August is a worldwide “vacation month”. At least that was our reality up till 2020.
What happens when the term “limitless freedom” becomes “internal freedom” and instead of “traveling to an exotic location” we are forced to find a place within that gives us a sense of freedom and enables us to take a fresh breath.
A lot of us were used to taking some time off work for a vacation beyond state borders.
Covid changed most of our habits, making us adapt to a new reality where you can’t take that yearly vacation whenever you like, to wherever you want. We had to learn some flexibility and creativity, to make a delicious lemonade out of those Covid lemons.
Going on vacation is so much more than the two weeks you spend off work. It’s an opportunity to unwind and recharge. It’s about taking a break from your daily routine, doing things just for yourself, letting yourself be spoiled, pampering your soul a little.
This new forced reality caused this “time off” term to be unclear. When mandatory lockdowns left people with no work or working from home, the line between work and time off got blurred to nonexistent.
As much as working with your pajamas can be fun, making some quality time for yourself in this new reality becomes challenging.
As a brand that supports free movement and gives a lot of thought to the way our clothes move together with the body, we started thinking how much the term “free movement” has changed this year.
Our freedom to move has changed, we are no longer free to move wherever we like, but this also created a change to the way we move inside these limitations. People have more free time and there’s suddenly a place for physical activity. As a yoga clothing brand we noticed how people have more room for movement in their lives. There’s more activity that doesn't require an organized setting, and maybe being alone enables to start an activity when there’s no outside criticism. Plus, giving time for exercises can be a perfect “excuse” to have some quiet time away from the little bosses at home.
When we traveled across borders, flying and traveling, we expanded our own boundaries, taking our cell phones and laptops, making sure we have the WiFi password before we have our room key - This change got us asking ourselves - what happens to
our freedom and
our personal limits when external borders start to close and when Vacation becomes Staycation.
How can you
go on vacation and keep your personal borders, especially in this period, where for the first time, the whole world is facing the same issues.
Seeking freedom, internal or external is an integral part of being a human, this is portrayed in the Vedanta - one of the six schools of the Hindu philosophy. The concept of vacation as we knew it, of traveling and immersing ourselves in culture may have changed, but this gave us an opportunity to look into our personal borders and limits and find a way to go on a soul vacation. Putting a clear border between your soul and the background noise, expectations and yes even notifications, can bring about bliss. Practicing yoga or meditation supports our inner freedom and enables us to listen more closely to what makes us feel free and put aside what disturbs our peace.
Creativity is key. We hear from our surroundings about taking a vacation at home or finding a “secret” place to be with yourself, even if it’s just for a few minutes or an hour.
When you work from home and can’t take a vacation abroad or even in a nearby town, how do you take time away from your daily routine? How do you recharge your soul while staying at home?
