Expansion
Contraction

Expansion
Contraction

We have times in our live we feel very expansive--HUGE!

The spiral loops are wide--there is plenty of space for other people, thoughts, ideas...

We may even remain in expansive mode for days, or weeks, or months--some can pull it off for years.  But as with every inhale, there comes the exhale--contraction is necessary for life to breathe.

It seems, sometimes, when we get to the most contracted, we hold our own breaths; there is barely enough space for ourselves to be, let alone room for others...we may even stay in the contracted state for so long we have forgotten how to expand...

BREATHE.

The inhale is the first step.

We don't "make" the expansion happen, as much as we don't "make" the contraction happen, though we may be able to prolong each inhale and exhale as much as possible.   Like breathing, the cycle of expansion and contraction is natural. 

Perhaps, the more easily we allow the expansions and contractions to flow, the more life may have the ease of breathing. 

Prolonging an expansive state (because it feels good to feel so expansive!) may be followed by a prolonged contractive state--and the necessary squeezing we endure as we pass through the eye of the needle may feel interminable. 

Sometimes, I find myself judging the contractive state negatively, because it tends to elicit uncomfortable emotions--my response to pressure--and in so doing, keep myself there longer.

Perhaps, the more I focus on my breath--inhale (slight pause) exhale (slight pause), the more easily I may allow my life to breath at it's own regular, steady pace.

Perhaps.