The Joy of Play: Why We Need to Move, Laugh, and Let Go

Recess isn’t just for kids! 🌸✨ Hanging out (literally) and embracing the spirit of PLAY. Movement, laughter, and a little bit of upside-down magic—because why should the playground fun ever stop? 😆🤸‍♀️

Holla! Adventurers,

I was hanging upside down in a yoga hammock the other day, trying out a movement that had me feeling both slightly ridiculous and completely alive. It was one of those moments that transported me back in time—back to childhood summers in Vermont, where hammocks were a staple of our campsite. My dad always rigged up at least one, sometimes two, and we played endlessly.

We swung, flipped, cocooned ourselves, and squeezed in as many kids as we could. Sometimes, the webbing would slip, and we’d end up on the ground, covered in pine needles, wood chips, and black soil. Other times, I’d just hang there, gently rocking, staring at the sky, watching clouds drift between the treetops. It was the most fun and the most relaxing thing in the world, all at once.

That feeling hit me again in my yoga class—only now, I was surrounded by adults, giggling as we tumbled out of our hammocks, adjusting, trying again. It was playful. It was light. It was freeing. And it made me wonder: Why don’t we allow ourselves this kind of play more often?

Somewhere along the way, we lose it. We stop exploring movement just for the sake of moving. We stop rolling on the floor, swinging from bars, jumping just to see how high we can go. We become afraid of looking silly, of getting it “wrong,” of making mistakes.

Spend five minutes in a gym with a kid, and you’ll see how different things could be. They don’t care about the “correct” way to use a machine. They push buttons, climb, dangle, make up games, and test their limits with pure curiosity. No one is walking in straight lines, staring at the floor, moving mechanically between exercises. They are playing. They are learning. And they are having fun doing it.

As adults, we trade play for structure. We want to be safe, sure, but often our fear holds us back from experiences that could bring us joy. We fear falling, failing, or looking foolish, and in doing so, we miss out on the simple magic of movement.

Play isn’t just fun—it’s essential for our health. Research shows that movement-based play reduces stress, improves brain function, and boosts creativity. When we engage in unstructured, joyful movement, we activate the prefrontal cortex, improving problem-solving skills and emotional regulation. Play also increases the release of dopamine and serotonin, the “feel-good” neurotransmitters that help combat anxiety and depression.

Studies even suggest that playful movement can reduce cortisol levels, helping to manage chronic stress. And here’s something wild: Playing—whether it’s dancing, climbing, or tumbling around—can actually increase neuroplasticity, meaning it helps your brain form new connections and keeps it sharp as you age.

In other words: Play isn’t just for kids. It’s for our nervous systems. Our mental health. Our longevity.

Play isn’t just about fun—it’s about connection. Connection to ourselves, to our bodies, to others. Those moments in the hammock as a kid were special because, sometimes, I was alone in quiet bliss. Other times, I was tangled up with friends or family, laughing uncontrollably.

That’s what happened in my yoga class. We moved, we experimented, we giggled at our awkwardness, and we let go of expectation. And that’s what made it great.

Play gives us permission to be present. To release stress. To stop taking ourselves so seriously. It reminds us that life isn’t just about getting things right—it’s about experiencing things fully.

I want you to do something silly, physical, and completely unnecessary this week. Something that doesn’t serve a purpose other than joy. And it doesn’t have to cost a thing.

Here are some ideas:
✅ Go to a playground and climb, swing, or slide.
✅ Go to the beach—but don’t just sit. Jump waves, build a sandcastle, or run barefoot.
✅ Dance in the rain. No umbrella. Just you, moving.
✅ Walk backwards for a whole block.
✅ Be brave—learn a TikTok dance. Post it if you dare.
✅ Balance on a curb, jump puddles, roll down a hill.
✅ Try to do a cartwheel, a somersault, or a handstand.
✅ Hang from something. A pull-up bar, monkey bars, a tree limb. Just hang.

Let yourself be awkward. Be playful. Be free.

Because you might just rediscover something you didn’t even realize you’d lost.

And when you do, tell me about it in the Summit Stronger Community. I’d love to hear what happens. 😊

Playfully,
Coach Christine