THE FREEDOM OF SKYDIVING

When you think of skydiving, you may be imagining a scary, stressful, and adrenaline-inducing activity. And sure, it can be all of that (you’re doing something completely unnatural, so it’s definitely common to feel a little fear). But if you speak with regular do-it-all-the-time skydivers about what skydiving means to them, or even ask a first-time skydiver what their jump felt like, there is sure to be one word that keeps coming up: freedom. If you’ve skydived before, then this probably makes perfect sense. IYKYK, ya know? But if you haven’t jumped yet, then “freedom” might be kind of a surprising or confusing answer. Freedom can be interpreted in so many different ways, so what does the freedom of skydiving really mean?

Freedom From Troubles

Do you have bills to pay, an assignment to finish, or a house that probably should’ve been cleaned weeks ago? Yeah, those things don’t exist when you’re jumping out of a plane! Part of the beauty of skydiving is that it forces you to be completely in the moment. When you’re falling 120 mph through the sky, we promise that the last thing that you’re thinking about is your to-do list. Similar to meditation or yoga, the focus that skydiving requires lets you free your mind from any worries and allows anything that’s plaguing you to simply fall away. The feeling of existing in the present moment and releasing your mind from worrying about mundane tasks is extremely mentally freeing.

Freedom From Limits

Skydiving is an activity that people equate with doing something crazy. It is so out of the realm of normalcy for most people, which is why it forces you to leave your comfort zone completely. When you can leave behind what makes you comfortable and what you’re used to doing, you allow yourself to be whoever you want to be. Everyone has fears, insecurities, and doubts, but when you are skydiving, you’re not that person who is afraid to speak in front of a room, you’re a fun and fearless person who throws themselves out of planes! Skydiving is a way to stretch what you’re comfortable with and be bold; it helps you to free yourself from any self-imposed limits.

Freedom To Explore

One of the coolest parts of skydiving doesn’t even pertain to jumping: the community. The skydiving community spans the globe and is filled with people who are completely different from each other. There is tremendous variety in the qualities and personalities of people you encounter at a dropzone. On the plane, for example, you might be sitting next to someone who has lived in a tent for 10 years, an actual prince of a country, and a professional wrestler – and that’s just the beginning of it! Skydiving empowers you to explore new places and ideas and to share experiences with people from all walks of life – people you would probably never meet through your daily grind. Skydiving offers a life-changing lifestyle.

Freedom To Play

Skydiving is super fun, and that’s why we do it! There can be so much sameness or heaviness during your usual comings and goings, but skydiving gives you permission to just let loose and have a fun experience. When adrenaline and excitement are coursing through your body, it is really hard not to have a mind-blowingly awesome, mega exhilarating, best-day-ever kind of time. As adults, it can be difficult to find the time or create the circumstance to be wild, to be self-indulgent; to play. With skydiving, we have that freedom.

Freedom To Just Be

There are many different ways that skydiving feels mentally freeing, but skydiving is incredibly freeing physically too. After all, you’re surrounded only by the sky. There are no boundaries. No walls, no ceiling, no floor. It is common to associate flying with freedom, and skydiving is the closest you will ever get to human flight. When you’re skydiving, you are free from all constraints; you can just be.

Now you understand why skydivers say skydiving is freedom! But you don’t have to take their word for it — come experience the freedom of skydiving for yourself! Blue skies!