Easing into Expansion

Hi beautiful souls,

... and hello spring! Many of us are emerging out of our shells of winter hibernation, and into maximizing every moment outside we can muster. Expansion is in the air!

Of course, I’m thrilled spring is finally (!) here. My extroverted side has loved all the catch-ups, longer walks and fresh new energy. And yet, I noticed some glimmers of resistance from my introverted side. Winter was all about coziness, quiet, solitude. On many fronts – personally and professionally, mind and heart – I am being called out of the cozy, comfortable nest I rested in, and into new frontiers of expansion. Instead of pushing over my resistance, I worked with it. What does expansion really entail? 
 

The calls of expansion

Expansion requires courage. Like a seed beginning to sprout, expansion requires we trust the inertia moving through us, even when we know it’s leading us to places we’ve never been, and away from all the comforts we knew. Expansion can pull up all the fears and self-doubts – “I am just a little seed. Who am I to be a tree?” And so we require an extra dose of courage (and compassion) to look to all our resistances, all that needs healing within us before we can truly expand.

Expansion requires letting go. We are not infinite (at least, not in our human forms!), and so calls for expansion also include calls for release. For making space. Like that little seed cracking through its shell, oftentimes we are called to let go of what was safe and cozy, what held us, all that we’ve known. We need to accept that even though some things may have held a strong purpose before, hanging onto them may in fact be holding us back from new growth. 

Expansion requires grounding. We cannot grow sustainability without a deep connection to our sense of self and our sense of place. If we rush and jump before taking care to build a stable foundation, the first storm will blow us up and out.

Expansion requires trust. Trust in the intertia moving through us. Trust in our capabilities. Trust in all we were designed to grow into. If we’re tuned into the wisdom of our heart, it will oftentimes lead us into expansions that our mind doesn’t quite grasp or understand. This is where we learn to trust ourselves and hold onto the flames of whatever guides us. This is the dance of surrender. Once the seed begins to sprout, it doesn't have much of a choice on going back, does it? :)
 

Easing into it

And, I remembered –  there's no rush. It's all happening at the pace it's meant to happen. So instead of diving headfirst into saying yes to all the things, jumping from one extreme to the other (definitely an old tendency of mine :), I'm easing into this season of expansion. Letting the pressure roll away. Some big changes are underfoot, and I'm reminded it doesn't all need to happen at once, and that the restorative aspects of winter need not vanish. I'm expanding  slowly and steadily, listening to the whispers of my body, heart and spirit along the way. 

Many of these expansions are on the teaching front. I’m thrilled to join the warm, beautiful and community-oriented new yoga + meditation studio Good Space in Parkdale, around the corner from my home healing studio. I'll be teaching yoga there a few times a week, and meditation on Wednesdayevenings. I’m also hosting another Art of Energy workshop on May 10 with The Quiet Company at Health Hut (back by popular demand, as the last one sold out quick!), and a New Moon Ceremony on May 15 where we’ll explore this theme of expansion together, emerging brighter + stronger into spring.

On a personal front, I’m gearing up for visit to Italy for a dear friend's wedding. I’ll be away June 7 – 17, so book in your healings this month and come join for a class (or a few!) before I’m off!

In whatever ways you are expanding – body, mind, heart, spirit –  may you ease into them gently, holding steady in your courage, your roots, and your trust. May you release all that is no longer serving your expansion with gratitude and grace. And may you shine brighter than ever as you step into these new frontiers.

With love,
ayah