Where The Wild Things Are…
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” ~Mary Oliver
I’ve been going to where the wild things are lately. Just like Max in Maurice Sendak’s famous children’s book, sometimes we need to just slip away and “let the wild rumpus begin”….
Here’s the recipe I’ve been cooking with…
1. Gather in a room with lots of people – the more, the better
2. Listen to loud, pulsating, gyrating Latin music
3. Begin moving your body
4. Notice places in your body that you never imagined existed
5. Let go
6. Shake your booty
7. Smile ( :
8. Feel more in your body than you’ve felt in a long time
9. Ahhh….Lightness
“Let the wild rumpus begin!”
Throughout most of my first Zumba class I initially felt very self-conscious and up-tight, but I kept at it as there was a part of me that knew something special was happening if I would just get out of my own way. Once I got out of my head and into my body, my learning really began. As I looked around I could see everyone in the room moving and gyrating with smiles on their faces.
Like Max, I was transported to a place where magic began to happen.
All of the sudden the heaviness of the day began to melt away. My burdens, “to do” list, plans and worries from the day began to fade into lightness. Humor was more accessible. The mood just didn’t stop after the class was over — it opened up a new way of being in myself and with others, a lighter, more connected place in myself that was infectious. Just what the doctor ordered!
Getting wild in this way takes us to a place where nothing else can. It helps us access the wisdom of our body and a mood of lightness – the type of freedom we can only give to ourselves. This doesn’t come with the empty promises that our consumer-driven world frequently offers us a good life – the kind of external solutions such as alcohol, expensive vacations, and buying a new car.
I am adopting this as a regular practice, one with lasting promises. I love Zumba, but I invite you to figure out what works for you – whether it is dancing in your living room, taking a class, going to a disco or a party.
Try it sometime, you might just like it….and get wild!
“…don’t just think with your head, think with your whole body.” ~ Eckhart Tolle
