Bieber.

She recalled a moment when she was a child with her rabbi Henry Kraus, an Auschwitz survivor.

“I saw the weariness of the people after their week of hard work. I saw how Rabbi Kraus and Cantor Meyerson, through song, prayer and tradition, lifted the spirits of the people and how they left with renewed energy. I knew right then that I wanted to do what they did,” Rabbi Bieber said.

Decades later, she was able to reach that seemingly unattainable goal and along the way she learned valuable lessons that can be applied in meeting the current challenges presented by the pandemic.

“Listen to those in your life who have your well-being on their mind. Beware of those who just see business as usual, who use their influence to manipulate and direct your energies towards their own gain,” she said. “You must discern carefully and never let someone else usurp your holy energy!”

As the pandemic rages onward, people either know someone who has experienced stress, anxiety and subsequent fatigue, or have experienced it for themselves. Well-meaning commercials and social media posts may remind folks to “just breathe” or “count your blessings,” but sometimes these platitudes fall short. Instead, the public would benefit from tangible, actionable tools to work through and relieve mental fatigue and general malaise.

When the mind, body and spirit are all working properly and in balance, daily life can feel manageable, and even enjoyable. Yoga has been a favorite for centuries for those looking to connect with the Divine, listen to their thoughts without judgment, and feel at home in their body. For yogi Krissy Harb, the journey has been rewarding.

“I have always considered the yoga practice [as] a moving meditation, and became a serious meditation student during my yoga teacher training,” Harb recalled.

What started as an alternative to the gym became a journey from yoga student to yoga instructor and studio owner. Now, Harb said, yoga is a tool for combatting COVID anxiety and her Hashimoto’s diagnosis.

“Hashimoto’s is basically an auto immune condition that causes fatigue and low thyroid function,” Harb explained. “Every time I am met with a challenge, I get on my yoga mat; and while the challenge doesn’t magically disappear, yoga empowers me to handle it in the best way I know how.”

Hearing advice from a seasoned practitioner can often be daunting for novices, though. There is yoga for every age and any body, however, and Harb loves the versatility of savasana, also known as corpse pose. It sounds morbid, but it’s an invigorating pose for an exhausted and over-worked nervous system.

Simply lie down on the floor, hands by the side with palms up. The legs are extended, feet flopped open and inner ankles shine up to sky.

Harb encourages more. “Take up space. Close your eyes, drop your jaw, drop your tongue. [Take a] deep breath in through the nose, and strong breath out through the mouth. Repeat three times. Then just let your beautiful body drop into earth, be held, supported and nourished and rest in stillness for as long as feels good.”

Taking five minutes to stretch, breathe, or try savasana can be the start of a more mindful day.

“Yoga is the grounding force in my life,” said Harb. “It helps me to make aligned decisions in navigating these wild times.”

Taking even a few minutes to reset one’s breath and body can give people the bandwidth to continue with their day. This also allows folks to be more present and helpful for friends and family. This continued practice has allowed Harb to pivot her business with the twists and turns of the pandemic.

“Yoga is so much fun and, while it is a deeply spiritual practice, it brings me and many of our students a great sense of peace and joy, even if it’s just for a small moment.”

She now offers outdoor yoga classes, which has helped her disposition and lightened her teaching style.

For anyone curious about mindfulness, Harb offers a free 30-minute Zoom breath work and meditation practice every Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m.

“It will surely lift a ‘bad’ mood,” she promised.

Find this class and more at spiritualheartyoga.com.