For the past month I have been immersed in a teaching focused on spontaneity, playful curiosity, and the joy of discovery as we come in contact with our heart’s desire. It has been enriching in so many ways, and I still have one more month to go.
It has been interesting to witness the similarities we share in the group; our desires for freedom and a free expression of who we are. We are also aware of the barriers we face, or areas where we realize we are not fully expressing these qualities.
We have explored the different ways we protect our hearts and our relationship to being spontaneous and feeling free and I think it’s safe to say, the majority of adults have barriers to fully expressing their joy, creativity, curiousity, play and true essence.
We may have a desire in our heart to feel free, and yet we can also feel resistance from within.
We may find ourselves feeling constricted in our body or our self expression. We may be more rigid in our thinking or way of being. Perhaps we feel blocked with our creativity and play, or maybe joy feels fleeting or reliant on certain conditions or circumstances.
I find it fascinating how our childhood conditioning can impact us so much in the present moment. Here we are grown women and men, and we can still find ourselves responding to our lives from the wounds of our inner child.
We can change this.
I can already see and feel how my willingness to explore with compassion is creating space for the light of my true essence to shine through, including a passion for the Truth. It is happening organically, naturally without an agenda. Trusting in True Nature and the process as it unfolds.
As I have shared many times, a big part of my daily practice is somatic. Meaning, I am tuning into how my body feels, how I respond or react. My body is constantly giving me so much information; it’s a matter of stopping and listening with care, compassion and curiousity, while also inquiring.
What I love more and more about my practice is my intention to treat myself, my emotions, and feelings with the gentleness I would a child.
As I’m writing this, I’m noticing how my body is softening. These words are clearly soothing to my soul.
Our inner child within wants to feel safe, loved and cared for. When the child inside feels safe and held, things naturally start to change. We may notice our nervous system is more relaxed, we are less reactive, maybe more calm or present. We may feel more relaxed in our body and our thoughts.
This is when the essence of joy and spontaneity can shine through.
There is nothing to fix. There is nothing ‘wrong’. It’s a process.
I am so grateful to have younger children in our family that continually show me what it looks like to be connected to our true essence in an innocent and natural way. They are present, move freely, and express freely. They are creative and they play.
Being around them opens up my heart. They are so precious, and a reminder of my True Nature.
In the spirit of having more fun and play I share this from Robert Fulghum…
“Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon. A happiness weapon. A beauty bomb. And every time a crisis developed, we would launch one. It would explode high in the air - explode softly - and send thousands, millions, of little parachutes into the air. Floating down to earth - boxes of Crayolas. And we wouldn't go cheap, either - not little boxes of eight. Boxes of sixty-four, with the sharpener built right in. With silver and gold and copper, magenta and peach and lime, amber and umber and all the rest. And people would smile and get a little funny look on their faces and cover the world with imagination.”
What does your inner child want to explore?
More creativity, play, singing, dancing, free expression, doing something just for the fun of it?
I encourage you to be open and curious. To listen and re-connect with your True Essence. It’s there waiting for you.
With loving kindness,
Diane