Dreamy.

This happiness points to the subject of Contraction and Expansion. I talk about this often in longer retreats as it is fundamental spiritual process of Dancemeditation. Contraction and Expansion have their roots in Sufism and refer to an oscillation of efforts and energetic states. The Contraction period is where we apply undivided attention to the practice we are engaged in (in Dancemeditation this might include Slow Movement, Breath Dances, and other movement mantras) and pursue a deepening inner-ness. This a process is common to many meditation traditions; in Dancemeditation, we actively fold in embodiment. These Contraction efforts draw us away from habituated patterning and tend to result in a sense of detachment from known signposts of identity and self-ness. This initial detachment might be uncomfortable; perhaps the body feels overly tight-skinned, overly electrified; emotions can be edgy and raw; or one might feel listless, awash, scattered, to name a few of the temporary states. Contraction must be tolerated, however, in order to arrive at a fresh perspective and to heal.

The Expansion that will inevitably follow at some point, if not right away, is a period of clarity, renewal, and creativity. It is generally characterized by a sense of well-being, heightened energy, abundant creativity, and freedom from emotional reactivity or at least freedom from feeling snared in a reactivity.

Expansion. I am in that phase.