PLAY On

I’ll never forget that dinner at a burger place in Omaha.

I was knee-deep in yoga teacher training, which for those of you who haven’t experienced it, is a labor of love. It pretty much consumes every free moment outside of your 9 to 5 either in weekend-long training, studying, reading or trying to squeeze in more practice.

When I started teacher training I thought I simply wanted to deepen my own practice, I wanted to learn more about this moving meditation that had brought so many immense gifts to my life. 

What was it about this thing called yoga that can move emotional mountains?

I’ve written already about how pivotal and life-changing that training was for me—it skyrocketed my journey towards a more balanced and authentic life. I will forever be grateful to my teachers at what we affectionately referred to as YBB (Yoga Body & Balance), there simply are no words big enough for their impact on me.

My YBB teachers teaching at PLAY. 💗

Part of yoga teacher training requirements is performing a community service act, the yogis call it Seva. I went back and forth about what my Seva should be. I really wanted to share this mindfulness/yoga practice with those who may not seek it out. I wanted to reach the people who for a million different reasons aren’t drawn to yoga studios or gyms.

I also wanted to share the kind of yoga that I had experienced at YBB. Not all yoga is the same, which is a great thing because it reaches more people that way. There are certainly more physical, and less emotional practices that many teach and even more enjoy.

But the yoga I wanted to share is the kind that is equally if not more so about the mental than the physical. I took a friend to a class at YBB once and I will never forget the slightly buzzed look on her face when we were done, a look and a feeling many of us yogis have grown to love.

“That’s not yoga,” she said, “that’s therapy.” Exactly. That’s what I wanted to share with the world.

I thought about a lot of ideas for my Seva, from simply teaching my family yoga (who would fall in the category of people I wanted to share this gift with) to teaching some busy, professional, bad a** friends. But this little voice kept ringing in the back of my head about an outdoor yoga event I had attended in Omaha. Every time I went to this event I thought, why doesn’t Lincoln have this?!? It was a huge production, hundreds of people came and it felt like absolute magic—not to mention we always ended with a boozy brunch. Gah, pure bliss.

Ok, I thought, maybe I can do a Lincoln version of that. I started to think more about what that would look like. I adored the Omaha event but it appealed to more seasoned yogis than newbies. So for Lincoln, I removed the fancier production, the entry fee and the more advanced teaching. I kept the community vibe and the outdoors—a park in central Lincoln quite literally would level the playing field for those that were new to the practice.

“This is a chance to live my mission,” kept popping in my head.

So back to that burger place, I was there with this guy I was newly dating. We were serious enough to have taken down our E-harmony profiles, so I figured he was enough “in my circle” to ask for advice. I told him my idea, and this mildly reserved, buttoned-up accountant said, “Yeah, I definitely think you should do that.” Ok, if HE thinks I should do it, I definitely should! (Good thing I married that sage a few years later. :))

Fast forward through the logistics, I have very little tolerance for tenacity and to-do lists, so this part was particularly hard for me. I struggled to get funding for a bit, and that almost ended my pursuit. Thank goodness Coach Kirk (as I affectionately refer to my hubs) was in the background pushing me to keep going.

I finally got funding from the amazingly supportive Executive Director of the Parks and Rec Foundation at the time and off we went. I gave the event a name, PLAY (Parks. Lincoln. and Yoga.), and set up a Facebook page (really the only option at the time). I remember distinctly saying to myself, “if I can just get 108 likes, I’ll be happy.”

At our first PLAY, I was beyond nervous. I put crudely written “free yoga” yard signs out surrounding the park. My first “sound system” was an iHome with a mic next to it, sitting on an empty “organic peaches” box.

I figured attendees would pretty much be my friends and “stfs” (yoga teacher training speak for your other classmates—”students, teachers, friends”)…and then they started coming….

From every angle, every bit of the park and parking lot, people emerged with a rainbow of mats making their way to the band shell. The march of the mats, it’s to this day my absolute most favorite part of every PLAY. And this year marked our 12th year. That gives me goosebumps as I type it.

We had almost 100 people at the first event! I simply couldn’t believe it. But you know what, when you are fully living out your mission, that’s the kind of magic that can happen.

Our very first PLAY.

Magic did happen and continues to, season after season, year after year, if you’ve been to the park for one of these events, I hope you have felt that same energy. That same immense impact of a community immersed in wellness.

So why is PLAY such a perfect fit for my mission to share the gifts of balance and mindfulness with those that might not otherwise seek it out? And why am I so damn passionate about it?

I want people to understand that yoga (in this context) isn’t about “working out” or “flexibility” or if you’re “doing it right.” 

It’s about creating focus and giving those thoughts that don’t serve you a break for a few minutes. This moving meditation allows you to tune in to both your brain and your body—getting to know them better by creating space.

I so deeply want people to find even a minute or two of that quiet focus during PLAY. That kind of focus that really allows you to tune in to your life and just listen. 

Making this a free, public, city-supported event, I hope, gives people an easier introduction.

I want people to understand this practice does not have to be rigid or hard or “woo woo.” 

You can come to the park, you can sit 20 feet away from anyone else, you don’t even need a mat, and experience a teeny tiny piece of this PEACE. You can bring your kid who will climb all over you; you can fall in the soft grass; you can bring a dog who barks every so often and STILL benefit from even 5 minutes of pure practice.

I hand-select teachers who get this.

I was thrilled when the Parks and Rec department took PLAY on as an official program to keep it going after our grant funding had ended, and to reach even more of a diverse audience my circle doesn’t reach.

I get a lot of wonderful suggestions to add this or that to the event and politely keep it as simple as possible. 

I want people to walk away from this understanding that even a few minutes of tuning in to your mind and body and tuning out of whatever chaos is around you can move mountains in your journey towards balance.

It really is that simple.

And it really is that hard.

PLAY is fully living my mission. I am absolutely touched by the 100’s of people that come to the park each year. I so desperately hope that even .0001% of them get to experience the joy of presence, feel a tiny bit lighter or more empowered when they leave, or have a chance to process a feeling that was stuck.

I get choked up every year, every practice, every time I see those yoga mats marching towards the band shell…

AND running any event has its annoyances. 

Logistics get messy, some attendees get grumpy, and sometimes Mother Nature acts up. Sometimes I get a little salty when we have 5 Sundays in September instead of 4. Sometimes I’m simply not in the mood for all the adrenaline that comes with event planning and I have to talk myself into walking out that door and off to PLAY.

And THAT is another key message in all of this. Balance is both beautiful and hard and annoying at times and wonderful at others. 

Sometimes you have to peel yourself off the couch to make it happen, and sometimes it flows beautifully and naturally. The goal is to appreciate and be present with both. That’s the practice.

Even when I have to talk myself into heading out that door, I will ALWAYS have a moment of fulfillment and joy at the park. 

THAT is the yin and yang of balance. THAT is the push/pull of living your purpose. It’s knowing what’s in your heart is equally as beautiful as it is hard and doing it anyway. THAT is what it takes to PLAY at a level of living your mission.

One other very important piece to living your mission, you never go it alone.

The amount of supporters who have wrapped their arms around PLAY is truly humbling. From the stf who introduced me to the Parks Foundation ED, to the countless volunteers, to the two stellar organizers that took PLAY on for many of those years while I took a step back and just practiced. They added their own magic and mission to make an even more beautiful mix. The teachers, the parks and rec staff, those who donated printing, mics and shirts in the beginning. ALL of you, supporting this. That’s what makes a mission happen.

And I’ll take it. And I hope to see you in the park next year. 💗

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