October Intention: Playing with roses
I feel like October is the month where we finally settle in again, and then change comes, but the mundane is still there. We’ve settled into the school/work/family routines, and then fall comes (well more like a late summer 4 degree fall difference in Houston, but still it comes). It’s so important to add play into a routine, because we get stuck in our ways. Since it’s finally starting to cool down, I want to incorporate more backyard time at our house. Whether it’s eating outside, playing outside, or reading outside my intention for play is to GET OUTSIDE.
The thing that sucks a lot is realizing how none of us make time for play, even myself. I’m busy, and I like to be busy and I like to have play add to my busy-ness, but that really defeats the purpose. I, like many people, use “busy” as a status symbol. Look how busy I am: I run a business, I’m a mom, I exercise regularly, I’m a landlord, I’m a photographer, I’m decorating my house, writing this blog, and don’t you see how busy I am…. For me, I will really need to look, and make sure I’m not getting outside only during “task” times, but for actual doing nothing times or better yet “non-purposeful” times. I used to go out every morning and clip the roses, talk to my garden girls, but it’s been a while. This month, I’m trying to wake up and smell the roses again, LITERALLY.
That’s the purpose of play though, is to stop yourself in your tracks and get out of the mindset of to-do lists, goal settings, and really shaming yourself into realizing you didn’t get it all done. Because, if you are like me, it would be literally impossible to get all the things done in a day that I actually can. You know what drives me crazy, when people say “You know you have the same amount of hours in the day as Beyonce.” Here’s the thing, me and Beyonce aren’t actually the same, so please don’t shame me and how I use my hours. She has an entire TEAM of people to do her mundane day to day tasks, and literally this year I realized I need help cleaning my bathrooms.
Stop getting mad at yourself for not crossing everything off, I think social media has really skewed us all into being these little check marking robots, and now we don’t have time for actual fun.
This month I challenge you to do something fun and add play. It doesn’t need to be expensive or take up a lot of time. Sit down and draw, sew, do a board game with your kiddos. Think about something fun you used to do as a kid and recreate it. And, if you need to schedule your play DO IT. Set a timer or add it to your calendar, even if it’s once per week. Doing something fun and without purpose will create opportunity for innovation and creativity in your brain that can transfer over into your goals and into your work.
What you’ll see me doing this month in my classes: MORE MUSIC. I LOVE incorporating fun music in my classes and this month I’ll be added themed music, of course I will probably throw in a few fun poses or transitions, but sometimes we just need playful listening to help get out of our heads and that’s what music is for me. Let me know if you have specific music that helps create play for you, I would love for you to have some fun too!
See you on your mat!
Erin Cummings, co-owner YESyoga