Play is Not a Luxury—It’s Our Oxygen
- Marijke
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Do you remember the last time you felt completely in the moment, forgot about time, and felt like a kid at the playground? That’s the feeling AcroYoga gives us. But this kind of playfulness offer much more than a good feeling. In fact, we can’t do without.
For many of us, as responsibilities pile up, those moments become rare. Also for me, being a mom with a toddler. But recently, after three and a half years away, I found myself back at the AcroYoga JAMs in Utrecht. Not as a teacher, but as a practitioner. My son is older now, I’m sleeping better, and I finally had the energy and time to play again.
From the second my feet left the ground: It felt incredibly good. I was playing with anyone who was up for it—trying moves I’d never done before, laughing when we failed, and celebrating together when we succeeded. For the entire week that followed, my spirit was lifted; I felt happy, energized, and productive.
That return reminded me of a vital truth that lies at the very heart of why we founded our AcroYoga community in Utrecht: we are biologically designed to be lifelong players. This very realization was the spark that ignited Playful People Tribe.
Shortly after that jam, I came across a book called Play, by psychologist and business consultant Stuart Brown, who has spent his entire life studying play, providing scientific proof for exactly what we experience during playful encounters like AcroYoga.
It turns out that flying through the air, balancing friends on somebody's feet, and playing around with no goal other than having fun is not just a hobby—it is essential to our physical, mental, and relational health. This is why your body and mind are begging you to keep playing:
1. Play is Your Brain’s Greatest Workout
We often think of play as something only kids need, but our brains actually keep developing long after adolescence, and play is what promotes that growth.
Stimulates Brain Growth: Active, physical play stimulates nerve growth in the amygdala (where we process emotions) and the prefrontal cortex (where we make executive plans and decisions).
Keeps You Sharp: Movement play lights up the brain and creates new neural connections. Studies suggest that physical play forestalls mental decline and protects against neurological conditions like Alzheimer's and dementia.
Solves Difficult Problems: When we let ourselves play, our brains enter a state where dilemmas and challenges naturally filter through the unconscious mind and work themselves out. It sparks curiosity and helps us find the unusual among the common.
2. "When We Stop Playing, We Start Dying"
When play is denied over the long term, our mood darkens and we lose our optimism. In fact, a chronic lack of play behaves exactly like malnutrition: it is a severe health risk for both your body and mind.
If we stop playing, our behavior becomes fixed. We lose interest in new experiences and find fewer opportunities to take pleasure in the world around us. Without play, we stop developing, and the laws of entropy take over. We stay in one spot, becoming "more plant than animal".
But there is a fast, joyful antidote: get moving. Motion is the most basic form of play, and we are designed for it from the womb. We are truly alive when we move! Physical play is even shown to increase our immune strength and protect against heart disease.
3. Play is the Cornerstone of True Intimacy
AcroYoga is a deeply social practice. You cannot do it alone—and that social, collaborative play is where the real magic happens.
Sustained Intimacy: Did you know that sustained emotional intimacy in relationships is practically impossible without play? Play is like oxygen to a healthy relationship; it refreshes us through shared humor and lightheartedness, letting us escape daily duties.
Play Together, Stay Together: Couples who play together, stay together. Novel and slightly risky activities (like trust-building AcroYoga transitions!) kick up the brain's levels of dopamine—the neurotransmitter essential for pleasure. It keeps relationships flexible, helping couples rebound from misunderstandings.
Attunement and Trust: Just like animals play-fight to practice social signals, emotional intelligence, and trust, we play to learn boundaries, friendly connection, and how to resolve differences constructively. Playing as a team allows us to become fully attuned to one another.
4. Work Doesn’t Work Without Play
Many of us were raised to believe that play and work are enemies. But the opposite of play is not work—it’s depression.
Neither work nor play can truly thrive without the other; they are joined by a common thread of creativity. Engaging in play brings excitement, novelty, and expansiveness back to our jobs. It helps us cope with stress, deal with challenges, and master our crafts. In the long run, just a little true play brings our work and lives back into a healthy balance.
Feed Your Play-Soul: How to Stay Play-Nourished in Utrecht
Play is nourishing, but you have to actively take time out for it, just as you would for a healthy meal. If you don't feed your playful side, you risk "play malnutrition".
You need to put yourself in an environment that actively supports and promotes play, surrounded by people who nourish your playful spirit.
If you want to experience the benefits of AcroYoga Utrecht, here is how you can jump-start your play today:
Connect with your Acro-Buddies: Block out a consistent day every week to meet up, laugh, and play.
Join the AcroYoga Utrecht Whatsapp group for all jams organized by practitioners.
Join our AcroYoga Beginner-friendly Playgrounds in Utrecht: Come move, fail, succeed, and laugh in a safe, high-energy environment with other AcroYogis from Utrecht & beyond.
Take the Leap with AcroYoga Classes in Utrecht: Join our upcoming courses (for Total Beginners & Intermediates) to explore new moves, find a supportive local community, and dive deeper into your practice.
Find the play that feeds your soul and make it a priority. We are built to fly, to connect, and to stay young at heart. Let’s stay play-nourished together!
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