As healthy newborns, hopefully, every breath we take is relaxed and easy. Most of us come into the world with energy moving from the tops of our heads to the tips of our toes. We are open and expressive. As we grow up, our aliveness and feelings may not always be fully accepted by parents, teachers, friends, bosses, and spouses.
Every child also has experiences that seem designed to demonstrate unworthiness.
We begin to protect ourselves from harsh voices and actions. We think we can safeguard our perfect essence by tensing our muscles. But this has an undesired effect. Unconsciously, we seek to take up less space in the world so that we'll become less vulnerable to the unpleasant and the unknown. The more we contract, the less inner space we give ourselves.