"We move from contraction to expansion not by straining to change it, but by surrounding it with spaciousness"
- Sharon Salzberg
I’ve been a little quiet in this space for a few months. Last November brought an unexpected turn in our lives that took me on an emergency trip to be with my family after my brother was diagnosed with lung cancer. It was one of those moments that completely shook the whole out of me. The fear, the uncertainty, the deep urge to be close to my loved ones while being so far away. I wanted, within my reach, to take away some of the worry and pain my parents and brother were feeling. Contraction. There was a constant tightening in my chest, uncontrollable tears, a deep feeling of helplessness, a desire to control what’s uncontrollable.
When I finally arrived, something else was there. My trip was also filled with profound love, connection, and deep support. I felt the cosiness of being with family and lifelong friends, the power of community, and the generosity of people I had never met before yet who showed up for us. A profound tenderness in just being together. Expansion. The breath that follows the exhale, the way the heart stretches even in the most challenging moments.
Fortunately, I am really happy to share with you that my brother is doing really well. The surgery was a success, he is responding beautifully to his treatment, and as usual, his unshakable strength of mind—one of his most remarkable qualities—is keeping him in flow with his life. Expansion. Relief. Gratitude.
This experience has been a loving reminder that everything in life moves in cycles. One moment, we find ourselves navigating the depths of uncertainty, and the next, we are stepping into fresh energy, new possibilities, and the excitement of what’s ahead. It’s a rhythm—expansion and contraction, inhale and exhale, day and night, growth and release. The more we surrender to this dance, the more we realise that each phase holds its own wisdom, its own beauty.
Life is always showing us this contrast... The sun rises, the sun sets. The seasons shift. We breathe in, we breathe out. And yet, so often, we resist half of the equation. We welcome the expansion—the happiness, the success, the ease—while avoiding the contraction—the endings, the uncertainty, the spaces in between. But what if we embraced both?
This month, we’re exploring this life of contrasts in our Dru Yoga classes, not just as a concept—but as something we can feel, embody, and even welcome with open arms. Because at the end of the day, how could we truly love and appreciate our life if we deny a big part of what it means to be alive? To feel deeply, to experience both light and shadow, to allow every moment—expansive or contracting—to shape us into who we are becoming.
Why This Practice is Essential for Your Growth
Most of us are conditioned to chase expansion—to hold onto the highs, the momentum, the growth. But without contraction, expansion cannot exist. Just look at nature—if the trees never dropped their leaves in Autumn, there would be no room for new blossoms in Spring. If we only inhaled and never exhaled, well… we know how that would end. Contraction makes space for what’s next. What if we trusted that it’s clearing the way for something new?
Feel It in Your Body: Practicing Expansion & Contraction
Each week, we’ll move through a different lens, exploring the koshas or layers of our being in this dance of life. And as we do, we’ll start to notice:
- How expansion feels in the body—with opening postures that invite your whole body to open to the world and life.
- How contraction grounds us—the surrender we experience in postures that bring us back to ourselves, where we replenish.
- How breath teaches us this balance effortlessly—the inhale that fills us, the exhale that clears the way.
- How emotions rise and fall like waves, reminding us that neither happiness nor sadness is permanent.
- How our minds expand with inspiration and contract in deep reflection.
Through movement, breath, and deep relaxation, we’ll allow our weekly practice to be a mirror for life itself—learning to flow with the waves rather than going against the current.
What If You Stopped Resisting and Started Trusting?
What if we allowed grief to be as sacred as joy, rest to be as valuable as productivity, and the endings in our lives to be as honoured as the beginnings?
This is what our Dru Yoga practice is bringing us this March—a space to embrace the full experience of being alive. A chance to honour the flow, trusting that whatever phase we are in, it is leading us toward our next chapter.
Your Invitation to Move, Pause and Evolve
I’d love for you to explore this with me in our weekly Dru Yoga classes—where we’ll move, breathe, and embody these cycles together. Whether you’re feeling expansive or contracted right now, our practice will meet you exactly where you are.
And if you want to take this exploration even deeper, our Autumn Retreat is the perfect space to immerse yourself in this dance and start living lighter. Just as the trees are releasing their leaves, we will let go of what is keeping us heavy, burnt out, and out of our centre—making space for something new, aligned, and truly majestic waiting to emerge.
Do you run away from contraction? Are you revering expansion too much? I would love to hear your story.
Let’s move, breathe, and trust the flow of life — together!
Namaste