I have a vivid memory: about 4 years old, accompanied by 2 or 3 of my older siblings, all puffed up like marshmallows in our one-piece snowsuits…sliding down a snow filled shed roof and poof, landing in a mound of snow….running around the back to climb back up and do it all over again. The joy palpable, the irrepressible ear to ear smile, a reflection of the joy radiating within all cells of my Being, and out every pore. How long has it been since you’ve experienced that kind of abandon into joy? Do you give yourself the gift of unadulterated play?
Frequently, I’m flummoxed; I play, and the solution arises. Case in point, I was searching for the shared characteristics of my primary life focus of practicing/teaching yoga lifestyle, and creative arts. After an epic day downhill skiing, (perfect powder), the answer revealed itself: Play! – Exactly what I was doing that day, liberating the answer.
Play is essential to living a rich, ever-evolving life. In contrast to the long held belief that children play as a form of practice in becoming an adult, (thus best left behind with childhood), play is crucial for adults to remain fresh, flexible and resilient. Play facilitates a connection to possibilities, desires and joy. Adulthood filled exclusively with endless responsibilities is a prescription for a dull, rigid life, guaranteed to lead to Dis-Ease within body, psyche and spirit. Did you know that play deprivation in early childhood is linked with mass murderers? Obviously most adults who don’t play aren’t social deviants, but they are more likely to be sick, unhappy, addicted (food, drink, drugs, spending, sex, entertainment…) and unable to cope when big life challenges arise.
Growing up with post-war parents afflicted with a scarcity mindset, survival was a serious matter. Play existed, albeit in an extremely structured way. Cards, board games, only happened after copious amounts of work. Play was rarely spontaneous, and although resourcefulness was compulsory, play as a pathway to ingenuity was not. My older sister repeatedly chided me to ‘grow up’, criticizing my behaviors, which appeared immature to her. My father harshly judged my choice to study and engage art professionally; he viewed it as a hobby, but an irresponsible choice for work. The dichotomy of work/play, and the preferential prestige we allot to work, is the source of colossal suffering adults endure, individually and as a society. What beliefs do you have about play? Do they affect your life choices? Do you make time for joyful activities?
Existence devoid of play restricts life-force energy, promulgating a life on autopilot. Without play, your brain entrenches along specific neurological paths, resulting in rigid perceptions of reality. You step into a box that just keeps shrinking.
So what is play? Basically, there are 3 types of play: Body, Object and Social.
Body play invokes a spontaneous desire to free our body from gravity: jumping up and down, dancing, etc. – essential here is that the movement is freeing – if the goal (like winning) is more important than the activity, it’s likely not play. Get up and dance to some upbeat music for 5 minutes, and notice how you feel after!
Object Play involves communication between hands and brain; whether juggling, arts/crafts, it remains play as long as curiosity and explorations exist in the process. Make a freeform collage, a card; notice how immersed you become, and content you feel after. Social play involves more than one person, and can be physically focused (like a sport), or more psychological (as in a game of Trivial Pursuit).
All Play has rules that establish structure; the activity then become a means to build trust and foster imagination. It is the bedrock of problem solving, enhancing cognitive abilities, physical & emotional regulation, and resilience within self and community.
I long to live/teach a life style beyond the work/play polarity… maybe it’s the Leo, divine child within, that yearns to remain a child, but I suspect it’s abundantly more than that! After all, I am a responsible adult; I committed wholeheartedly to raising a ‘special needs’ child, I take care of my finances, my friends, family and I serve women assisting their transformation to be Happy, Healthy and Holy. I do it all diligently, but I know and respect the role of play to keep me centered, enjoying life, and evolving as a human and divine being.
In the past, when I got too busy to play, making art, I became critical, frustrated, dispirited, negatively affecting self-esteem, relationships, and eventually the imbalance embodied as thyroid disease and back pain. Play is an essential component of self-care, enabling you/we/all to remain young, as we grow old, ever evolving with grace and ease. Self-care is sustainable when it engages an attitude of playfulness.
So imagine your perfect life, an integration of work-play! You/we/all embrace our creative soul each day, resulting in a natural unfolding of solutions to everyday challenges. How can creating art contribute to this process? First of all, one needs to release any qualms about the result not being up to snuff; I’ve witnessed shame and embarrassment in response to the idea of creating, just because it’s called art. So the intention must be clear – to allow the inner child to come out and play, no fear… just the opportunity to explore and express. This is the essential rule for the game of visual art play.
Other ground rules include the use of colors, lines, shapes, images; all placed together using the concepts of pattern, rhythm, unity, balance, emphasis, and contrast. When you add media and tools: paper, colored pencils/markers, collage materials, natural objects ~ the play options become endless. To hone in on some element of investigation, new rules are imposed: use geometric shapes; create a pattern that has radial symmetry, Earth colors, and inspirational images to reflect your desires to manifest on the physical plane. The process is exploratory, rich with discovery… awakening the heart-mind-soul to new possibilities. What I’ve just described is an ‘Earth Mandala Creation’ workshop, which segues to using one’s personal mandala as a visual meditation tool.
These activities/teachings are at the heart of my grander mission to empower women, by teaching self-mastery: Physically, Emotionally, Mentally and Spiritually– so you/we/all flourish and co-create a beautiful life and world we all want to inhabit.
Do you Play? What types of Play? Are you intrigued by the idea of creating a Personal Meditation Mandala and using it to Meditate, and inspire your life vision daily?
If so, join me for a workshop online or in person…
I’d love to hear your questions and comments… do so below please.