This recording begins with a lesson.
To skip to the meditation,
Go to 4 minutes.
Our Qabbalistic tradition teaches that the Divine created the universe through an act of tzimtzum,
Of constriction.
That He made Himself smaller,
So to speak,
In order to create a halal hapanoi,
An open space in which the finite,
In which we could exist.
And we experience that in our own lives.
When you were just a fetus in your mother's womb,
She made a space for you and moved herself around and constricted herself in order for you to grow and blossom.
And so it is with you in relationships,
Where you make space for others in order for them to grow and blossom.
Not just physically as with a mother,
But also emotionally and mentally.
You offer people a part of your space in order that they may flourish.
In this meditation,
We're going to be exploring that act of tzimtzum,
Of constriction,
As well as the act of rechavia,
Of expansion.
Because we ebb and flow from these two states of being throughout our lives.
From making ourselves smaller in order to offer space for others,
And then expanding in order to take up our own space.
From constriction to expansion.
And we see this everywhere in nature.
In the winter,
We experience a time of constriction.
It's a constriction of light,
Of growth,
Of energy.
In contrast to the summer,
Which is a full expansion of light,
Fruitfulness,
And creativity.
And so too it is with your breath.
The exhale is a constriction,
And the inhale is an expansion.
And because the divine created you in his image,
He invites you to experience that primordial state of constriction and that deep desire for expansion with which he created the world.
So I invite you to join me in this meditation and feel the divine alive in you,
In your own constriction and your own expansion.
Find a comfortable seat,
And close your eyes to focus on your breath,
On the rise and fall of your belly and your chest,
On the expansion that happens with every inhale,
And on the constriction that follows with every exhale.
Breathing in,
And breathing out.
Breathing in,
And breathing out.
Making space for new light with the inhale.
Feeling your body expanding with the inhale,
And constricting with the exhale.
Expanding and taking up more,
And constricting to make more space for others with the exhale.
And as you engage in this dance,
I want you to feel your muscles soften.
I invite you to allow your body to the divine constriction and the expansion of your breath,
To connect to the expansion of our universe that's happening every moment of every day.
As our light grows more and more,
And more wondrous reflection of the divine light.
To go far beyond the limitations of your body.
And see if you can feel,
So does every living creature on the planet.
So does every tree and grass,
Ocean is breathing.
And as you feel this constriction within yourself,
And this expansion within yourself,
As well as the breath,
The whole,
Ask yourself how can I make more space for others in my life?
The way the divine has made space for me,
Perhaps through an act of service,
Or going beyond yourself just a bit.
And also ask yourself,
As you inhale,
How can I expand my light more?
In what ways should my soul be taking up more space?
The capacity to constrict and to expand,
I invite you to place a hand over your heart,
And bless yourself to make space for others today.
And to bless others with your expansion today.
And when you are ready,
I invite you to slowly come back to your body.
By wiggling your fingers,
And wiggling,
And slowly batting your eyes open.
Ready to bless the world with your gaze.
