On Contraction and Expansion, Part II

Before the Industrial Revolution, western civilization connected much more deeply with the natural world and its cycles, and the end of summer/beginning of fall marked the new year. We see this in various cultures, as this time is marked by harvest festivals, festivals of the dead, and for us, Halloween. It is considered a magical time when the veil between the two worlds is thinnest, a time during which conscious intention setting is most potent.

It makes sense, right? At least more sense than waiting for January 1st when everything is already dead and barren to "start over," to shift from one day to the next by planning everything you're going to suddenly do differently. Not typically considered the most inspirational part of the year, wouldn't you say?

I'm not advocating that we switch our calendar to reflect this, just that you reconsider fall. Doesn't it feel more intuitive to take a self-inventory now, as the harvest is ripe, before the night comes early and the trees are bare, when the only thing we want to do is hibernate like little honey bees and cozy up by the fireplace (or in some cases, miniature space heaters)?

How does contraction and expansion play into this? For you yoga nerds out there, contraction and expansion plays out on our mats in a multitude of ways, but suffice it to say for the moment that the way we are on our mats is an exact mirror for how we are in life. In yoga class we are often guided to walk our edge, that juicy space between going too far and into potential injury, and it's opposite: constantly backing off and even tuning out the practice. Imagine yourself in a challenging pose; what is your tendency: to immediately retreat (contract), or to muscle through (expand)? Now apply that same exact tendency to how you are in relationships...see any correlation? As practitioners we engage constantly in this sweet dance, riding the edge in seek of balance between two sides, diligently flexing an entirely new set of muscles (both literally and metaphorically). It can be exhilarating and terrifying all within the span of a few breaths.

With this in mind, I ask you to take your own inventory. What seeds planted last spring have now come to fruition (what personal harvest(s) are you reaping?)? What thoughts/ideas/goals/intentions would you like to incubate during the cold months so that you may better tend to them, better nurture their growth come winter's end? How can you skillfully assimilate the expansiveness of summertime in ways that will support you now that the days are moving into contraction (see what I did there?)? Go a step further than just thinking about these things--be in conversation about your intentions, write them down. Do your work and allow the universe to also play its part.

Instead of plowing through the cold months, as I know I for one am wont to do, utilize the natural stillness of fall to turn inward, engaging in some self-reflection; to allow contraction instead of shying away from it or making it wrong. Cozy up to it, even.

As you take this practice on, my wish for you is that you go easy on yourself; in other words, NO "SHOULDS" allowed--they can be poisonous. Simply take a look and ask yourself, what are the areas of my day to day where I can invite more expansion? Where in my life am I perhaps unnecessarily contracted? Or, the best question for you might be, where in my life am I too overextended; where would it benefit me most to scale things back, maybe engage in some rarely taken self care, create a new boundary?

Let me know how it goes, if you dare...