Sacred Play
finding state of play in the landscape of our soul
Today we explore play - not just as an activity, but as a state of being, as a place within our internal landscape, and maybe also as a form of art.
So how do we find play on the map of our inner nature? And why is play sacred?
If we take our inner nature and think of it in terms of nervous system or brain science, we can map our states of alertness and calm, of stress and relaxation. We can draw something like a matrix, a chart. Imagine two dimensions, like we used to draw graphs in school. One goes from bottom to top – from low to high alertness, from very passive to very active. The other dimension goes from left to right – from negative to positive. The same level of energy can feel either troublesome or very enjoyable. And now we have four segments. The bottom left corner is shutdown – very passive and very negative, a complete collapse of the system. Then we can still be negative but already activated, and this is our usual stress response – fight or flight. It is often negative, but sometimes life-saving, so we cannot simply condemn it. Then we move into the positive. There is this common narrative of stress relief: from fight or flight into rest and digest. On our map, that is the bottom right corner – a positive state, but low energy, when you are lying on the couch and relaxing. Many approaches to stress revolve around this path (blue on the map): releasing stress and going into calmness.
So how do we find play on the map of our inner nature? And why is play sacred?
If we take our inner nature and think of it in terms of nervous system or brain science, we can map our states of alertness and calm, of stress and relaxation. We can draw something like a matrix, a chart. Imagine two dimensions, like we used to draw graphs in school. One goes from bottom to top – from low to high alertness, from very passive to very active. The other dimension goes from left to right – from negative to positive. The same level of energy can feel either troublesome or very enjoyable. And now we have four segments. The bottom left corner is shutdown – very passive and very negative, a complete collapse of the system. Then we can still be negative but already activated, and this is our usual stress response – fight or flight. It is often negative, but sometimes life-saving, so we cannot simply condemn it. Then we move into the positive. There is this common narrative of stress relief: from fight or flight into rest and digest. On our map, that is the bottom right corner – a positive state, but low energy, when you are lying on the couch and relaxing. Many approaches to stress revolve around this path (blue on the map): releasing stress and going into calmness.
Play is peaceful activation
But we often overlook another place in this internal landscape. On this map, it is in the top right corner. A state of positive activation – the state of play. For many of us, activation is tied to threat. We get activated and brace for danger. But as children, when we activate, we often just play. It is not stressful – it is joyful.
The state of play is highly resourceful, creative, expressive. But for many people, it becomes blocked. As adults, we don’t have time to play, or we are stuck moving between stress and recovery, between fight or flight and rest and digest (red line on the map) trying not to fall into burnout. So we rarely visit this abundant state of play, this rising energy, this peak.
The main point of this whole mapping is awareness - locating this place of play on the map of your inner nature. Where is your state of play? Does it exist in your life? Is it accessible? Or are there borders, obstacles that prevent you from entering it? I invite you to build a sanctuary there, somewhere in your inner landscape – in a forest, in a valley, a sacred place for your inner child. It is peaceful activation (green line on the map).
When we return to this state – being active without conflict – we become able to create positive change. Not to fight against something, but to create from resourcefulness and joy. This is why play is sacred, because it is a key to deconditioning our world from reliance on conflict and competition.
There is a narrative that either you are passive, even lazy, enjoying life – or you are active, but stressed, hustling. But there is another way. You can be impactful and positive, you can be peaceful and activated.
There is no single recipe. Everyone has their own story. For some, play is present. For others, it is blocked. Sometimes activation is linked to trauma. For me, when I get activated, my system tends to go into fight or flight. I experience activity as a challenge, almost as combat, and that drains energy. So my work is to rewire this, to associate activation with play. How can I approach this playfully? A challenge becomes a puzzle, something to enjoy solving. In this way, I can be productive without depleting myself.
The state of play is highly resourceful, creative, expressive. But for many people, it becomes blocked. As adults, we don’t have time to play, or we are stuck moving between stress and recovery, between fight or flight and rest and digest (red line on the map) trying not to fall into burnout. So we rarely visit this abundant state of play, this rising energy, this peak.
The main point of this whole mapping is awareness - locating this place of play on the map of your inner nature. Where is your state of play? Does it exist in your life? Is it accessible? Or are there borders, obstacles that prevent you from entering it? I invite you to build a sanctuary there, somewhere in your inner landscape – in a forest, in a valley, a sacred place for your inner child. It is peaceful activation (green line on the map).
When we return to this state – being active without conflict – we become able to create positive change. Not to fight against something, but to create from resourcefulness and joy. This is why play is sacred, because it is a key to deconditioning our world from reliance on conflict and competition.
