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SHADOW PLAYGROUND
An online learning center that helps organisations and individuals connect to
their playful vitality in their most important and challenging moments.
their playful vitality in their most important and challenging moments.
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WHY SHADOW PLAYGROUND ? |
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Playful vitality is a state of aliveness, joy and creativity. While everyone has an incredible capacity to be in embodied playfulness, celebration and connection, there are often quite significant individual and structural barriers to get there.
Shadow Playground was created to give the knowledge and practices to help anyone connect with their own playful vitality. On this site, you can:
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It is a playground because it is a space to explore, to be creative, to make mistakes, to grow, to connect, to discover.
It involves the shadow because this journey requires looking at what is hidden, difficult, shameful & rejected. By going through these waters in safe company, we emerge ready to live our lives with renewed energy, lightness & playfulness. Shadow Playground was created by Facilitator and Coach Ez Bridgman when he noticed that while individuals and groups held a deep potential for vitality and playfulness, these states were often impeded by numerous hidden blockages. Through his work using experiential learning methods, he saw it was simply not enough to analyze theoretical frameworks, watch movies or read books about playfulness or aliveness; direct experience and support was needed. |
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THE BIG IDEAS
THERE IS GOLD IN THE DARKNESS
By going into the dark, we often are better able to experience the light. If we fear exploring these shadows, we risk living a life in a series of greys.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS OF BEING CREATIVE, JOYFUL AND PLAYFUL
There are different avenues to play, each person has the pleasure of finding their own personal pathways.
ALL EMOTIONS ARE VALID & FULL OF WISDOM
We were taught that some emotions and states of being are better than others. In fact, all emotions hold deep meaning and wisdom.
By removing a evaluative filter, our daily emotional existence becomes lighter and more enjoyable.
CONNECTION & WISDOM ARE WITHIN
Instead of seeking enlightenment or vitality through experts, gurus, or ancient traditions, our source of wisdom and connection to the universe lies within.
By going into the dark, we often are better able to experience the light. If we fear exploring these shadows, we risk living a life in a series of greys.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS OF BEING CREATIVE, JOYFUL AND PLAYFUL
There are different avenues to play, each person has the pleasure of finding their own personal pathways.
ALL EMOTIONS ARE VALID & FULL OF WISDOM
We were taught that some emotions and states of being are better than others. In fact, all emotions hold deep meaning and wisdom.
By removing a evaluative filter, our daily emotional existence becomes lighter and more enjoyable.
CONNECTION & WISDOM ARE WITHIN
Instead of seeking enlightenment or vitality through experts, gurus, or ancient traditions, our source of wisdom and connection to the universe lies within.
THEORY OF CHANGE
HISTORY OF SHADOW
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The shadow is a concept first introduced by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst in his book called "Psychological Types." According to Jung, each of us has a side that we don't want to acknowledge or express. This side is made up of our repressed emotions, desires, and impulses, and it's called the "shadow." The shadow affects our behavior and actions in unconscious ways, but by recognizing and integrating it, we can become more balanced and whole individuals with deeper self-understanding and self-acceptance. By embracing our shadow, we can be more in tune with our authentic selves and better equipped to confront and overcome our personal challenges.
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The notion of darkness and light being interrelated is an age-old concept. For instance, Daoism, a Chinese philosophy and religion, centers around the fundamental idea of Yin and Yang. It emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao, the fundamental principle of the universe. The Yin and Yang symbol represents the interconnectedness of everything in the universe; rather than being in opposition, the two forces complement each other.
In a similar way, we all experience non-dualism within ourselves. Opposing forces coexist, and we may feel happy and sad at the same time, like when we feel bittersweet. We can observe other non-dualities within us, such as kindness and cruelty, energy and exhaustion, and rationality and emotionality. By opening up a space within that allows all of these parts to co-exist without judgement, we are free to live more fully beyond the binary. |