Play: the highest form of intelligence

Mar 23

Bodhi, our toddler, has always been obsessed with cars. They were the first toys he reached for during tummy time. They are the ones he started to zoom around on the floor when he could crawl. And, now at 3.5 years old, these are the toys he continuously lines up in various configurations in our living room - traffic jams, outdoor movies, in garages, etc.

And every morning after breakfast he asks me to play with him before work, PreK drop-off’s, and even brushing his teeth. “Mama, will you play with me?”

For a long time, I would sit with him and realize…I don’t know how to play. What happened to me? What would my 5 year old Self think about the me now? At first, I thought it was just cars. I just don’t know how to play with cars. And, then I realized, no it’s that I don’t know how to play. In those moments my mind was already racing through the day’s to-do lists, what I could fit in, how productive I could be, what I needed to achieve in order to feel like I was deserving of time to play. Anyone else feel me here?

Yikes. So, I started to ask him, "Bodhi, I don’t know how to play. Can you show me?”

He scrunched up his face in disbelief and then said, “Oh, it’s easy, mama. You just drive these cars here and those there. See?”

Of course.

At some point, we’ve all forgotten how to play.

How to dance.
How to sing.
How to make up stories.
How to draw.
How to paint.
How to build.

How to literally create something from nothing and to be confident in the not knowing. Something from no-thing. I’ve been talking about this A LOT recently in my Instagram posts, certainly with my husband, and in recent talks I’ve given for various groups, associations, and businesses.

Many of us have forgotten how to play, forgotten wonder, and thereby are bypassing joy, because we are choosing to identify solely with what we know or what we think we know. Please read that sentence again.

We are living in an over-information age. We are living in a time where we think achievement and productivity marks worthiness. We are obsessed with five year plans and checking off all boxes on a never-ending to-do list. We are obsessed with living up to other people’s expectations of us, rather than our own expectations. And, my gosh it is exhausting.

There are five Kleshas in the yoga tradition. Klesha = cause of suffering. One of the Kleshas is identifying with the ever-changing information, opinions, and situations in front of us, rather than identifying with the inner stillness of the heart. In essence, we learn to listen inwardly to the heart’s wisdom rather than all the other stuff screaming at us to do more, be better, believe this, and buy that. This knowledge is asking us to identify with an inner world, one that may be dark and quiet and unknown. To achieve peace and to wholly love ourselves we MUST go here.

And, the darkness is the fertile place. The no-thing is where infinite possibilities reside, where various forms of our own truth come forth. This place is one of complete presence and doesn’t care about outcomes, achievements, productivity, job security, getting more clients, or any other thing preoccupying the unconscious mind. It cares about play, creativity, imagination, and joy.

Play is divine. Play is the act of creating from no-thing. And, play is necessary to come back to the wisdom of the heart.

“Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold.” -Joseph Chilton Pearce

Children are gifts. We know this. They are not yet occupied with the various forms of over-information out there. They do not identify with the ever-changing. They (for the most part) effortlessly reside in the stillness of the heart. That is, if we continue to nurture this, they will learn to honor it always. They remind us how important it is to play. They innately know that their own forms of intelligence are necessary for a life well-loved.

Now, we are entering into a whole new season - Spring. Let’s be really intentional with the seeds we are planting as we move forward. Are you residing in the stillness of the heart? Or are you allowing the ever-changing to alter your sense of joy? Let’s remember that play is a divine form of intelligence and necessary to a well-loved life.

Next week, I’ll be writing more about Spring from an Ayurvedic perspective, and how you can adapt your days to usher in this season. Until then, play! Break out the paints and colored pencils. Sit down for a tea party with your toddler. Go wild with sidewalk chalk. Make homemade bubbles. Dance. Cook a recipe from scratch. We need it. We need you to remember. <3

With love,
Leanne