The Covid-19 edition.

FYI as I sit and write this I’m listening to Yoga & Meditation playlist on Spotify. Could I be any more of a cliche? No but seriously this has been my soundtrack to lockdown. I’d pick this any day over listening to the news.  I fully recommend listening  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX9uKNf5jGX6m?si=Ojnmf--OTaicWuOPqA1ixQ

Yoga & A Brew on lockdown here goes…

7am My alarm goes off, it’s that sunrise tone that’s supposed to gently wake you up, haha no thanks! I hit snooze. Getting up and out of bed during lockdown is HARD! I’m very much a person who gets stuff done so this enforced chill time has got me all discombobulated. 

7.08 am I hit stop on the alarm. I say to myself ‘ Rebecca, you got this girl!’ No really I actually do. I have developed an inner cheerleader from when I was a spin instructor, lets call her Beyonce, and she really does motivate me when I need her to. I send the daily message to my meditation group; I’ve been facilitating a 21 day meditation challenge to create abundance and we’re almost at the end of it. Yikes time is going so quickly!

7.15 am I listen to that days mediation. The man whose programme we’re following, Deepak Chopra, has the type of voice that makes you want to meditate even more. Well I do. I love it! And it always sets me up for the day.

7.35 am Lie in bed some more and contemplate what to do and in which order. I write a schedule that I will not stick to but as long as I’ve done those things in some kind of order by the end of the day I’m happy. I’m the epitome of ‘go with the flow’ right now.

8 am I DID IT! (I hear Beyonce cheering me on) I got out of bed! Wooo! I head downstairs so I can enjoy my morning Brew in the sunshine on my own before the dogs and the parents descend on me. Oh yes, forgot to mention, pre lockdown I moved back home after living in London for 7 years. I know lots of people made the decision to come back to their family home when lockdown happened for all sorts of reasons but never have I been more grateful for a decision I’ve made. I’m a firm believer in the universe guiding us on our path and this has certainly been guided for me. The sun is shining bright. How lucky have we been with this weather? I could sit in it all day.

8.30 am ‘Morning!!!!!’ shouts my Dad from the kitchen waking me up if I wasn’t already and the entire street for that matter. My Dad is a total legend but he’s also very loud (I know I can be sometimes) He is taking his lockdown role of  head chef family seriously by coming up with a weekly menu so that no matter what we always had our tea to look forward to.

8.45 am Me, Mum, Dad & Teddy & Phoebe (the dog children) sit outside together enjoying the morning sunshine. Although I feel the looming pressure to get going with the day, I enjoy this moment with them in the garden. How lucky we are that we have a garden. 

9 am I come up to my room away and hit play on Spotify on this weeks playlist: I’m currently taking part in a 7 week embodiment programme following the chakra system (energy centres in the body) where I spend 15 minutes everyday dancing & moving to release emotion. Honestly sometimes I feel like a bit of a lemon but it’s really mad how this stuff works. It also makes perfect sense because it’s been scientifically proven that we store emotions in the body, so I just go for it! And I know that it’s only going to make me a better Yoga Teacher & human being in the long-run.

9.15am Beyonce tells me it’s time to get the lycra on and get ready for today’s virtual workout. Who else’s lockdown ‘OOTD’ consists of lycra and pyjamas? I don’t mind it in all honesty although I’d quite like to wear a dress again at some point in my life.

9.30-10.45am On Zoom working out in the garden with The Unit Northeast, absolutely love them! I spend the majority of the time not being able to breathe and wondering if the next burpee I do will actually be the end of me but other than that it’s really enjoyable.  Jokes aside working out + Yoga & A Brew are EVERYTHING to me atm. Keeping me sane!

10.45am I  crawl back in to the house and Mum’s doing her own Mr Motivator workout in the kitchen. She cracks me up being almost as extra as him whooping and cheering at the TV along with him. ‘I do this cos I’m WICKED! Wooo!’ Maybe that’s who I developed my inner cheerleader from? What a scream he is. Anyway, it’s great brekkie entertainment. 

