Laugh and Be Free

We took a drive up the coast, pulled into the state beach, and set up camp. Cell phones went off—or on silent anyway—tents went up, and the kayak hit the water. The blue waters and glowing sunset illuminated our campsite. Responsibility and stress melted right off my back. My sister and I laughed, and laughed. We laughed when we squished ourselves into a one-person kayak and nearly tipped it over. We laughed while practicing yoga on the beach and getting splashed by a mini “sneaker” wave. We laughed when setting up our campsite—something I haven’t done since childhood. It was a laugh-fest weekend, mixed with wine tasting, braving cold waters, and soaking up some much needed rays. It was relaxing and refreshing, but I found my true mediation, my true peace, in laughter. It was my “yoga” of choice for the weekend; it was almost like being a child again: Being okay with looking silly and doing headstands in the sand, running on the beach like a wild child, and just being free in general. This is something that escapes us in adulthood so frequently.

There is this picture in my Grandmother’s house that I love to look at. It’s of myself as a toe-head little girl running on the beach. I don’t really remember that day, but I remember the feeling of being “free like a child.” I hold onto how happy it makes me feel every time my Grandma tells me about that day. It’s a return to the core of who I truly am; that girl that sings about trees, the girl that runs and giggles on the beach. We can’t allow this freedom to escape us. Yes, there is responsibility in adulthood, yes we all have obligations, yes sometimes we are just downright too busy and too tired to embrace this freedom, but try to find it, or better yet just allow it to find you, and when it does laugh and be free. …Or just do Happy Baby Pose until you become a happy baby!

Love, Peace, and Namaste.




Stacey in Standing Bow Pulling Pose Dandayamana Dhanurasana