Expansion meditation

It may be no secret to you that physical sensations are accompanied by psychological impressions, and psychological sensations are accompanied by physical impressions. You may also be aware that actuating specific sensations can be done for the purpose of bringing out their associated feelings, or thought; which means to say is, we all know we smile when we are happy(form follow function), but did you know that smiling for no reason can lead to spontaneous feelings of happiness or wellbeing(function follows form)?

Form Follows Function, Function Follows Forms

This is what is elucidated by the popular idea, “function follows form” or the celebrated Hermetic principal, “As above, so below” also often “As within, so without.” The implications of this are that the function of something will naturally make itself apparent with the expression of its form, and vice versa. Again, this can be shown with spontaneous smiling and feelings of well-being, or crossing ones arms and feelings of defensiveness or blocking out(try to be aware of your feelings next time you cross your arms in conversation).

Expanding

Feelings of expansion are almost always accompanied by states of well-being, love, bliss, and a positive quality. Negativity, fear, and defensiveness are accompanied by feelings of constriction and cramping, even a choking feeling(like crossing our arms, or getting ‘choked up’ when talking about something we may not want to talk about).

We want to appreciate a feeling of expansion to cultivate well-being and positivity. Begin with your breath, and come into awareness of your physical self. Assume a comfortable posture, either sitting or lying down, or even standing(this is a fun one to do while waiting in line at the store). Beginning in your chest, feel your lungs and diaphragm expand as your gulp down healthy lungs-full of air. Allow the feeling of expansion to continue even on your exhales, and spread the expansion to your limbs.

Start with expanding your body just an inch or so beyond the boundaries of your physical being. Radiate into this space and become it.

Once you occupy that space, feel your body expanding into the space that exists 12 inches around your being, and emanate into this space.

If you don’t feel it, you are probably trying too hard. This should be done with almost no effort on your part, and should naturally happen as you allow the feeling. Often the act of trying is the very obstacle we face. Open yourself up, become receptivity, and allow expansion to happen

Once you occupy all of this space, expand your essence until you exist in a 5 foot radius around your body. Include anything and everything that exists within this space, be it a chair or bed, or even other people who happen to be around. It’s not that ‘they’ are part of ‘you’ but what you are exists in a way that they are included in the arrangement. This is true at the most fundamental level, because what ‘you’ are can only be defined by what ‘you’ are not; the inherent implication that exists makes you all part of the same process. You are merely different expressions of the universe contained within your own space-time limits.

When you can occupy this space around you, expand until you reside within all the space of the entire room, or building you’re in. Again, include all things in this room as part of the cosmic volume, no different from your being because in order to define your being, everything that isn’t you must first be defined; there could be no ‘you’ without ‘not-you’(which only exists within the narrow relativity of our ego).

Finally, expand into all the space that exists; become the universe. This is a good time to come into awareness that there are no mistakes or ‘set-backs’ that can occur to us; we are exactly as we should be, where we should be, as we are.

You are a perfect expression of the universe, and like a drop of water is only differentiated from the ocean by volume, and not quality, you are of the same element as the perfect universe. Everything exists within you.

 

This meditation can be completed in 10 minutes, or drawn out to an hour or longer. It’s great for centering yourself before work or school, and works as a great relaxer before sleep.

Namaste.