Alive! Approaching Life as a Child

Last night marked the last Tuesday evening classes of the current yoga session.  Those classes are marked by Yoga Party night and Heather was in a mood to play.  That seems a strange thing to do in a Breath and Meditation class, but Heather encouraged us to return to a time when everything was saturated with a sense of wonder.  Like children, we were asked to explore the question of "Who am I?" Every time we thought we had an answer, Heather's questions showed us that, whoever we believe ourselves to be, there's something much deeper.

Then, it was off to Heather's Level 2, where playfulness opened up to the physical. We spent most of the evening doing poses like these:  Upside Down on Ropes.  I held the ropes and walked myself up vertically on the wall until I could, well, just hang out. We practised Yogic Flying.  (No, I won't explain how it's done.  You'll have to come to classes.) It was exhilarating, life affirming and just plain old fun. We finished the class with a round of Om's. The energy level resonated throughout the room and our Selves.  Everyone noticed the power.

I slept well.

More often than not, this exploratory approach to Life is missing from our daily routines. We become caught up in our jobs, our images and our possessions. We forget to notice what is truly valuable.  We forget to play.

Children can help bring us back to that sense of play.  This morning, I was reminded of children's wonder while I watched the students at Prairie Sky School work on their weaving. Here is K., who has never sat at a large loom before, beginning to weave our group piece. With just a few instructions, he was manipulating the warp threads, finding the sheds like a pro. He made choices, asked for guidance when he felt it was needed and then he allowed the weaving to happen:

S.'s bag shows her wonderful colour sense.  She chooses the colour that calls to her and works with those:

Once in a while, give yourself permission to play. Don't try to control every situation; you can't, no matter how you try.  Let things be. Work with that dropped stitch in your knitting. Explore spinning unusual fibres.  Make Ugly Art.  Think "Free Form" and go with that. Most importantly, think back to when you were a child.  Take a breath, let go and then Be.

What happens when you allow your knitting to Happen?

Namaste.