Becoming Child-like

Dear Students:
As I’ve been preparing for my workshop, Moving To & From the Floor with Ease, it has inspired me to write about why it is so important to become like a child.  Children are intelligently governed by their senses, that teach them how to take care of themselves.  If movement feels good they continue moving, if it doesn’t they stop and cry it out.  When they sense an arm or leg on the ground for the first time they don’t have an expectation as to where it can lead them. As they become stronger & press themselves into a hard surface they find out that it can propel them into motion. 

This way of learning may seem foreign to you if you are ruled by your thinking mind. If you desire to learn in a sensorial manner, I believe you can become comfortable trying challenging things. To help build your faith in the process let’s look more closely at how a typically developing baby spends her time.

A newborn lives in a world consumed by her sensations & emotions. She relies on them while discovering herself & everything around her.  As an infant, she becomes curious  with her environment and begins to roll, creep, crawl & climb around it.  These motions form curves in her back and gradually builds her muscle & bone strength. As her neurological system grows and expands with her physical capabilities she can eventually come up to standing. 

When she discovers a supportive place that gives her mobility in a new way, she can figure out how to walk upright at her own pace.  In an ideal situation, her process is interesting, rewarding, & sometimes challenging but her desire to move forward keeps her going even when she stumbles & falls.

If you imagine yourself to be like a baby in this manner you also can feel how to move up & down from the floor in a pleasurable way. To go about it, pretend that you are an inquiring toddler without fully developed muscles or bones. This can help you become completely engaged in discovering how a hand or foot placement allows you to maneuver safely & effortlessly. Where it takes you may surprise you. And if you stay the course it is highly likely you may reach some of your goals.   

I hope you realize one day that by becoming child-like it actually saves you time, is economical & can guide you in how to live virtuously.  Peace to All on Earth!
~Donna