Question from Meg in Milwaukee, WI, owner of Yoga One Studios:

How do you KNOW YOUR TRUTH? How do you get in touch with your TRUTH? When you’re sitting with a really important question….how can you discern the voice of TRUTH and get clear? Should I stay in this relationship? What’s my next step in my career?

One of the best tools I’ve found to tap you intuition and get clear is the POWER OF PLAY.

The archetype of “The Muse” or “The Trickster” holds a key to your clarity. The Muse or Trickster is that part of us that’s frivolous, that just wants to have fun, be light hearted, that wants to run around like the inner child that we are and play.

Many years ago, while completing a 13-month Priestess Training, my teacher, Ariel threw me for a loop when she told me the aspect I most needed to develop within was The Muse – the playful inner child that wants to do things just for the hell of it – for the sake of having fun, for the sheer delight and sole purpose of playing and being ridiculous. It was (and still is) really challenging for me to let go of the notion of “being productive”, doing what I think I “should” be doing to “make progress”.

Slowly, I have begun to realize the immense power of play. When we let our inner child come out and play – play games, run around, do something we’ve never done before, try a new adventure – we immediately tap our RIGHT BRAIN and move out of logical, linear mind into creative, intuitive mind. Neural pathways begin firing that have nothing to do with chronology or rationale and we tap into the magic of wonder and infinite possibility.

Your assignment this week (especially if your wrestling with a big question or personal challenge) is to do something just for the sake of having FUN! Take your inner child/artist on a date: do something totally unexpected, ridiculous for the sheer delight of it…go to an amusement park, take trapeze lessons, try hoola-hooping, go to a salsa class.

Result:

#1. FEEL GOOD! Every part of you will be grateful. Your body will begin producing endorphins, melatonin and oxytocin, the relaxation hormones, which calm down the nervous system and activate the relaxation response (aka Para-Sympathetic Nervous System). This slows metabolism, drops blood pressure, brings a flush to the skin and makes your organs soften and shine.

#2. RAISE YOUR HAPPINESS SET-POINT. Giving yourself permission to play also sends a message to your soul that you deserve fun, joy + happiness. This is your birthright. You don’t need to earn it. You begin wiring your nervous system to feel happy! Your body begins to recognize the actual sensations of joy which raises your happiness set-point.

#3. SPONTANEOUS LUCIDITY. Play therapy triggers the right brain to drop us out of logical/thinking (“should”) mind. The frontal lobe of the mind begins to unwind and windows of spontaneous lucidity and clarity arise. You will likely have an “ah-ha” moment or at least let go of worry, angst and control long enough to consider new possibilities.

Reclaim your childlike nature to gain access to the wise woman/man inside!

Enjoy. Have fun. Power up the power of PLAY!

Let us know how this works for you and please send us your questions for next week!

For more on our upcoming, playful, deep and wise URBAN PRIESTESS workshop at Kripalu….click here.

Love + Laughter,

Ashley