My wise and wondrous meditation teacher in Thailand taught me the importance of silliness. Yes we practiced mindfulness for hours (and hours) every day. Yes there was silence and stillness and challenge as the dark depths of my everything revealed themselves. But there was also silliness. Lots of it.
My teacher is one of the happiest, most grounded people I know and, equally, utterly willing to let life be ridiculous. Riding through Thai rainforest lanes on a motorbike; I'd see him whoop and play, laugh and sing and tell me that the more he practiced meditation, the more he realised the fleeting nature of life; that the moment is to be seized and not taken seriously.
We know far less than we think we do. But we know how we feel in The Now; we know we want to feel good and - just as children do - that this comes through letting go. Through lung gasping, arm wobbling playfulness.
Some of the greatest teachings I received were on the days my teacher said 'let's not practice right now, you need to get out.' So we'd explore the hills, visit temples, splash in streams or go to Pai town and eat toasties from Seven Eleven.
It's all about letting go, I found. Letting go. Letting go into play and silliness. Into a space that remembers it's amazing being human and, while we have a body and eyes and lungs and ears, we may as well skip along, sniff the flowers, yell at the clouds and dance in the lane.
#elliepaskell #actress #creative #filmmaker #mindfulnessteacher #mystic #writer #artist #sillyness #cakelover #teadrinker #dancer #skygazer #starcounter #rainbowwatcher #naturegirl #wildwoman #believer #spiritjunkie #photoshoot #actresslife #actress #catlover #felinefriend #modernwitch #wisewoman #healer #humanfairy #mancunian #northernactress #playful #imoustacheyouaquestion #thailand #pai #ifttt (at Manchester, United Kingdom)
