When I was 3 years old, in the “den" of my home in NJ, I am told I watched Sesame Street and The Magic Garden in a headstand.

I don’t know whether I was born with a genetic predisposition to be upside down, or that I realized things just looked cool that way (and maybe that life felt more playful from that angle)…but I have been doing headstands, handstands, name-the-stands ever since.

Why do I tell you this today?

Because tomorrow is International Handstand Day, and I’m encouraging you to try one!

Held on the last Saturday of June, the day intends to get people upside down and lighten the load each one of us carries…and to help us play more.

How about you use Saturday as your excuse to try one too? You can use a wall, or have a friend hold you up.

My guess is just by kicking up, you’ll have even a few seconds of fun.

Those few seconds could change your entire day.

Here's why.

Not only is the handstand a playful expression of your physical body, it’s steeped in metaphors that will move your energy to a higher level.

Think about it.

1. First, it helps you flip your perspective.

When you have a problem in your mind, what do you do? Do you hold it, stare at it, analyze it, stay up all night? That’s utterly normal.

But what if you were to change the lens, flip the problem on its head, and try to see the situation in a new way? Would the new perspective help you feel differently? Maybe you could solve it, or at least lighten your load?

2. Second, it’s healthy to get uncomfortable. This is how we move past our fears!

When you’re nervous but you try anyway, even if you don’t "succeed” (whatever that means to you), you feel good simply for the trying!! Right?

So, what if you exercised your fear muscle in a safe and playful way?

What happens if you intentionally move out of your comfort zone and kick upside down (safely please, with a wall or a spotter!) and overcome that fear this week? Does it shift you? Do you feel lighter and less afraid?

3. Finally, how often do you play? Do you know how important it is for your body and mind to play?

I’m writing a book on play, and the more I dive into the science of play, I’m in awe that adults don’t do more of it.

Somewhere on the way to adulthood we stop.

We let so much else take center stage in our days. Priorities are important, but playing in the spaces of what you need to do is good for your soul.

I don’t mean Fisher-Price toys. I mean doing more of losing track of time, activities when you’re in flow…and simply doing more of that.

Can you get playful this weekend and try it? Maybe your kids or your friends will join in.

In quarantine, I organized a 30-day handstand challenge for my members. For many reasons, I felt my foundation cracking. Yet this simple, daily act of kicking upside down in a playful way and then sharing it?

It was like food for my soul.

Turns out it was soul food for everyone in the group.

Many of the members have asked to do another handstand challenge summer -- no judgments, and no requirements!! It’s all about PLAY and inverting how you see things on life. Some people make it up halfway, others fall every time.

The point isn’t the handstand. The point is the perspective you take.

I invite you to join us if you are interested! We meet once a month as a group and I present on a variety of topics from goal setting and resilience, to breath work and self-love. There are other perks to membership, but the primary one is a community of some pretty incredible group of people seeking growth, learning, joy and community.

And if you can’t join us monthly, send me a photo of your handstand! Just reply to this email. The attempt to kick up is as important as the handstand itself! Use a wall, tree, spotter, or fall if you need (pillows help). Just have fun!!

Remember that how we do one thing is how we do everything.

With fierce love,
Alison