As a child we are Masters at the art of improvisation.  Nothing else exists for us except the unfolding moment to create within…and create we do until the structures and emphasis on certainty, safety and security of the adults around us impinge on that creative spirit….or we incur trauma that may close down this innate way of being.    
 
As adults we learn to mold ourselves to standards, rules, regulations, squeeze into boxes…. and forget that innovative spirit that we came in with. 
 
Watch a small child and see the absolute focus they have to whatever is drawing their attention in the moment.  This is where new and unique forms emerge and take shape.
 This is where boundaries disappear and spaces expand.  The emphasis is taken off of what the mind can structure and contain…. and on to what the whole being can innovate and bring forth. 
 
The breathing, ever sensing body has a great deal to do with this!  Watch young Aelita Andre in this video…and note that she paints in a tutu!

A spaciousness of exciting and transformative artistry has the potential to emerge and downloads into creative thoughts, impulses and subsequent actions, offering possibilities that the structures could never bring forth….or even imagine.  
 
There is a gradual straying away from confined structures, and expected form in improvisation, though structures can be the springboard or foundation from which we take our improvisational leaps into action. 
 
We sometimes forget that many of the structures of today were brought forth from the foundation of improvisation.  Even something like a yoga pose developed as individuals 1,000’s of years ago played, explored and experimented with movement, flexibility, strength and balance!

 
Then…. in a single moment what bursts forth is a crescendo of fresh and never heard before notes strung together as only the musician can bring from the depths of their being; a collaborative cultivation of group energy, intention and creative capacities by letting go of the need to “educate”, provide information, or make something happen; dance or movement artistry that arises out of listening deeply to the creative, sensing and energetic body impulses joyously unfolding in any given moment; or color and images that have never been seen before for they arise from the improvisational Soul of the artist.

Now you don’t have to be an artist, actor, musician, dancer, comedian, writer or teacher to ride the wave of improvisation.  It simply takes listening deeply to what is arising, trusting the expression, and bringing it forth even though fear may be present.   
 
It may mean not following the same rutted path that everyone else has taken before you. It may result in exposing hidden possibilities within.  It could be the spark that ignites the flame of full aliveness in you. 
 
Improvisation does not live in the right/wrong, good/bad or  certainty/security conversations….but instead inhabits a space of aliveness and flow that brings forth the very uniqueness and joy of the soul expression that is only ours to bring out into the world. 
 
Life lived within a spirit of improvisation is rich indeed.  There is nothing wrong with structures, for they keep us from living in chaos in our complex world, however…