There is a narrative that either you are passive, even lazy, enjoying life – or you are active, but stressed, hustling. But there is another way. You can be impactful and positive, you can be peaceful and activated.
There is no single recipe. Everyone has their own story. For some, play is present. For others, it is blocked. Sometimes activation is linked to trauma. For me, when I get activated, my system tends to go into fight or flight. I experience activity as a challenge, almost as combat, and that drains energy. So my work is to rewire this, to associate activation with play. How can I approach this playfully? A challenge becomes a puzzle, something to enjoy solving. In this way, I can be productive without depleting myself.
In play, we can discern when to stop and what is aligned with our soul
There is also something important about boundaries. In play, we can say: stop, I don’t want to play anymore. In stressful situations, we often cannot, and that is why they feel like survival. But when you know that you can enter and exit activation voluntarily, it becomes something else – a kind of temple. Not contemplative, but active, a temple of service where you enter willingly and exit willingly, and are present with joy.
Play for an adult doesn’t have to be about toys or giggles, although they can have a place in our playfulness. As we grow, our creativity doesn’t disappear – it becomes more refined, more aligned with what we truly enjoy. As children, we try everything, we grab objects, roles, experiences, we are curious and expansive. As adults, we develop taste and discernment, we choose what resonates.
Sometimes it feels like things are no longer exciting, but that doesn’t mean we outgrow play. We may simply outgrow certain forms of it. A game may feel boring not because it is childish, but because it is no longer challenging. Take something like hide and seek – in a small apartment it may seem trivial, but outdoors it can become a real adventure.
So we don’t outgrow games, we refine them. We sharpen our focus toward what truly resonates, and we need to keep exploring what forms of play bring us into this state of peaceful activation. This is the shift.
We can play, we must play as adults. It is a sacred activity, like prayer – just another form of sacredness in our life. Because when we work from stress, we project stress into the world, but when we act from joyful activation, we create something different.
So what happens when we get pushed out of play? When we become overwhelmed and shift into fight or flight? Well, in that case we need to decompress. We should follow the main road, the path to relaxation. We shouldn't try to fake it – you know, fake smiles at work, but inside you are trembling with fear of failure. No, that's not what you do. Not "fake it till you make it". We decompress, release activation, and land in rest and digest - like a slide downhill.
From there, gradually, we rise again into activation – along the positive axis, into play. So when work stops being play and becomes fight, it is a signal to pause. Let yourself decompress, and then return when you are ready.
Over time, you learn your limits. You learn to say: "this game is not for me anymore", or "I’ve had enough playtime for now". You become more mobile within your inner landscape. Life becomes more like a journey, an adventure.
And as you reconnect with your playful state, you also reconnect with your ability to dream – like when you were little. To believe your inspiration, to dream big, and to change the world.
Play for an adult doesn’t have to be about toys or giggles, although they can have a place in our playfulness. As we grow, our creativity doesn’t disappear – it becomes more refined, more aligned with what we truly enjoy. As children, we try everything, we grab objects, roles, experiences, we are curious and expansive. As adults, we develop taste and discernment, we choose what resonates.
Sometimes it feels like things are no longer exciting, but that doesn’t mean we outgrow play. We may simply outgrow certain forms of it. A game may feel boring not because it is childish, but because it is no longer challenging. Take something like hide and seek – in a small apartment it may seem trivial, but outdoors it can become a real adventure.
So we don’t outgrow games, we refine them. We sharpen our focus toward what truly resonates, and we need to keep exploring what forms of play bring us into this state of peaceful activation. This is the shift.
We can play, we must play as adults. It is a sacred activity, like prayer – just another form of sacredness in our life. Because when we work from stress, we project stress into the world, but when we act from joyful activation, we create something different.
So what happens when we get pushed out of play? When we become overwhelmed and shift into fight or flight? Well, in that case we need to decompress. We should follow the main road, the path to relaxation. We shouldn't try to fake it – you know, fake smiles at work, but inside you are trembling with fear of failure. No, that's not what you do. Not "fake it till you make it". We decompress, release activation, and land in rest and digest - like a slide downhill.
From there, gradually, we rise again into activation – along the positive axis, into play. So when work stops being play and becomes fight, it is a signal to pause. Let yourself decompress, and then return when you are ready.
Over time, you learn your limits. You learn to say: "this game is not for me anymore", or "I’ve had enough playtime for now". You become more mobile within your inner landscape. Life becomes more like a journey, an adventure.
And as you reconnect with your playful state, you also reconnect with your ability to dream – like when you were little. To believe your inspiration, to dream big, and to change the world.
Thank you for visiting!
Be well,
Natalia Sonina