the movement
honor ancestors, serve descendants, nourish all
Image: Sunrise on summer solstice 2024 from the north shore of Bali, Indonesia
Happy Summer Solstice
The roots of yoga and ayurveda (science of life) recognize the summer season as the peak of active and warming energy. The days are longer, and the warmer environment naturally sparks our inner fire. Summer invites us into the fullness of engagement and activity. I invite you to listen to your body in its active state. The good news is by attuning to our cellular structure, listening and responding to our body’s needs we avoid burnout. That listening is the embodiment of empathy. I propose to you that empathy is a skill we need to hone and the best way to cultivate empathy is to use it on ourselves. And when we embody empathy, we are better equipped to serve others.
Imagination to Empathy: Tools for Self Care
I am a theatre kid. Maybe you are too?
When you were little, did you turn your living room furniture, pillows, and bed sheets into a fort, jungle, or spaceship? Did you ride dragons, escape tigers, and traverse the milky way?
At play time did a game ask you to leap like a frog? Gallop like a horse? Oink like a pig? Be as quiet as a mouse? As tall as a house?
Did you create elaborate scenarios for your action figures? Did your dolls have names and back stories? Did you carry out conversations with your most beloved stuffy?
I was too little then to know imaginary play was the cornerstone of being a lifelong theatre kid. Years later I learned that the preservation of imagination is a key to a career in the wild and wonderful work of theatre arts.
Skill Building Through Theatre
Perhaps the label ‘theatre kid’ conjures memories of a school auditorium. The smell of fresh paint on the newly constructed set pieces. Teenagers calling for ‘line’ as they stumble through their blocking. Floating dust particles visible in the beams of light being focused on the stage. A teacher’s voice coming from the darkened auditorium seats, “Where is the audience? Can the audience see you? Can the audience hear you?”
The call is to cultivate the skill of performing a task while maintaining the point of view of ‘another’ (the audience). Let’s take a moment to recognize that is a big ask for the developmental stage of a teen!
In college courses, theatre kids can be observed elbow deep in script analysis, poring over character motivation revealed in a single word. The professor encouraging the students to see that moment of dialogue in context of the scene, and then in the greater context of the ‘world of the play.’ What is the physical and historical setting? What do you know of the social and cultural environment? How do those elements influence the relationships between characters? What is the back story to every character? Inviting the young adults to hone their ability to view the widest perspective surrounding a flash point in the script.
If you wander into a rehearsal hall, you may see theatre kids standing facing a wall making strange sounds, training themselves to project without yelling. While the exercises may look silly, they are necessary drills to develop a voice that carries to the back of a large auditorium while maintaining clarity and resonance. It is a true skill to be heard without shouting and to let your voice carry emotional nuance. A vocal coach prompts the practitioners to inquire, can the person in the very back row feel the intention in your words?
Image: the skyline of Seattle, WA, late in the evening in June 2020.
Empathy is Innate
While the many skills described above sound like excellence in communication (and they are), that is only the tip of the iceberg. Theatre builds empathy through storytelling. People come together and intentionally co-create a safe space for expression and witnessing. The communal experience invites individuals to process emotions and lean into the collective strength of our humanity. Humans have what it takes to metabolize fear and let joy flow through us. By nature, human beings are social creatures. Empathy is innate to us. Participation in theatre arts reduces isolation and strengthens emotional connections. Theatre arts have been used as therapeutic tools to de-escalate conflict, repair relationships, and improve mental health. The corner stone of repair involves understanding another's perspective.
When is empathy an essential tool for your physical wellbeing?
These same communication and empathy skills from my undergrad studies and career in theatre serve me today in the field of collective wellbeing. As my body ages (I’ll turn 50 this summer—what a privilege to usher in a new decade!), I have learned to listen and respond to my cellular structure.
I use my theatre kid imagination and role play with my parts as if they are talking with me about how they ‘see’ the world from their perspective. I’m a goof ball so the dialogue often includes some sort of musical number. I learn a great deal from the internal conversations with all my parts, but those stories are for another time!
How does empathy show up in a mindful movement practice?
Empathy embraces the wholeness of your being. Welcome functional alignment rather than force an external standard of what a movement ‘should’ look like.
Empathy invites curiosity rather than criticism. As you move your body, free your mind from a need for ‘perfection’ and towards exploration.
Empathy requires observation. Rest your awareness on your breath. Study the flow of your breath with appreciation. Allow yourself to recognize the endless dance between your breath and body as you move through life.
Approaching my own body with empathy allowed me to cultivate the skill of interoception. It took practice and time (decades even!) to lovingly tune into my internal state rather than judge my external shape. As I move on my mat I observe the changes in my breath rate, heart rate, muscle tone and my emotional responses. Harnessing the human ability of empathy, I can answer a call for care, acknowledge a need for nourishment, and joyfully reciprocate an inner appeal to push myself.
The roots of yoga teach us to use empathy as a skill both on and off the yoga mat. Use your mindful movement practice to cultivate your human skill (superpower) of empathy. When we embody empathy, we carry it into the world. Imagine the world around you infused with understanding and compassion. Imagine empathy emanating from you.
The season of summer is calling you to play. Answer the call. You are invited to explore a collection of joyful whole body movement practices. As you play in your unique body, cultivate your empathy skill in action. Check out our on-demand library for whole body well-rounded practices to celebrate the fullness of the summer.
June 2026