Subbing at Spirit Play

Dear friends,

Today I had the amazing opportunity to be a co-leader at Spirit play with the wonderful poet, Debra Hiers.  I was substituting for Jennifer Denning, Director of InterPlay Atlanta, who created the offering Spirit Play and was on vacation this week.  

We started the session with sitting

Spirit Play began in February of 2015 and is held the fourth Friday of every month from 10:30-Noon at the Atlanta Shambhala Meditation Center which is a beautiful sacred space.


What a gift it was to take a deep breath this morning after a hectic week (heck who am I kidding - month) and take time for InterPlay and stillness.

Debra led off with an introduction to stillness and a short sitting meditation.  I was so grateful to just be.

Poetry and Writing adds a different element to this InterPlay Session

We transitioned into introductions, "I could talk about..." and babbling with partners.

Next it was time for a gentle warm up and Walk, Stop, Run, Sit (we were at a meditation center).  We had so much fun playing with this form we did an additional Walk, Stop, Run and added Leans. 

Of course there was time for deep breaths, sighing and shaking some stress out and lots of noticing during the entire morning.

Then Debra, poet extraordinaire and Interplayer, lead us through the poetry and writing section.  

Today we played with Mary Oliver's poem The Summer Day:

The Summer Day

Mary Oliver

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

Once the poem was read and discussed we had time to reflect and then write our own poems and/or thoughts.  The poet and writer in me loved this sacred time.

We finished the morning with toning with our voices and singing bowls.  Such a yummy way to spend a Friday morning.

Leading the toning

I hope you'll join us next month when Jennifer will be back and she and Debra will provide another Spirit filled SpiritPlay.

A fun group of SpiritPlay InterPlayers who felt expanded after our morning of play and meditation.  

Wrapping you around with infinite love and play,

Christine

P.S.  All pictures (except the group) were taken by certified InterPlay leader, Ruth Schowalter - The group picture was taken by a member of the Shambhala center and I didn't catch his name.