I have learnt over the years that my body is a wonderful tool to gauge what is going on within me. When I feel stressed or anxious my body tenses up and feels tight and contracted.

Many of us have become so used to the feeling of being stressed that we begin to associate this tight, tense feeling as a good thing: a belief that If I am all wound up tight, I must be doing a good job, I must be important.

In reality, we do our best work, and spread the best positive energy into the world when we are relaxed. This state is one of expansion or sometimes called “flow” – when marvellous things magically happen and our ability to create good ideas and do exceptional work feels effortless.

An example to illustrate the difference is a performer who is tense and stressed compared to one that is relaxed and loving their experience. Watching the stressed musician feels excruciating – and even if technically perfect there is little pleasure for performer or audience. This is contraction. In contrast a musician who loves what they do, can make a few mistakes even, but the energy that they share is filled with love and enthusiasm that spreads to the audience. This is expansion.

As you go through your day, and especially as you work through the daily breathing meditation that I shared last week, take note of how your body feels. Use this time to consciously relax and move your body from tightness and contraction into a relaxed and expanded state. A great book on this subject is Bending Reality by Victoria Song.

Starting the day like this will increase your enjoyment of life, and magically raise your ability to create the life that you dream of.