The Thing About Summer

31st St Harbor

We wait months for the weather to turn.  Summer is Chicago’s golden hour; a time when people seem much nicer, more motivated, and fun.  The city comes alive; there’s a buzz and energy that lights the city with excitement.  The beaches fill up, the boats line the horizon, and people pour from subway cars on to hot platforms.  There’s a tiny haven at the south end of the city- 31st St Harbor.  It is on the edge of the buzz;  quiet, and waiting.

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It is here where the water is calm, the breeze is warm, and the view is just right.  The water gently taps against the dock, the boats, and the boards.  Yoga in this place is harder than you might expect because it’s on the water, but there’s a calm in it.  There’s a fluidity and ease to it that breaks stress into soluble pieces.  Sometimes there’s a interruption in the quiet- a flock of seagulls circling mid-morning prey,  laughter from a group enjoying the sunset, or loud music from a crew of sun seekers who are ready to party all summer long.  These sounds are welcome; sensations of summer and soon to be echoes in the banks of a memory.

SUP Yoga Royal Pigeon Yoga Sunset

The best times are sunrise and sunset.  The beginning and end; stunning, simple, serene. A time when you forget what you’re worried about.  A time when you appreciate what you have.  A time when you are in love with yourself and with the world for all the shit it brings, good and bad.  In this space you can change your perspective and see life through a clear lens that focuses on the here and now.

sailing chicago summer

The thing about summer is the fruition of atha*; of being present because it is somewhere you want absolutely want to fucking be.

Love and Light,

Jaclynn Kay

*Atha is the sanskrit word that translates into “now.”  Now, being and meaning this very second; this moment in all of it’s fullness.