Day 321 of 365 - Contraction and Expansion
This was another one of those days where my usual resources did not inspire me much for writing. One concept that did come up though was that of contraction/expansion, feeling worse and then feeling better. So, I've decided to write about that in relation to my day.
It is the body's innate tendency to find a balance between experiences of contraction and expansion. This naturally occurs in response to both internal and external stimuli, unless we have trained ourselves, either consciously or unconsciously to do otherwise.
As an example, think of the startle response in a baby, a contracting, which is immediately following by relaxing and expanding. That's how we start out in life. Something does not feel so good. We experience it flowing through us. We let it go. We feel better.
In life, our experiences and reactions, whether they be in response to external events or to internal ones, like an illness, might teach us to hold onto contractions of tissues as a protective response. When we develop habit patterns around this we lose some of that ability to flow smoothly from contraction to expansion. We guard against discomfort.
Over my adult life I've developed holding patterns in my tissues which clearly demonstrate that to me. Because of post-surgical pain many years ago I have a protective pattern in one area which then affects the rest of my body. I contract more on one side than the other. The older I get, the more obvious the impact becomes.
Even though I generally now relax fairly easily when I go to bed at night, allowing me to settle into sleep, by the time I wake up in the morning, and often some time in the night, I am in discomfort somewhere. That is why I spend a significant amount of time soon after getting up each day doing gentle stretching, yoga and Pilates. It helps to release areas of tension and bring a sense of balance back into my body. Over the course of the day, depending on what I am doing, the holding and tension will build again. Too much of anything, whether it be activity or sitting too long will cause this.
Today is the one day of the week where I have two exercise classes, Pilates in the morning and yoga in the evening. My body was complaining to me over some recent activities which seem to have gotten me quite out of alignment. Instead of avoiding my classes when I don't feel good, I count on them to help me tune into my body and to release some of that held tension.
Though it might seem contrary to go to a class like Pilates which requires a lot of focused contraction, it actually works in my favor. One of the principles of Pilates is to elongate, so this definitely helps me get out of my tendency to crunch in on one side. Yes, it is hard work, but it feels great afterwards. I might feel quite out of sorts when I start but feel great afterwards. We contract. We expand.
As I went through more of my day, I could feel my patterns again. Going to my yoga class this evening helped me again to tune in to where my body was holding and to experience shifts as we went through the class. By the end of class, during the savasana or resting stage, the gentle tingling down through my hands and feet and the flow of energy down my arms and legs told me that my body had settled into greater ease.
Now I'm tired from my active day and hope to have a nice restorative sleep tonight. Engaging in these practices with my body helps me to attune more to my bodily sensations and hopefully to release held tension sooner so that I teach my body to feel more comfort.
It is the body's innate tendency to find a balance between experiences of contraction and expansion. This naturally occurs in response to both internal and external stimuli, unless we have trained ourselves, either consciously or unconsciously to do otherwise.
As an example, think of the startle response in a baby, a contracting, which is immediately following by relaxing and expanding. That's how we start out in life. Something does not feel so good. We experience it flowing through us. We let it go. We feel better.
In life, our experiences and reactions, whether they be in response to external events or to internal ones, like an illness, might teach us to hold onto contractions of tissues as a protective response. When we develop habit patterns around this we lose some of that ability to flow smoothly from contraction to expansion. We guard against discomfort.
Over my adult life I've developed holding patterns in my tissues which clearly demonstrate that to me. Because of post-surgical pain many years ago I have a protective pattern in one area which then affects the rest of my body. I contract more on one side than the other. The older I get, the more obvious the impact becomes.
Even though I generally now relax fairly easily when I go to bed at night, allowing me to settle into sleep, by the time I wake up in the morning, and often some time in the night, I am in discomfort somewhere. That is why I spend a significant amount of time soon after getting up each day doing gentle stretching, yoga and Pilates. It helps to release areas of tension and bring a sense of balance back into my body. Over the course of the day, depending on what I am doing, the holding and tension will build again. Too much of anything, whether it be activity or sitting too long will cause this.
Today is the one day of the week where I have two exercise classes, Pilates in the morning and yoga in the evening. My body was complaining to me over some recent activities which seem to have gotten me quite out of alignment. Instead of avoiding my classes when I don't feel good, I count on them to help me tune into my body and to release some of that held tension.
Though it might seem contrary to go to a class like Pilates which requires a lot of focused contraction, it actually works in my favor. One of the principles of Pilates is to elongate, so this definitely helps me get out of my tendency to crunch in on one side. Yes, it is hard work, but it feels great afterwards. I might feel quite out of sorts when I start but feel great afterwards. We contract. We expand.
As I went through more of my day, I could feel my patterns again. Going to my yoga class this evening helped me again to tune in to where my body was holding and to experience shifts as we went through the class. By the end of class, during the savasana or resting stage, the gentle tingling down through my hands and feet and the flow of energy down my arms and legs told me that my body had settled into greater ease.
Now I'm tired from my active day and hope to have a nice restorative sleep tonight. Engaging in these practices with my body helps me to attune more to my bodily sensations and hopefully to release held tension sooner so that I teach my body to feel more comfort.
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