How to Attract More by Having Fun and Doing Less
- Jul 20
- 4 min read
Erica Stanzione is a NYC-based yoga and meditation educator, retreat host, and teacher training leader. She was given a mission and has a deep passion for supporting and empowering her students as they elevate their lives spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically, and energetically.
Over the years, many friends and clients have shared with me that my energy has always felt playful. Free-spirited, definitely! But playful? Playful was never a word that crossed my mind when describing myself. However, once several people whom I loved and respected shared that with me, I realized just how much it fit.
To my surprise, years later, I became very clear about just how much that playful energy, joy, and sense of freedom had been shaping my life and creating the conditions for many blessings to unfold. Through my mindfulness practices, it became apparent that living from a state of joy was magnetizing creativity, opportunities, and relationships aligned with my soul.
As I started to pay closer attention to this avenue in my studies, I realized that joy is actually a spiritual practice. It is the discipline of choosing presence. It is about being awake enough to notice and grateful enough to appreciate the moments, people, and experiences that make you smile each day.
When we are genuinely having fun, whether through laughing, playing, dancing, traveling, or connecting with friends, our nervous system is often in a more regulated state. In that state, we are strengthening our capacity to recognize and embody what it feels like to truly feel good. Then, once we have established that baseline, that embodied memory of what it feels like to live from one of our highest energetic states or a more expansive and connected state of consciousness, we create a foundation from which other beautiful qualities naturally emerge, love, peace, gratitude, presence, compassion, trust, authenticity, and forgiveness.
After all, play signals safety, and joy is magnetic. Do you not find yourself naturally drawn toward people who are fully alive, present, enthusiastic, relaxed, and genuinely themselves? Is there not something profoundly nourishing for the soul about being around joyful people?
So, what might be some roadblocks that get in the way of experiencing this level of lightness, freedom, and ability to attract while having fun and doing less? One of the most common hurdles that I have witnessed while supporting thousands of yogis over the past decade is finding ourselves gripping tightly to our faith, forcing instead of trusting and losing awareness of the energy and vibration we are choosing to embody.
When we attempt to manifest from a place of lack or anxiety, we tend to chase, obsess, and overwork. But when we cultivate a regulated nervous system and approach life from a place of calm, we are grounded in faith, open to receiving, and able to recognize the opportunities unfolding before us. Often, what arrives is far greater than what we originally envisioned.
In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, Sutras 2.46 and 2.47 ultimately teach us about the true mastery that comes when we balance effort with ease rather than relying on constant, exhausting effort. While we are called to take purposeful action, we are also invited to relax unnecessary effort, release our attachment to outcomes, and trust something greater than our need to control every detail.
Rather than forcing life to unfold according to our plans, these teachings encourage us to remain grounded, present, and open. From this place of strength without strain, we create the conditions for greater clarity, joy, and alignment to naturally emerge.
For me, I have come to learn that the deeper I immerse myself in my teachings and the more fully I embrace my creativity as an entrepreneur, the more I realize that creating distance is just as important as taking action. Stepping away from my work, whether for a day or two without distractions or for a restorative getaway once or twice a year, has become an essential ritual in my creative process. It is within that stillness and solitude that clarity arises, inspiration returns, and new ideas are born.
But perhaps the greatest truth is this, manifestation is not ultimately about getting more, it is about becoming more. As we become more present, more grateful, more joyful, more aligned, and more authentic, what we attract naturally begins to reflect who we have become. It is from that place that we recognize life’s quiet invitations, trust their unfolding, and gracefully step into the art of co creating with life.
In closing, may this article be a gentle invitation to awaken your childlike sense of wonder, embrace play, and remember the version of yourself that existed before fear convinced you that life had to be so serious.
What if you reminded yourself that you do not have to force what is meant for you? What if you could show up fully, enjoy the journey, and allow life to meet you halfway?
Perhaps the most powerful question you can ask yourself is this, "Who do I become when I am deeply present, joyful, and free?"
Read more from Erica Stanzione
Erica Stanzione, Yoga and Meditation Educator
Erica is an industry leader in guiding the life-changing practices of breathwork, vinyasa yoga, and meditation. She leads by example both on and off of the mat, and teaches others about the profound effects of our mindfulness practices that far exceed the external benefits. The intention behind her classes, workshops, retreats, and trainings is to serve as a sacred container where her students feel safe to step further into their power, confidence, emotional intelligence, spiritual connection, and continuous evolution.
