I’ve just returned from The Playfulness Retreat, and it was an incredible experience to organize and facilitate!
The Playfulness Retreat takes the spirit of the Giocosamente Playfulness Festival, which has been running since 2019, to a deeper level. While the Festival celebrates those already living playfully—full of networking, games, and recharging with like-minded souls—the Retreat is a true training ground. It’s a deep dive into the Playful Path, focusing on nurturing a Vibrant Body, Joyful Mind, and Loving Heart through guided group yoga sessions and transformative experiences. 🧘♀️💓
One participant beautifully described their experience:
“The Playfulness Retreat at Pianeta Verde with Anthony, through activities of play, exchange, meditation, and sharing, allowed me to express my innate playfulness in complete freedom and harmony—not just with the surroundings, but especially with the people.
It naturally and spontaneously removed any taboos, pre-judgments, or judgments from and towards others, freeing me from any conditioning, no matter how subtle. It felt like participating in a ‘Dance’ that helped me understand how the diverse aspects of my SELF can come into balance, surfacing or retreating depending on what I need at any given moment or stage of my life.
It was a bit like a ‘Puzzle’ where you need to become skillful at placing the right piece in the right spot, aligning it with the other pieces to reveal the complete image—where the ‘Game’ is me, my life, and each ‘Piece’ is a part of my personality, history, characteristics, and mission in this existence.
I thank Anthony for offering me the opportunity to take part in this ‘Dance,’ and I intend to keep on dancing!”
Our sessions at the retreat began at 8 am, and I’ve learned that you can’t dive straight into full-on play when people are still in a delicate morning mode—it would be way too overwhelming. Instead, I start with a general idea of what I’d like to achieve in the class, but I let intuition and experience guide the session as it unfolds.
We had three morning sessions:
- Embodied Gratitude Practice: A gentle way to start the day, focusing on cultivating a sense of thankfulness within our bodies.
- Elastic Body Movement and Laughter: We combined playful movements with laughter, slowly energizing our bodies and minds.
- Energetic Playful Movement and Group Creation: This session encouraged spontaneous group interactions, bringing everyone fully into the moment.
Each session began with creating a safe, open space—something I’ve developed and deeply value. I’ll write more about this in a future post, as it’s a crucial part of my approach. Slowly, everyone was drawn in and came out of their shells. By the end of each morning session, we were all fully activated and deeply connected, both with ourselves and each other. 
This gentle approach to starting the day applies to our personal practice as well.
Just as we need to be kind and gradual in a group setting, we must also be kind to ourselves when practicing alone.
In a typical home yoga practice, it’s not uncommon to finish feeling introverted or even irritated by external noise. I’ve experienced this many times. What I’m realizing now is that the energy and emotions we release in our practice need to flow and be channeled throughout our entire being. It’s a profound experience that can’t be fully understood in words—it must be felt. So, next time you finish your yoga practice, instead of reaching for your phone, computer, or breakfast, take a moment to dance or sing—or do both! 💃🎶
Working this way really sets us up to win the day. I have so much more to share about our morning routine, and I’ll be offering an online workshop on this theme soon! 🥳
A Few More Reflections on the Retreat
Late in the morning, we had a community yoga session—an incredibly powerful practice, especially for singles and couples. It’s a chance to connect on a deep level and release tension that’s been stored deep within the muscles. In the afternoon, we played games and delved into the living philosophy of playfulness. We explored the six human needs to discover what forces are driving us in our lives right now, and we embarked on a journey to meet our future selves! 
I’d like to extend a special thanks to Michele and Aurora for their support. At one point, it seemed like we might have to cancel, but miraculously, it all came together! 