 11am Showered, squashed, pressed & get changed in to a more ‘Yoga Teacher looking’ set of lycra.  

11.05am Getting ready doesn’t take long these days which gives me plenty of time to get my ‘ Yoga & A Brew’ on. I’ve been doing live classes on Instagram since lock down started. Today is a lunchtime flow. Before I get prepping for it I do my own self-practice to get myself in the zone or zen should I say? I love taking this time as it always reminds me of why I want to share Yoga with others. 

11.35am I’m on a post- Yoga high (it’s a light-headed, fuzzy, full of love sort of feeling) so now is the perfect time to get out my notebook and plan today’s class. Teaching and planning classes this way has become really fun. It’s completely different to how I would have done it before but it’s pushed me to be more creative and really lockdown (pun intended) who I want to be as Yoga Teacher. 

 11.45am I practice the practice, yes I do, I look at the live classes and being in front of a camera as I look at scripts and auditions when I perform. And more than anything I need to make sure that I stick to the script otherwise who knows what I’ll start talking about? Downward Dogs & drunken nights with the girls? It’s entirely possible. 

12.15pm I put the kettle on, make myself a brew (usually peppermint or camomile) to calm my pre class nerves and ask my parents to keep the dogs and themselves as quiet as possible from 12.30pm-1.01pm. They know that I’m about to do a class but somehow this request is not always adhered to. I’d get really annoyed about the building work nearby making the loudest noise ever, the neighbours barking dogs, my barking dogs and my Mum and Dad’s decision to discuss what colour they’re going to paint the fence during my live classes but that wouldn’t be very Yogi of me. I just hope that the people doing the class can relate and will find it as funny as I do. 

12.30-1pm 30 minutes of doing my favourite thing, sharing Yoga with gorgeous people who are recognising, even more so now, how important it is to take time out of your day to do something for you and look after yourself. During the class I stumbled on my words lots but did drop a few wisdom bombs (honestly it was a shock to me) so it’s well worth giving it a go even if it is just to lie down for half an hour and breathe. Honestly the benefit of taking even a short time out of your day for some Yoga & Meditation is huge. I can say this because I’m totally crackers, bonkers, really, ask my friends, and  doing it has changed my life.  

1.02pm While the camera is set up (I say camera definitely using my phone) and the building work/noise has stopped I film a meditation to share on IGTV later in the week. This one is all about gratitude; something that’s good to do with everything being so unsettled right now.  I believe looking for things to be grateful for everyday, the smallest of things like a brew in the morning sunshine, is the key to getting through this.

2pm Brew made! (This time it’s Yorkshire tea) And I sit outside having a spot of lunch with the parents & poochies.

2.30pm Afternoon walk with the dogs to take in some nature and get those steps in. It’s funny, I would never had counted my steps before but this lockdown has made me so grateful for the times when I can get out. As I’m thinking this Phoebe, the girl dog, has found her way in to someone’s back garden and my few hours of zen go right out the window as I have to chase after her around and apologise profusely to the the person whose garden it it and who is at cross roads between wanting to shout at me and being absolutely terrified that if they get too close I’m going to give them Covid-19. Mad times eh?! 

3.30pm Back home and I head back in to the conservatory aka my Yoga studio to do some more filming for the Youtube channel. This time I’m filming a flow from last week which didn’t save on Instagram. It’s probably for the best because that was the one that featured ‘painting the fence gate’. All those banana squishing, in front of the camera times in drama school are really serving me well in lockdown. 

4.45pm After staring at a computer screen, editing today’s filming I realise it’s almost 5pm which means ‘Quarantine & Cocktails’ with the luxe magazine gals. YAASS! My friend Lis is editor for Luxe and has been amazingly supportive to me. She invited me in on the weekly call and it’s great to catch up with her and other local businesswomen/people from the Luxe team and hear how they’re all managing the new WFH life. The ‘& A Brew’ part of Yoga & A Brew is all about connecting with others and that can be over a Brew, a cocktail (an Aperol Spritz) or whatever you like so this is perfect!

