Kids can be our best teachers. We should remember to be more like them. They haven't developed bad habits, defenses, and fears that we build up our whole lives. Yoga can help us get back to that child-like state, but as conscious adults.
Why are we so serious? You may be thinking that acting like a child is for irresponsible burnouts that live with their parents. We have responsibilities, jobs, lives, and families to take care of. If we let ourselves loose the house might crumble under us! This is where the yoga comes in. That whole duality and balance thing comes in handy for not turning into serious robot people who live, breed, pay our taxes and die. We can keep our responsibilities, drop the worries, and have fun too.
We all know adults with successful careers who are very stiff in their bodies and minds. They hold on so tight physically, mentally, and psychologically to their stuff that there is no room to enjoy life. Day to day existence becomes about worrying that all their stuff will go away. The first step for us is bringing awareness to our tendencies. If you are someone who worries, you have to bring awareness to that. You have to sit with yourself and deal with that. From there you'll be able to start losing the worries and enjoying life a little more.
On the other end of the spectrum, we probably also know some adults who live like children, afraid of responsibilities, career and family. These people are too open, too flexible and have problems holding onto money, building a career or a family. They have a lot of entertainment in their lives, but are lacking something fundamental and can feel it. When you are too open and flexible, self-worth starts to dwindle. You may act and feel occasionally like you're having the time of your life, but ultimately there is something missing. There are good things about growing an adult life! From that realization you can see the need to build strength and boundaries. Building strength in your body and life takes time but from the moment of awareness it can start.
We probably all have one or the other of these types in us to some degree. Maybe we even flip flop back and forth during different stages of our lives. We have to remember to have compassion with ourselves, just as we do with children, to deal with our struggles in finding balance. Balance is never a final point. There is always adjustment and refreshment that takes constant attention over your whole life. So we might as well start now.
10 Ways to Be a Kid Again
1. Make a silly face at a stranger. Everyone likes a silly face. I bet you'll crack someone up.
2. Eat ice cream for dinner. The fun part about being an adult is you can do what you want when you want. We are already aware of our immense responsibilities so for one night let it go.
3. Go to bed early. Some kids hate bedtime, but once they're down they sleep like rocks. Give yourself a ridiculously early bedtime one night this week. You can TiVo your shows and watch them another day.
4. Hang out with your friends. Kids have play dates. We stay in touch on Facebook. Call a pal and actually get together and do something fun like go to the park and play Frisbee.
5. Color or draw something. Coloring brings back memories for most of us. Dig up some of your old coloring books if you can. They're better than the new ones, although the Care Bears are back!
6. Try to say the alphabet backwards. Kids are great at crazy tasks. They try with all their might. I learned to say the alphabet backwards fast as a kid. It was my favorite party trick. See how fast you can say it.
7. Have a race. The next time you are walking with a friend race them to the corner. It's fun to see other adults reacting to spontaneous racing.
8. Skip down the hallways at work. Mid-day sluggish getting to you? Skip to your meeting and you'll probably brighten up the whole office.
9. Wear what you want. Kids come up with interesting outfits when they're allowed by their parents to dress themselves. Come up with your own interesting outfit one day this week.
10. Try a handstand. Kids do yoga poses naturally, just for fun. Try a handstand and don't worry about falling over. See video below for my childish handstand experiment inspired by my pal Verena Von Pfetten.
Follow Tara Stiles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/tarastiles
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I am sorry Tara, but so often your articles leave me a rolling my eyes.
As a sub in elementary grades I'm always asking the students: "How many teachers are in this room?" When they give the inevitable response, I reply "not so much. There are (whatever # is in the room) 31 teachers and one student" and then I point to myself. They invariably giggle and then I concede that well, maybe we are all students and teachers here. I like to "preach" that. I like them to know "the truth"!
SO, thank you for this validating
Maybe these wonderful life-affir
Also, I love the comments, esp. the one about why she can't make faces at strangers and eat ice cream, etc., cuz she's too darn busy! lol (true but cute comment)
Really, you shouldn't lose that, even in adulthood.
Nor should you lose your humour.
1 - Get up at O'-dark-30
2 - Kiss boss' @ss
3 - Kiss customers' @ss
4 - Commute for two hours
5 - Check homework, correct and post
7 - Cook dinner, wash dishes
8 - Clean the kitchen floor/coun
9 - Start a new load, put the done in the dryer and fold the dried
10 - Rinse and repeat, all without "Kids" help
1 plenty of time to do this during your routine
2 this goes in for your step 7 - what happened to upir 6?
3 just do it
4 weekend
5 during a break at work
6 during 2 hours commute instead of screaming obscenitie
7 with co-worker to see who can be first to kiss boss' @ss
8 plenty of time to do this during your day at work
9 easy to incorporat
10 make this step 6 in your list
easy-peasy
I know. I'm the proud parent of a 4 year old that just learned to pee in the potty for the first time in his life today, and what an exciting thing that was for all of us, after suffering a frightenin
Nuff said.
Great article, Tara! Great suggestion
Sustaining that state is a different matter; the quest of mystics. They say it is possible, through a life of impeccabil
Just sit quietly, and comfortabl
Then you'll see the world without your getting in its way. And it will feel very familiar. It almost feels like being a child, but different ... like a wise child who can see the wonder in the familiar.
1) total honesty and integrity
2) personal responsibi
3) hard working - try your hardest and never give in to failure
4) compassion for others
5) aspiration to do or serve something greater than one's own self-inter
6) loyalty
From what I have seen of many, though not all, of the current 20 somethings as well as the ones growing up today, it's all about "fun fun fun." Nothing is worth doing if it isn't "fun." Perhaps the kids that grew up and gave us millions of engineers, scientists
11. Get shaken-dow
12. Get stuffed into a locker (3rd time this week)
13. Ask girl to the dance - and suffer humiliatin
14. Get a wedgie in gym-class (only 2nd time this week - things are lookin' UP!)...
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Good list.