The Search for the Inner Child

My students teach me more than I teach them. And during my classes, I acquire knowledge. As my students learn, so do I. So it was last Tuesday. As I taught the 7pm class, I had a revelation. As children, we sing, dance and play continuously. Especially during the ages of three and four, children are in a magical world. Their world is beautiful, and the possibilities are endless. They can become anything, or anyone. They can go anywhere. The world is full of adventure, and they live in a world full of love. I remember hearing my three year old daughter, (now 20) singing a song from the show Barney, a purple dinosaur who had a heart of gold. The lyrics were "I love you, you love me, we're a happy family, with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you, won't you say you love me too." (sing to the tune of this old man.) Children are naturally full of love, and that love is displayed in the way they move, singing happily, dancing with abandon, and living each moment fully. Each caterpillar is fascinating. A butterfly is captivating. A dog is to be cuddled. The body can move in so many cool ways, that children don't stop moving. Until we start telling them to stop. "Stay still." "Be quiet." "Behave." And little by little, we stop dancing. We stop singing. We start behaving. We start behaving how others think we should behave. We forget how to dance to the rhythm of our own music. We start obscuring our true essence. That which no one can take away. But which can be hidden a little bit at a time. With each spanking. With each raised command. Even Whenevr we are reprimanded by life. Some of us found a socially acceptable way of returning to our inner child consciousness. We discovered yoga. Here we get to move our bodies in a dance like no other. We get to chant, and feel our revived singing cells. We get to play. We get to put our bodies in strange positions. We get to explore our own boundaries. We challenge our sense of limitations. And those of us that stick with it, find out that there are no limits. That life is fun. That no matter how difficult the pose, it is not permanent. We discover places in our body that return to that space of joy. That essence of who we are without judgements. We can pretend to be a triangle, a camel, or a boat. We discover own own inner caterpillar. Fuzzy, moving slowly, and searching for a quiet space to begin the transformation. Because ultimately, we all want to become butterflies and be free.