6pm Oops! I’ve had two Aperols and it’s my turn to cook this evening. Just like Ross from friends would say ‘I’m making fajitas!’ This should be interesting…

7pm In a happy food coma lying on the sofa. My Yoga & A Brew video has finally uploaded to Youtube so I will be able to sleep tonight! 

7.30pm I run myself a bath, light some candles, press play on the Yoga & meditation Spotify playlist, put on a face mask and place all my crystals around the bath to bring me all of the good vibes. In my old flat I didn’t have a bath (I did wash, I had a shower instead) so I have a whole new level of appreciation for evenings like this where I totally pamper myself.

8.30pm I call my friend Anna, who is now living in Spain, and we have a proper chat about lockdown life. We are both really in to holistic therapies; she is a Reiki practitioner and has shared Reiki with me from a distance a few times since lockdown. Reiki? I hear you say. It’s an amazing complimentary therapy that helps in moving around stagnant energy in the body. I find it so helpful especially as I’m a natural analyser/ over-thinker and experiencing Reiki doesn’t allow for me to do that. She’s currently isolating with her sister and two baby nephews and although they are super cute they cry A LOT so I’m reminded that my current living situation is pretty blissful.

9.30pm Final Brew of the Day- this time it’s Camomile. Say night night to the family (dogs included) and head up to bed. Yes I know to some this might be early but I HAVE to get myself settled in bed for a while before I can actually sleep otherwise I’m tired but wired. Anyone else get that? Plus I’ve learned in recent years, from being so majorly sleep deprived when living in London, that sleep is THE most important thing for us humans. It causes major physical and mental health issues if we don’t get it right and I want to stay as healthy as I can (hopefully covid free) so getting those zzzz’s is at the top of my list.

10pm I tried to sleep but my brain decided to come up with Instagram captions for Yoga & A Brew future posts. REALLY? You’ve had all day to share this genius?! Why oh why now when I’m trying to sleep?! It’s okay I’ve got this in hand. I quickly note down what’s popped in my head so I remember it tomorrow. This is always good to do if ever the brain wants to talk to you about work when you’re trying to sleep. Just write it down and leave it for tomorrow. 

10.10pm Lets try this sleep thing again. I go on Youtube and find a guided sound meditation for sleep. I LOVE them! I find it so soothing and it really helps to send me off. I thank the Universe for another day in lockdown, another day closer to squeezing my friends & family, and head off in to a dreamy sleep. 

 CLOSING QUESTIONS

1. Are you ok? How do you feel right now in this moment? 

I’m okay, I’ve gone through some big events and life changes in the last year, so I know that I can get through this. Taking it day by day.

2. Do you miss anyone? If so, who?   

Really missing my friends and my brother a lot! And I’m missing be able to hug my  Grandma, I see her when I drop the shopping off but it’s hard not being able to give her a squeeze. We’re very close.

3. What’s your favourite nuddy product and why?

It’s got to be I’m totally coco-nuts for you soap bar! I really relate to the name first of all and I love the smell the most because it reminds me of being on holiday and oh my I cannot wait to be able to travel again one day. 

4. Why do you love the nuddy brand?

Because it’s cheeky and fun but a little bit naughty and I love that!

 THANK YOU WONDERFUL BECCA for sharing your day with us. We hope that you enjoyed reading Becca's daily diary, if you would like to get involved in this special series then please contact us on info@nuddy.co.uk - no matter your age, job, current circumstance, we'd love to hear from you and share your story! This is a tough time for us all, lets come together and help to support one another, WE CAN DO THIS. Oh, and don't forget to wash your hands. Check out our Super Rich Shea Butter Soap Bars below...