In Improv, one of the cardinal rules is that when you’re playing with others, you accept every offer that comes your way. Meaning, if you are in a scene and someone names you “Aunt Beatrice,” well then you play Aunt Beatrice for the duration. If someone says “how’s the gout?” then you know that your character had contracted the gout, and you’d better figure out what that means and act accordingly. These things make for great humor, I promise.
What I love about improv is that it has some great applications to every day life. I realized quickly that this idea, of accepting everything that comes your way, has some wonderful possibilities. So, I have tried, really hard, over the last few years to try out things that people suggest. And, I often find that this leads to the most awesome and unexpected things.
The most recent offer of my vacation was to try Bikram Yoga. This is the hot, sweaty kind of yoga – where they heat the room to about 100 degrees and then you do 26 poses in 90 minutes. Hmmm. So I went on Sunday. And I loved it. It was fun! It was easy (I swear!) and it felt like the right thing to do. I’m going again tomorrow morning, and I hope again on Thursday before we have to head home. And! I know because of Julie and other buddies that there is a Bikram place near work that awaits me when I return.
And then the synchronicity of this event hits me. A few posts ago, I mentioned that I wanted to get back to pilates – around the time that I was asked to co-lead the “Spiritual Pilates” retreat in March. So what shows up, just when I’ve voiced an interest and a desire? This yoga thing.
So yes, I’m accepting this offer. And I’m really excited to see where else it leads me.