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Ask yourself today, “Am I expanding or contracting in this situation?”
Simply bring awareness to your situation.
Remember to balance your awareness with compassion.
The definition of Expansive is - having a capacity or a tendency to expand, unrestrained, free, or open.
Simply becoming more conscious of which state you’re leaning toward at any given moment can help you.
In that awareness comes the potential for a more expanded state.
Are you feeling like perhaps you are more stuck than mobile, feeling constricted rather than free, it might be time to consider how much you have physically moved lately.
Consider how are you breathing right now?
Are they short shallow breaths or deep slow breaths?
Life is a dynamic ever-changing experience.
At times it may feel like your life is static, bound to an already predetermined destination but the bigger picture is that you are actually in a state of perpetual flux. Opportunities are everywhere. Our bodies are ever-changing, as are our emotions, moods, perceptions, breath, and personalities.
In life we sometimes move almost effortlessly through a situation and it helps you expand and grow, other times it might lead you to feel frozen or stuck, we contract and withdraw.
While this expansion and contraction is a natural part of life, people tend to rely on contraction during stressful times.
Contraction often feels like it's the safest coping mechanism.
Despite this habitual tendency to contract, expansion holds the most promise for growth, transformation, and happiness.
Think of a leaf or flower contracted, folded in on itself not quite open fully to the sun.
It looks safer from predators sure, but does it look free, open and fully alive?
That's not to say we must be always expansive.
We all have moments, days, and seasons where we need to be still, quiet, nurtured, and reflective.
Again that's not to say being quiet and still is an indication of a contracted state.
Sometimes the kindest most expansive thing we can do is to stand still, firm and un-moving.
One of the ways we can help ourselves move from a state of feeling stuck, frozen or contracted is to breathe and move.
When you remain still for too long your physical and mental energy becomes stagnant. However, when you get up and move; when you breathe deeply, you expand your lungs and fill your environment. Being still for long amounts of time creates inertia that can make you feel constricted.
Notice how you are breathing right now.
Take a few deep long breaths in and slowly out.
Wiggle your toes and ankles, open and close your hands and gently shake out your arms.
Now roll your shoulders up and down, forwards and backwards and then gently stretch your neck and head from side to side.
Stand up, stretch deeply, and get your body moving.
Then ask yourself again kindly “Am I expanding or contracting today?”