I believe that welcoming the cycles of expansion and contraction is vital to our harmony.
The natural world teaches us there is a time to open, a time to close, a time to be at full peak, a time to lie fallow. I can think of no expansion on this planet of living beings that is not followed, in some way, by contraction, which in turn is followed by expansion, then by contraction. The pattern is simply part of being in a living, breathing world.
To polarize aspects of these cycles as “good” or “bad” means that we end up separating from the world around us—a world where blossoms open to the sun and close at dusk, where the ocean swells and recedes with the tides, where day turns to night which then turns to day, where our very breath and pulse depend on the constancy of the expansion and contraction of our lungs and our hearts. — The Way of Joy
What is one of the lessons you’ve learned during a time of post-expansion contraction?
Vicki Dello Joio, founder of The Way of Joy: A Spiritual Fitness Program, is a teacher, speaker and performing artist. Integrating over 40 years of Chi Kung practice with other martial arts as well as her work in Yoga, Feldenkreis, physical fitness and theater, Vicki has developed a dynamic set of tools to increase awareness, transform obstacles into opportunities and enhance creative potential. Book: The Way of Joy, CD: Short Meditations for a Busy Life.
Ok, so I did it. I crossed The Threshold and am now officially 60 years old. In my last vlog, I talked about the voices in my head, worrying at questions triggered by a combination of retooling my business and my approaching decade change. That anxiety still comes in wisps, but no longer carries the same charge. At least, today.
My birthday itself was better than I could have possibly imagined. I feel like I got to take this next step while riding on a tidal wave of love. Here’s what I mean.
For one of my birthday Events, my Playback Theater company performed for me and some friends who had gathered at my house. Playback Theater is a style of improvisational theater where actors and musicians play back “on the spot” stories told by various audience members.
In this case, the topic was Me. So different people told memories, anecdotes, images and more and had them played back. It actually felt a little like being at my own memorial service, yet having the lagniappe (extra) of more things to come, more life to live. Here is a short clip of the end of my 50 minute tribute.
If you had the opportunity of hearing from people you have influenced, what do you think they might say?
Vicki Dello Joio, founder of The Way of Joy: A Spiritual Fitness Program, is a teacher, speaker and performing artist. Integrating over 40 years of Chi Kung practice with other martial arts as well as her work in Yoga, Feldenkreis, physical fitness and theater, Vicki has developed a dynamic set of tools to increase awareness, transform obstacles into opportunities and enhance creative potential. Book: The Way of Joy, CD: Short Meditations for a Busy Life.
