Dear Readers, 

This narrative will be covered over the course of 3 blogs, each uploaded at the beginning of a new week. Please stay tuned to follow the story of my journey to spirituality. I sincerely hope you enjoy this piece and perhaps even learn something new about yourself through it. 

Regards, 

Chinmayi 

The Coronavirus pandemic has left an irreversible impact on the entire world. The painful losses and months in isolation have changed our way of living in just short of 2 years. Covid has affected everyone in some way and for me, it was mentally. During the initial phases of the global lockdown, my family and I were forced to shelter in place in Southern India. At the time, we were living in a flat on the 15th story of a high-rise. During the early stages of the pandemic, there were so many unknowns regarding the transmissibility of the virus. Hence, we minimized contact with the world outside of our door as much as possible. With my father being the sole provider to step outside for groceries, the rest of my family did not exit our flat for almost 150 days. As time progressed, we, especially I, quickly learned how difficult it is to live in full solitude. I realized how little I knew about myself or my true spirit. Being surrounded by other people constantly does not give one the opportunity to dwell deep within oneself- and full solitude offered me that opportunity. I felt as though I was living with a stranger and I became desperate to change that.