Deep Nature Play: A Guide to Wholeness, Aliveness, Creativity, and Inspired Learning

ISBN: 1565893220

Author: Cornell, Joseph Bharat

Condition: New

When absorbed in deep play our sensory awareness is heightened, we becomeimmersed in the present moment and feel intensely alert and alive. Because play isfun and rewarding, we operate at the peak of our mental and physical capacity.Animals love to play. Crows will slide on their backs on a steep snowy slope, then flyto the top to slide down again; bison will repeatedly sprint onto a frozen lake, thenbellow gleefully as they skid across the ice. Brown bear cubs who play the most,Alaskan scientists have found, live the longest.Why is play behavior so prevalent in the animal kingdom? Through play, animalsexplore their world and discover all its possibilities. In higher animals, playstimulates the brain, enhances cognitive function and adaptability, and strengthenssocial bonds. Beyond these biological and social explanations, scientists are startingto believe that play is a means by which animals can express their joy of life.---Play energizes and enlivens people's experience of nature. How does deep natureplay differ from regular play? Deep play incorporates greater absorption with theobject of play."Play," Albert Einstein said, "is the highest form of research." Through his "thoughtexperiments," Einstein could visualize a concept and see the unseen. In this way hediscovered the theory of relativity, which has been called the most influential theoryin the history of modern science. "Imagination," Einstein once said, "is moreimportant than knowledge," because knowledge tells us only what is known alreadywhereas imagination tells us what can be. Play is imaginative, and play's openness,aliveness, and newness are essential to creativity.This book is for those who have forgotten how to play, or who want to incorporatemore play into their lives and revive their innate curiosity and sense of wonder. LetJoseph Cornell, Founder of Sharing Nature Worldwide and one of the world's mostpopular nature educators, empower you with the tools to maximize play, andtransform it from mere entertainment into a doorway to enhanced living, creativity,and concentration.