THE NATURE OF eXPANSION & gROWTH
Human beings are by nature always expanding and contracting. With each inhalation, we feel our bodies expand, and with each exhalation, we feel a slight contraction. We ebb and flow with our breath, our emotions, and our environments. When we are cold, we tend to tense up, and warmth relaxes our joints and muscles. In times of stress, we contract and when relaxed, we open up.
Noticing this natural flow within us all can be very insightful if we pay close attention. We can even use the flow of expansion and contraction intentionally to grow and experience life in different ways. For example, if you notice that you often contract and tighten your body and state of being when in groups of people, you can trace that to its source. Why do I close off near others? Maybe I’m afraid. Why am I afraid? This simple noticing and curiosity puts you in a position where you now have a choice. You can begin to then ask how you can help yourself relax in these situations, both physically and mentally, cultivating a new relationship with these types of experiences. You can begin imagining how you might feel if you could allow your body and state of being to expand and see how you might be more open to conversation with others, connection, intimacy, and actually enjoying group experiences.
There are many opportunities to explore our edges, play with curiosity, and retrain our own nervous systems. The more we can expand—whether it be expanding our minds, allowing relaxation to expand within our bodies, or growing in the areas of emotion—the more freedom of choice we give ourselves.
Energetic Expansion
Think about it: we are all energetic beings. We radiate and emanate a specific frequency depending on our emotional, mental, and physical state of being. When someone walks into a room and is fully joyous and confident, you feel it, and it contributes to the whole environment. When someone comes in who is crying, depressed, and hopeless, it also affects the mood in a profound way. With this awareness, you can begin to experiment with intentionally putting a certain type of energy into the world.
When You Expand You Attract; When You Contract You React
Imagine yourself as an expansive, openminded, relaxed person who is comfortable with growth. You flow easily with your environment, free in their body, flexible in your mind. When you are in this state, you are easily approachable. Your mind is open and receptive, your body is relaxed and ready for new adventures, and your energy is inviting. On the other hand, think about some situations that cause you to contract, to hide, to tighten. You might notice that, many times, your body is reacting to a situation, even if that reaction is subconscious. Tensing up is a natural response to threat, danger, and pain. Although it is an important physical response to let you know when something is wrong, our bodies and sensations may become hyperactive if we have been through a lot of stress. This means that, in a situation that is even slightly triggering, your body contracts and you become energetically unavailable. Over time, this reaction doesn’t serve you in the areas of growth, connection, and healing.
How To Expand and Grow
Smile. Seriously! When you smile, your energy expands. It is actually difficult to stay contracted and tight when you are smiling or laughing. Try to smile more to expand your field of joy, presence, and being.
Practice awareness. Simply noticing and observing your natural flows of expansion and contraction can tell you a lot! Pause and be present with these sensations more often. Observe and ask yourself why you react in certain ways. Understanding your body’s natural responses can tell you a lot and empower you to make a conscious choice.
Move your body. Movement and flow in your physical state is powerfully expansive. When you dance, run, or stretch, every cell of your being is changing and flexible. The more you move, the more free you feel in your body and in your environment.
Look for the good in others. When you refrain from judgment, you can better see positive aspects in those around you, and you are more receptive to others’ energy and ideas. Allow yourself to suspend immediate judgment and listen, feeling the way others expand and contract around you, and take notice when the good in them is speaking to the good in you.
Get creative. When you paint or dance or write, you often feel relaxed and inspired. Inspiration (literally meaning “breathing into”) invokes creative expansion, sometimes unconscious. You may access a state where creativity moves and flows through you, and without thought or planning, your masterpiece comes to life. This is a wonderful example of how being open can allow for flexibility and ease in your life.
Welcome the unknown. Fear of the future restricts you. You close up, tighten, and become unavailable. You resist and contract. If you can shift into a place where you invite the new and welcome the unknown, you expand and are ready to receive whatever comes. When you are receptive and accepting, you are less afraid. Mindful expansion allows you to grow and experience new events with a more relaxed mindset.
There is so much to explore in the areas of growth, expansion, and development. Dive right in and have fun in the exploration. You are flexible, receptive, and wise. Your limits are expansive!
Read the poetic affirmations titled “Expansion, Growth, and the Unfolding of Me” for a deeper practice and inspiration.
For a fun way to learn in more areas of self expansion, join our free weekly women’s circles! See you there.
