As I was scrolling through the Expand app the other day, I came across an exercise entitled The Child Within, and it fully inspired me. My thoughts immediately began to snowball not just about how important our inner child is but how necessary it is in bringing creativity, excitement, and fun back into our meditation and our lives.

I searched within to re-connect with my inner child, and immediately saw all the ways she is present in my life. I like to look at the world through playful eyes, and she is the reason I’m usually successful in doing so. As I embraced her, a spray of color painted the world around me. Suddenly I saw the brightness in the world again, having swept aside some of the judgments held by my adult self. The trees seemed brighter, the grass was much more vibrant, and a gem-like sheen blanketed the world around me as I drank in my environment.

I realized how much we block ourselves from our inner joy, our inner child who is always there, waiting to play. It brings us creativity and the vision to see the excitement in things that may seem ordinary to others. We learn as we get older to judge ourselves, possibly even more than we judge everything else. We feel discouraged from play[ing], which cuts us off from our creativity.

I like to look at the world through playful eyes, and she is the reason I’m usually successful in doing so. As I embraced her, a spray of color painted the world around me. Suddenly I saw the brightness in the world again, having swept aside some of the judgments held by my adult self.

In fact, I’ve seen many suffer from what I call “adult syndrome,” where they want to grow up so badly that when they finally become adults, they try too hard to fit the role. They dress the way they think adults should and talk about taxes the way they think adults would. The world already puts so much pressure and expectation on us, we grow up worrying about the serious factors that surround us—so why not try to reconnect with that sense of wonder and play to enjoy life a bit more every day? I find that when we discover how to reach back into ourselves to find that innocence, we can view the world through a special lens that brings us more joy, creativity and playfulness. Far too many adults seem to lack the ability to generate happiness, and it’s such a treasure to be able to call it forth.

I’ve been in meditation sessions with adults who, when asked “What do you see?” in an exercise, say “The back of my eyelids.” They can’t seem to grasp the idea of adding imaginative play to their meditative exploration. But what if they could? Being able to play and explore without limitations is one of the most important things I have been able to uncover after accessing my inner child. Why not try this exercise in Expand, and seek that youth, innocence and playfulness within yourself?  I would also encourage you to conduct a free-flow exercise in one of your favorite Focus levels with the intention to just explore without judgment and see what happens. See what that type of creative, uninhibited meditation could do for you. It’s brought so much joy to me while I’ve been going through some rough times, I’d hate to go back to ignoring that child who, occasionally, just wants to play.