Do You Know When to Reach Out? And When to Pull Back?

Think about little babies, how they cuddle and contract into tight snuggly balls, and how they cry out and expand their bodies when they need something. Or as they learn to venture out and reach for objects and people around them. How a dysregulated child might hide or lash out with hitting. The adolescent that constantly raises their hand in class or the one that never does. How an adult in conflict might avoid or be aggressive. These are all examples of the Open Floor InternationalCore Movement Resource of EXPAND AND CONTRACT. We are constantly opening and closing and extending and pulling back to center. There are appropriate and adaptive times to use both.  

Those with an embodied sense of EXPAND AND CONTRACT are: 

·      Fluid, flexible, and able to digest emotions/thoughts

·      Adaptive, responsive, and can be open-hearted and contained

·      Creative, curious, and open-minded

·      Evolving, changing, and accept the cycles of life

Those with a weaker sense of EXPAND AND CONTRACT might be:

·      Stuck too open or too closed in their thinking, movements, relationships, or emotions

·      Over-doers, unable to say no, or hold rigid beliefs

·      Unaware of the big picture or lacking depth of soul

·      Someone who struggles with intimacy or has a victim mentality

Come practice your ability to EXPAND AND CONTRACT with Open Floor conscious dance. We’d love to move with you!

Free Open Floor Conscious Dance Class, Saturday, 9/16/23 from 9:30-11am at Healing Roots Wellness Center in River Falls, WI to benefit the yoga non-profit Abundant Yoga Community’s programming!

Open Floor Conscious Dance 101 3-Part Series starting Sunday, October 8th, 2023 at 8:30-9:30am at Inspiring Actions in River Falls, WI!

Curious? Questions? Just reach out to Open Floor Teacher-in-Training, Cori Hildebrandt, MA, LPC WI, LPCC MN, Psychotherapist, Owner Coriander Living Collective.

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OFI Teacher Training Curriculum V3, July 2021