Age: 37 Condition: Anxiety, exacerbated by recent social isolation How long he’s been living with anxiety: 10 years Living with anxiety can be a challenge during the best of times. During the current pandemic, which calls for staying physically apart, that challenge may be particularly acute, as many are feeling isolated from our support systems, social networks, and other things that make coping with anxiety easier. Like many folks with anxiety, I’ve found that a regular practice combining yoga and mindfulness meditation is very helpful in treating my condition. While I’m no stranger to occasional classes in both, my practice usually resembles a gentle stretching workout followed by a quiet, reflective sit, typically in the comfort and quietude of my home. Though I’m not usually one to view meditation as a group activity, I find myself craving some social interaction these days. Considering the increased stress so many of us are under lately, I’ve also found myself looking for a way to inject some novelty into my standard meditation practice during this unprecedented crisis. Like any sort of disciplined practice, after all, meditation can start to feel rote if you don’t introduce new elements from time to time. Given my current yen for a little human connection and the need to breathe a little new life into the work I do to combat my anxiety, giving Chorus a shot seemed like a no-brainer. RELATED: How to Get Through the Loss of Rituals During the Pandemic
What Is Chorus?
Billing itself as “meditation, kinda,” Chorus is a guided meditation class that leans on a three-part breathing technique to distinguish itself from other practices. This three-part, or tripartite, breath consists of two inhalations — one inflating the belly and the other concentrated in the chest — followed by one exhalation, all through the mouth. The heart of a Chorus class consists of taking this three-part breath at a variety of tempos set by the class leader and against a playlist of ever-present background music. These breathing exercises can make lying quietly on your back for the better part of an hour unusually stimulating. While they’re broken up by brief respites of deep breaths through the nose and out the mouth that will come more naturally to seasoned meditators, the tripartite breath sets Chorus apart from other practices. It can also leave you particularly emotional during the session. Instructors note at the beginning of each class that it’s not uncommon to feel light-headed or experience sensations like tingling in the extremities, laughter, and crying during a session. The way Chorus coaches shepherd the class will be familiar to anyone with experience in guided meditation, though Chorus takes some notes from group fitness classes such as Soul Cycle in its tone and tenor. That’s of a piece with the Chorus model, which is notably more intense than more standard, laid-back meditation and mindful breathing practices. Initially envisioned as an in-person class at the founders’ San Francisco studios, social isolation measures convinced the Chorus team to take their practice to a wider audience by offering online courses. At present, classes are $10 each for a one-hour session conducted via the Zoom video-conference service. It’s worth noting that as of this writing, the class fee doesn’t go to the teachers but is instead donated to the San Francisco–based charity Tipping Point, which is working to support families at or near the poverty line and keep them solvent during the current economic crisis. The Chorus team also provides shorter meditation exercises on Instagram; sessions for private groups are available as well.
Here’s What Happened When I Tried It
I took three classes in total from Chorus, two in the morning (8:00 a.m. PT) and one at the end of the day (6:00 p.m.) over a period of 10 days and got a much more intense experience than I had bargained for. While each class starts similarly to other guided meditation practices like intention setting and deep breathing, Chorus turns on a pop music soundtrack fit for the gym and bails on a standard meditation experience very quickly. The three-part breathing exercise that’s central to Chorus varies in tempo and intensity, but whatever the pace, it’s a helpful focus and a good anchor to return to when your thoughts inevitably stray. At its fastest, Chorus didn’t leave a whole lot of room for intrusive thoughts as I found myself giving all my concentration just to keeping up. While that experience may not be for everyone, I found it refreshing, if not always relaxing. As class leaders M.K. and Maddy noted, the breath work involved in a Chorus class can result in weird experiences not typically associated with meditation, from seeing colors to feeling tingling in your extremities. The coaches did a good job preparing all participants for this, explaining that the sensations are a result of the three-part breathing technique delivering more oxygen than normal to the bloodstream and advising participants to retreat to a more normal breathing pattern if they ever felt uncomfortable. (Note: Breath work exercises can induce hyperventilation.) That said, it was still strange to feel a distinct vibration in my hands and arms during one class. Other participants variously reported crying, laughing, and yawning in the course of the classes I took, underlining the step Chorus takes beyond the sort of meditation to which I’m accustomed. Overall, I found Chorus a notably energizing take on meditation, and as such, the morning classes were more suited to my tastes, helping to center me and providing a ramp into my day. In contrast, the evening class left me a little more hyped up than was ideal in the hours before I turned in for the night.
3 Things I Liked About Chorus Meditation
Chorus was not like any other meditation practice I’ve pursued in the past, and it gave me a lot to think about in terms of how I meditate and what I want out of the practice.
3 Things I Disliked About Chorus Meditation
While it’s a bracing change to my standard mindfulness routine, there are aspects of Chorus that left me unsure that this course is the right one for me going forward.
The Bottom Line
It turns out that, in the hands of a Chorus coach, lying down and silently meditating for 45 minutes can be a surprisingly strenuous experience. But if you’re looking for an opportunity to shake up or reboot your existing meditation practice, this unexpected spin might be exactly what you need. Even if Chorus doesn’t end up being your cup of tea, their new spin on mindful meditation and breath work that doesn’t let you off easy can be useful as a fresh perspective for approaching meditation. It is also important to highlight that people with some chronic diseases and pregnant women should be cautious with meditation involving breath work and consult their doctor before trying it. The rapid breathing can cause a change in the delicate blood acid-base balance and may bring intense emotional release that can worsen psychological symptoms and heart-lung and other underlying medical issues.
Other Ways I Manage My Anxiety
As I’ve mentioned, I already employ short sessions of mindfulness meditation in combination with yoga to help keep my anxiety in check. Since the last months have been particularly stressful (stop me if you’ve heard this one), I’ve also recently started consulting with a mental health counselor through a telemedicine service, which is an especially good method of self-care during these uncertain times.
