I saw a video today called Never Leave the Playground by Stephen Jepson. I highly recommend it. Jepson is 74 years old and believes that the secret to health and longevity is to “just keep moving” through constant play. He’s designed a series of exercises that focus on movements and games that are like what children play on a playground. It inspired me to share a little snapshot of my outdoor practice session.
I’ve been housebound for the past few rainy days and so I decided to take a trip to the local playground. It was SO nice to be out in the sunshine again. I think that part of my enjoyment comes from knowing that these warm days are numbered…
I really like the Fall in New York. There’s an abundance of warm days before the cold weather hits. I was walking around barefoot today (in October!!) We’re also approaching the time change which is all the more reason to play outside as much as possible.
Around 4:00 I packed up a thermos of strong black tea and strapped my yoga mat to the bike. I hit the road for the local park and playground in Woodstock, NY. It’s a pretty sweet spot for an outdoor yoga practice. The backdrop of the mountains and the open sky are simply beautiful.
The park was almost empty except for a few high school boys. I set up on the opposite end of the basketball court near an apple tree. The boys hung out for a while and I had a chance to overhear some of what goes on in their world.
Practicing outdoors is so much better than practicing inside. It doesn’t cost anything to practice at your local playground. I hope you find some time to practice outside soon.
My home studio for the day:
