Do you ever feel heavy or stuck in your life? Do you notice yourself doing the same old things, the same old way and getting no-where with it? As a Kinesiology practitioner over the past 18 years, I have learnt in myself and witnessed many others accessing the gift of childlike states of being, and transforming themselves and their lives. Allow me to explain…
THE GIFT OF CHILDLIKE STATES OF BEING
Playfulness has been a thread of guidance through much of my life.
After having done a number of personal development workshops I have come to learn and put into practice, some strategies for life’s challenges, and many of them revolve around childlike states of being such as playfulness. In a leadership workshop of Christopher Howard’s, we learnt many things about ourselves through games. I discovered that when I stepped out of my usual serious and striving patterns and chose to be playful and curious about trying new things, I felt a lot more empowered and rewarded in what I did. The sense of fun and laughter that I can bring into my everyday life is a wonderful tool for me for taking the pressure off myself and enjoying life’s ebbs and flows.
As a Nia Technique Instructor, we learn the importance of floor play, which adds a unique value to this fitness practice. Parents and grandparents, uncles and aunties, I think you will know what I am talking about when I mention the fitness involved in playing on the floor with those very adorable toddlers we know. You are possibly recalling those stiff, aching muscles right now. We access a whole bunch of muscles that we wouldn’t normally use when we move around on the floor. It is a brilliant activity for the core muscles and the pelvic floor, which your bladder and other pelvic floor muscles will thank you for. Now I know pilates and yoga are also great floor play activities, and Nia Technique takes this to a whole different level through the use of the healing arts such as the work of Moshe Feldenkreis and Alexander Technique. In short, through making contact with the floor in different ways we are able to deepen our connection with our body and with our environment and begin to broaden our range of movements and our scope of being in life. Yet even when we drop all the adult structures and rationales about how good playing on the floor is for you, by tuning into your senses and your sense of play, your body itself will feel just how good it is. Passionate point made, now turn on your favourite tunes and move around on the floor like the creative, open minded, fun loving being you can be. These are all beautiful qualities that we can access in ourselves when we attune to a child-like state of being.
Another aspect to playfulness is light-heartedness. And by now you are probably either thinking, ‘this woman is mad, I’m out of this game, and getting on with my life as it was’, or you have lightened up and are having a chuckle at what that might look like as you are dancing on the floor. And by the way, if you did want to join a Nia class and find out just how much fun you can have with moving your body, visit www.niaaustralia.com.au to find an instructor in your area. Reclaiming light-heartedness in life can be a way to finding greater ease in adult life when everything starts to feel a little bit too serious and lack lustre. There is an essential oil which captures this beautifully. It is orange oil. So if you are struggling with the seriousness of adult life, orange oil in a burner or dabbed onto your body with your moisturiser can be a refreshing inspiration to transcend this kind of heaviness so you can be inspired to find a more playful and enjoyable way of doing things.
A child-like spirit in life can help to develop a sense of curiosity in order to transcend the criticisms and judgements that creep into our consciousness. This also gives a sense of fun and adventure that helps us through life’s challenges. When challenges come to us from left field, rather than being bogged down in it, we can ask with curiosity and wonderment, “what next?”. This can ignite an ‘on switch’ for the curiosity that creates the space for the answers and solutions to reply.
Children use play to make sense of their world and to express themselves. It is also a well researched activity for supporting sick children to heal and recover. The play therapist was an important part of the hospital structure when I was first nursing as a paediatric nurse. It begs the question, why is play not also important for adults? Adults too are exposed to many new experiences in life and learning new ways of expressing themselves amidst these experiences. In my Kinesiology clinic I have witnessed many adults who have experienced trauma or negativity around self expression and it can be more damaging to our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing than what we think. Consequently, self expression then becomes limited, or so tightly modulated that it becomes incredibly exhausting. Your fatigue or weariness in life is quite possibly a lot more than just not having enough sleep. This is why I love my work as a Kinesiologist. It is a place where I can invite others into my world of curiosity as we listen to the body and the spirit reveal to us what is not working and what will support you in the healing journey.
There are so, so many traits of the child that I admire that can be useful at different times in life. They are not afraid to ask, and ask, and ask, and ask for what they want! They are amused and laugh at the simplest little things in life. They are so damn honest, nothing is hidden. They passionately feel one moment and are over it in the next. And to complete my case about just how beneficial it is to adopt a child like state of being I want to share with you this little story…
After emailing a friend and hearing about her very sweet little 5 year old’s birthday being spent with gastroenteritis, I pondered how any mum could bear the heartache of seeing their child suffer. This was the response I got…. “Ha, it is easy! After she recovered from her nastiness, and then I came down with it, she lay beside me in bed and stroked my arm and brought me dolls to make me feel better. My heart wasn’t just intact, it was bursting.” Thank you for this perspective Caroline.
If you want to know more about Kinesiology or Nia Technique, feel free to call me on 0427 320 302.