Slow Play surprisingly has become more than a game for me, more than a way of exploration, it’s become a practice over the past month or so. Maybe we can choose our pace more often than we know? Slow play has illuminated the possibilities of choice in a powerful way.
An invitation lay at my bedside this morning. An invitation to play with movement – specifically it invites me to do everything slowly. I dubbed this game: Slow Play. But, what in the world does that mean? … Here is some of things I’ve been doing at least one or two beats slower than my usual:
My question for you, if you feel inspired, is what attributes or criteria help you determine if you are playing, or in a state of play? What boxes do you check off where you can say, this is / was play for me?
The question I keep asking is “Can I play with this?” and “Is there anything I can’t play with?” And, I keep finding answers even in serious circumstances and with real life problems. It’s been a game changer for me.
Play is often trivialized, however, it is a wonderful tool for learning, growth, self-development, connection, relationship, innovation, creativity and so much more. In some ways it can be thought of as a language. Here’s some resources to help you build a play practice ….
This is one of my very favorite games. In my life, this little game has now risen to the level of a practice! I’ve done it so often now that it is simply a part of my life. Here’s an example where I compare story(s) to marshmallows … this exercise of taking one thing and comparing it to another is wonderful for gaining perspective in a number of different ways. It’s a game with legs and you can bring it to your story work, the invitations that are presented to you in life, or you can use it to add a little humor to your day. It’s a great little learning tool to have in your back pocket.
When we think of play, we often imagine ourselves or someone smiling or laughing. But one of the first things I noticed when beginning my story work was that I could also feel sad, satisfied, lonely, happy, irritated, intrigued, frustrated, joyful, angry, curious, etc. while playing with stories. My emotions were real and yet if you’d asked me what I was feeling overall I would have said I was feeling playful …
My shadow waves back at me as if to say hello. It beckons me to be playful, to stop and share, to consider and reflect, to become more open minded. Shadows are varying shades of grey, they are metaphorical, they follow you and they light the path. They are long and short. The distort and they eccentuate. Shadows ask us to drop assumptions, or see or do something new – they invite inspection.
When we tell stories we are listening too. I remember telling a personal story where every time I shared it I referenced coffee and how much I loved it. I was giving it up and had been for a while …
