Living the Infinite Game
December often arrives with a familiar pressure: wrap it up, finish strong, measure the year. But recently, I’ve been rethinking this rhythm through the lens of James Carse’s Finite and Infinite Games. Carse reminds us that life can be approached as a finite game driven by comparison and completion, or as an infinite game where the intention is to stay in play.
This shift in perspective has softened the way I’m moving through the final stretch of the year. Instead of pushing toward an ending, I’m letting December become an invitation to breathe, notice, and remain open to what is still unfolding.
What It Means to Live the Infinite Game
In a finite game, success is something you earn. In an infinite game, aliveness is something you feel. There is no falling behind, and there is no finish line to race toward. There is only the ongoing practice of showing up with curiosity and presence.
This viewpoint changes the emotional tone of the season. Suddenly, there is no need to prove anything or tie everything together. There is simply room to keep evolving gently and honestly, without rushing.
How Yoga and Karate Taught Me Infinite Living
When I look at my own life, the places where I experience infinite living most clearly are on the yoga mat and on the dojo floor.
Both yoga and karate are lifelong practices that do not ask to be mastered in the traditional sense. When you grow comfortable with something, another layer reveals itself: a deeper awareness, a subtler alignment, a softer edge, or a new relationship to breath. These practices remind me daily that growth is rarely linear. It is cyclical, textured, and constantly unfolding.
Some days feel steady and strong. Other days feel wobbly or tender. But every practice, whether yin, flow, or kata, offers another chance to explore myself without judgment. I’m not trying to win yoga. I’m not trying to win karate. I’m continuing the play, and that is the heart of infinite living.
Beginner’s Mind: The Heart of the Practice
The Zen teaching of beginner’s mind beautifully mirrors this philosophy. It encourages us to approach each moment with the openness of someone experiencing it for the first time. In this mindset, nothing becomes “old news,” and even the familiar feels alive again.
Bringing beginner’s mind into my daily life has been a grounding antidote to year-end pressure. Instead of assessing, evaluating, or tallying, I’m learning to stay curious, receptive, and willing to listen.
A Season of Gratitude and Ongoing Becoming
This way of living is also why I feel especially grateful to be teaching “The Gift of Rest” a Kosha & Yoga Nidra Workshop this month. The Koshas remind us that we are layered beings who evolve from the inside out. Yoga Nidra offers spacious rest, the kind that encourages us to return to the wholeness we already possess rather than striving to create it.
It is infinite play in its purest form: a continual unfolding into who we already are.
A Gentle Invitation Forward
As you move through December, I invite you to let go of the pressure of endings. Allow this season to feel spacious and soft. Let it be an exploration rather than a summation.
If you feel called to step into your own version of infinite living — to slow down, tune in, and reconnect with your inner compass — I would love to support you.
You can schedule a free consultation to explore what is unfolding for you next. Think of it not as a finish line, but as the next meaningful step on your ongoing journey.
