PLAY!
Hello there! I hope this week finds you heading into August with a spring in your step and a plan for a few personal (read: beach) days! I'm sipping Buckingham Palace Tea this morning and thinking about how a sense of play can change everything.
As we come to the end of our Summer Full Bodied Yoga series (thank you to everyone who came out!), we have been exploring the idea of play and how it can not only liven up our practice, it can also free us up to take risks and flirt with curiosity.
Being playful is pretty easy for me. I grew up in a very fun and silly household and I love to make jokes and find the lightness in things. I'm annoyingly into birthdays, holidays and any excuse to celebrate or send a card. I've definitely encountered my share of pushback from people and even had moments where I thought I should "grow up" and be more serious. But honestly, life is serious enough. I'm good with celebrating and enjoying every moment I can.
I'm also learning how to employ play when I'm pushing myself out of my comfort zone and exploring things that are new and/or challenging.
In our Summer series, the focus has been on what it looks like to embrace this season. And while this is unique to everyone, for me it has been a journey of finding ways to embrace the heat, bringing myself back to the water, wearing fun and light things that don't have me melting, and taking down time before things get busy in the Fall.
One of the big ways I found myself embracing Summer last year was going to my local outdoor pool at least once a week. I would sit on my beautiful beach towel and then bobble around (honestly, bobble is the best way to describe it) in the water. As soon as I let go of the idea that I needed to look a certain way or that I should show up to do laps, it became about the simple act of enjoying the water and the sunshine. I allowed myself to play and I felt so free.
Playfulness is often associated with childishness, but I disagree. You can be incredibly (and very adultly!) serious about something while still inviting play as a way to keep things fresh and creative without overthinking the outcome or possibly even talking yourself out of something.
Being playful can help you through a difficult yoga class or when you're trying to master a pose. Being playful can help when you are planning a trip or getting ready for a first date. It can be there when you are exploring going back to school or changing careers. It can be there when you want to take on an art project or a hobby. It focuses on experience over outcome and really invites us to be in the present moment, which ultimately means we are experiencing our life as it happens. Win!
So let yourself play. Especially if you're holding back on exploring the things that might make you very happy. Be a kid and enjoy the moment.
As you move through this week, remember to treat yourself and your body with love, respect and kindness.
Much love,
Helen xo