So over the past few months, I have been grappling with the concept of playfulness – something I clearly haven’t been very familiar with! What is it? Why is it important? How does it bring us closer to ourselves?
In answer, I feel that playfulness is the absence of fear, the ability to create without thoughts or judgment, to dance through life knowing that you are a child of the Universe and this world is simply your playground. Playfulness is light and bubbly. It is cheerful and joyous. It emanates respectful carelessness and, rather than being inappropriate or immature, playfulness is wise in its freedom, knowing that all is well.
Have you ever stopped to wonder what your senses are for? I mean we all have them, use them every minute of every day and rely on them for our interaction with the outside world. Our senses are the interface between us and everything we classify as external to ourselves. I believe that our senses are here to heal us, to help us harmonise our physical body and to allow us to experience who we really are through the different aspects of ourselves.
Small babies and toddlers are geniuses when it comes to this. Through play, they explore every aspect of their environment in great detail, popping stones and sand into their mouths and squishing their fingers through play dough. They wear colours together that we may say don’t match, put as many clips in their hair as they can fit and they play with their food!
Light and playful, most tiny tots are not fazed by the opinions of their onlookers, not influenced or dissuaded by any questioning looks and certainly not afraid to break the rules! With hats on backwards, shoes five sizes too big on their feet, feather boas flying and don’t forget the oversized sunglasses falling off their face, they manage to forget all inhibitions and be playfully in the moment. With exercise a part of their normal bodily movement, they spin around and do cart wheels, balancing their chakras without even knowing it!
Most children are not afraid to make a noise, expressing themselves in ways we deem ‘inappropriate’ and they are familiar with the healing properties of touch, cuddling a teddy bear or snuggling up for a hug or a tickle. I feel that children, unaccustomed to our adult way of living in the world, provide many lessons and much food for thought about how we can use our senses to play, not only with beauty, but with everything in our environment. Is it any wonder that children appear so naturally beautiful? As we live more in our minds as adults, is it surprising that our bodies seem to reflect this shift and lack of consciousness in our physical being?
(Excerpt From The Beauty Evolution page 69-70)
If you felt completely free, fearless and uninhibited, how would you move? How would your body dance? What would it feel like and how would others react? Play with this over the next few weeks and see what happens!!
Jeannine is an energetic healer, holistic counsellor and author who practices on the Central Coast.
For questions, appointments or further information about The Beauty Evolution book, please feel free to browse her website directly on http://essencepower.com.au/ or email essencepower@live.com.au