Mindful Play and Creativity Workshop for Adults

I’m Shilani, a mindfulness mentor, meditation teacher and Practice Manager at Alive Physio & Wellness in Hawthorn.My relationship with mindfulness began when I was growing up in Sri Lanka, where meditation and Buddhist teachings were part of the culture around me. But it wasn't until much later in life that I really understood what mindfulness could offer me.In 2013, my family and I moved from Canberra to Melbourne, leaving behind the life we had built. It was a big transition for me and it made me question who I was, what really mattered and how I wanted to live.That was when mindfulness became much more than something I had grown up around. It became something I experienced for myself.I began to notice how often I was living in the past or worrying about the future, while missing what was actually happening right in front of me. Through meditation and mindfulness, I learnt that I didn't need to fix every thought or feeling. I could simply notice what was happening, breathe, and learn to be with it.That shift changed the way I relate to myself and to life.Why I love teaching mindfulnessI love teaching because mindfulness has helped me through some of my own life transitions, and I know how valuable it can be when life feels busy, overwhelming or uncertain.But I don't teach meditation as a way to "empty your mind" or become perfectly calm. Our minds are supposed to think!For me, mindfulness is about becoming more aware of what's happening in our body, our thoughts and our emotions, and learning to meet those experiences with a little more curiosity and kindness.I love creating spaces where people don't feel like they have to be good at meditation. There is no right way to sit, no expectation that your mind should be quiet and nothing you need to achieve.You simply arrive as you are.Mindfulness can be surprisingly ordinaryOne of the things I love most about mindfulness is that it doesn't have to be another thing on your never-ending to-do list.It can be noticing the warmth of the sun on your skin, taking a walk without your phone, listening properly when someone is talking to you, taking a few conscious breaths, laughing with a friend or simply pausing for a moment before rushing on to the next thing.I’m particularly interested in the connection between mindfulness and nervous-system regulation. So much of modern life keeps us switched on, busy and looking ahead. Sometimes what we need isn't another productivity hack, it's permission to pause.And sometimes that pause can be playful.What if we never really outgrew play?This question inspired me to create The Playful Pause, a different kind of mindfulness experience.I started thinking about how much time we spent as children simply drawing, colouring, making things, doing puzzles or getting completely absorbed in something just because it was enjoyable.There was no outcome. No productivity goal. No pressure to be good at it. Somewhere along the way, many of us stopped making time for that.The Playful Pause brings together simple creative activities, mindfulness, breath awareness, guided meditation and quiet reflection in a relaxed, welcoming space. You don't need to be creative, artistic or experienced in meditation. There is nothing to achieve.It's simply two hours to slow down, reconnect and play.You’ll leave my sessions feeling…My hope is that you leave feeling a little more connected to yourself. Perhaps calmer. Perhaps lighter. Perhaps more curious.Maybe you've learnt a simple practice you can take into your everyday life. Or maybe you've simply given yourself permission to stop doing for a while. There is no particular feeling you need to achieve.The best thing mindfulness has taught me…That I don't have to wait for life to be different before I can experience it.For a long time, I thought happiness, peace and fulfilment were somewhere in the future, when things settled down, when I achieved something, or when life looked the way I thought it should.Mindfulness taught me to notice that life is already happening. Right here.And that's something I continue to practise myself.A little about my experienceI've worked in the health industry for nearly 20 years. My husband and I have worked together for around 20 years and have built and managed two physiotherapy clinics, our first in Canberra in 2007 and our current practice, Alive Physio & Wellness, in Hawthorn.Over the years, I've seen so many people walk through our doors experiencing a disconnection between their mind, body and spirit. That experience has shaped the way I see wellbeing and strengthened my belief that we need to care for the whole person, not just one part of them.Alongside my own meditation practice for over 10 years, I completed a Certificate in Guiding and Teaching Meditation and Mindfulness through the Australian Centre for Meditation and Mindfulness in 2020, followed by Mindfulness Mentor training through Banyan with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield.I am also a registered Meditation Teacher with the Meditation Association of Australia.You don't need to know how to meditate…You don't need a quiet mind.You don't need to sit cross-legged.You don't need to be spiritual.And you certainly don't need to be "good" at it.Come as you are.We'll start there.