Life is an endless game for small children.  Through ‘play’, they learn to use their imagination and have fun.  It is a natural action from a very early age.  But come adulthood, society puts less of an emphasis on the notion of play.  And unfortunately the idea of playing is reserved almost exclusively for competitive sports.  While some people assume it is all about winning, play is actually vital for problem solving, creativity and relationships.  We should all dedicate some time for play as we do for our families, our jobs and other responsibilities.

How do we know if we’re taking life too seriously?

Life is busy.  Daily schedules are run by appointments, deadlines and family responsibilities.  Being busy often means it’s hard to find time to laugh or enjoy the moment.  On top of this, it’s easy to spend hours ruminating over an email you’ve sent or a comment you’ve made.  And so much time gets wasted agonising over the smallest decisions.  It often seems like there’s not enough time each day to ‘stop and smell the roses’.

While everyone faces the demands of a busy life, you can take a step back and embrace the playful aspects of some of your daily activities such as cooking dinner (or ordering a delivery), doing a workout or catching up with family and friends.

How can you be more playful?

Play is free-flowing fun that unleashes the imagination.  Like when children play with an everyday item in a way other than for its original intention.  Being playfully active or actively playful has profound benefits at all ages.  Find things you love doing and participate in a variety of acts, sports, activities or whatever you feel you can do to expand your play horizons.  If you can’t do so daily, then at least try to carve out some leisure time throughout your week.  Play is important work.

The Trend Towards More Playful Yoga

Yoga has become more playful since it was introduced to the West in the last century.  And that’s not to devalue its interpretations of the sacred and the secular.  Some people like Yoga to be relaxing, while many others like it vigorous.  Yoga isn’t an exclusive club and there’s no wrong way to enjoy doing it.

For us, play is letting go of the ‘discipline’ mindset that everything needs to be serious.  With that in mind, we have decided to embrace something new by introducing Rocket Yoga to our community.  Join us on Fridays for our Rocket Yoga sessions.