By Shelley Budd

As kids we are free to run, jump, shake and create without the weariness or trepidation that cold adolescent years can put onto our shoulders. Any moment of not being received or understood in those teenage times can cause us to shy away from loosening our bodies and letting our imaginations run wild. Any gal in her early to late twenties could probably look back and laugh now at the heaviness that one rejected silly comment might have brought on her awkward banged and braced face during middle school, that it’s-so-all-about-me heartbreak when a guy doesn’t ask you to dance to KC and Jo Jo’s All My Life, or the weakening sense of adventure caused by studies becoming more intense and money becoming a necessary factor. But there is still childish fun to be had in Vancouver! And these spots are some great starting points to discovering all the creative, youthful spirit that can be dug up around this playground city.

Semperviva Yoga
If you love to dance, and open your heart & mind when you can – try out a Kundalini class at Semperviva in Kits. The class is all about shaking it, jumping around, moving every part of your body while looking inwards – no comparisons to “the hottest girl in class.” Another treat they offer at the studio is an Absolute Beginners Yoga workshop, where you can learn all the basics, and the teachers will help you find the right fit for you. The best part? A lot of their classes happen right on the beach. A great summer kickoff for your body if it’s been a stones age since the last trip to the gym!

Urban Source
Urban Source is a source for inspiration. Bulk barrels are brimming with trim for that plain t-shirt, there’s bags of brightly coloured feathers and packs of wire to make a hair band or clip, fringe to spice up a lamp, baubles and little gold keys to string onto sneaker laces, little Chinese takeaway boxes for wrapping a cute gift, sparkly vintage NY postcards to send cross-country and brighten someone’s week – these are the toys of a rainy afternoon. It’s good to remember the feeling of creating something personal, with your ‘youness’ all over it!

Biltmore Cabaret
What could be a better childhood activity to engage in for a Fun-Day Finale than dancing your tits off for Tofino band Tough Guys and Girls Cry presented by the Glory Days? Their story is the perfect match to this journey of shaking off the stress to get back to our wild primary states, since the album came to be out of the dark, stormy Tofino winter months, and now they’re taking their fiery fit of piano pop ballads to the world in true surfer sun-time style. My! Gay! Husband! goes on after to put on one of the usual amazingly fun mixes that might just encourage that child in you to be so audacious and adult as to, like, “try out a beer or two.”