Welcome to this week’s Newsletter — the first one for May, so welcome May!

As we have gone into the month we have seen some lovely days, blue skies and sunshine bringing a lot of brightness and lightness which makes us all feel better. We had a little pre-class chat before Wednesday’s Kickstart Your Day Xtra class about how the sunshine affects us, and this is a topic covered in the What’s Up Docs podcast of 31 March, with Professor Hester Parr, where they discuss the sunlight’s effect on mental health — a very interesting listen. 

I’ve had a fun filled week highlighted by playing monsters with my 20 month-old granddaughter, Trixie — more of this in this week’s Your Whole Self section below. 

JTP Book Club

It’s the first week in May so here is my recommendation for the month: Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major — I haven’t actually started it yet, but the premise interested me as it is described as a combination of One Day and Groundhog Day. So if anyone has already read it, I’d be interested to hear what you think.

May is the month of Bank Holiday Mondays, which is tricky to timetable for us, and as we like to keep the classes running alongside each other, we always take the week out if there is a Bank Holiday Monday. So this week is one of those weeks. Face-to-Face Classes are back on Monday 11 May. 

Online Classes will continue this week, even on Bank Holiday Monday, so I look forward to seeing you then. Just for information, I only run one Live class from the Facebook JTP Zone group, not many of you join that class, which makes me wonder:

1. it’s a lunchtime class — 12.30pm so is the timing wrong?
2. it’s live on Facebook — no camera — so I can’t see you

Is that because you don’t want to join a class on Facebook?

I would be really interested to hear thoughts from the JTP Family about this. 

For information to Zoom users — I change class links every 7 weeks or so, so if you have got into the habit of bookmarking the link, please remember to change it. 

In May I am looking to add some Mindful Pilates extra sessions so keep a look out for these.

As mentioned above, this week’s inspiration came from a very important activity… playing monsters with Trixie, my 20 month-old Granddaughter. 

There was no structure, no plan, no purpose — just a lot of giggling, pretending, and the kind of laughter that catches you by surprise. I haven’t laughed like that in a long time, but it felt full, carefree and I felt so much lighter afterwards. It made me think that somewhere along the way it’s easy to stop giving ourselves permission to play… even as ridiculous as it might sound.

Can you remember when you last did something just because it made you smile or laugh? Not something that was productive or ticking a box, not something labeled as good for you, just something that felt fun. We tend to be great at doing what needs to be done, like organising, planning, showing up, but not so good at just playing… which is just as valuable to our mental and physical health.

If you are lucky enough to have contact with young children, you will see how naturally they play, laugh, try things without worrying if they are any good, no measuring of outcomes. But as adults, play is not something we consider important — and I’m not talking about structured play such as a sport — I’m talking about spontaneous play, because it feels unnecessary, unproductive, and we make excuses like I don’t have time for that, or I should be doing something more useful.

Fun and joy shouldn’t feel like a luxury, but part of our wellbeing because when we laugh we feel light, stress levels reduce, the body relaxes, and energy lifts. We even start to feel more connected to ourselves and others. It’s not wasted time, it’s restorative time.

So what do I mean by spontaneous play? Well, it doesn’t have to be part of a grand plan, it can just happen out of a moment, of standing in the sunshine and spinning around till you are dizzy. Just being silly with a friend, maybe doing something you know you shouldn’t. I can remember going wedding dress shopping with a friend, when neither of us was actually getting married… totally inappropriate behaviour, but we couldn’t stop giggling. 

Have you seen Mortimer and Whitehouse Gone Fishing when they are trying on outfits and coming out of the dressing room… it’s hilarious, and they spend the whole time laughing. Really it’s about letting go of thinking everything needs to be perfect, less about what you do, and more about how you feel when you are doing it.

Here’s a reflection for the week ahead:

• what makes you smile — easily, naturally?
• when did you do something spontaneous just for fun?
• when would you be able to bring a little more play into your week? 

Nothing big, nothing complicated, just a moment to choose joy, without justifying it.

So have a great week. Keep looking, moving, and feeling good… and playful.

With love and support,

Jane xxx