Get Bigger

People often feel that life is presenting them with more than they can handle. My teacher Rudi said this: “Bite off twice as much as you can chew and then chew it.”

When you come face-to-face with something bigger than you think you want to bite or bigger than you think you can chew, the tendency is to say, “No, I don't want to do that.” But the dynamic is being presented to you by your own Self. That deeper intelligence is offering you some rocket fuel—the very energy that you need to consume and transform into Śakti so that it can make you bigger, create a bigger consciousness in you.

It is only the mind, your thoughts and ego, that says, “That's too big for me.” There’s a classic analogy of how a python can swallow a deer. The python dislocates its jaw big enough to swallow its prey. It doesn't get it halfway in and say, “this doesn't taste very good,” or, “this is too big.” It just relaxes its jaw, making it wide enough to accommodate whatever size it’s trying to devour.

So, for us, the first step is acknowledging that we’re being presented with the very fuel that we need to not only sustain ourselves, but to grow bigger. How do we do that? By absorbing the energy contained within whatever we’re facing—putting the contraction into the central channel and allowing it to be transformed into energy. This provides Kuṇḍalinī with the fuel it needs to move up the suṣumṇa, clearing the very resistance that caused us to feel that something was “too big” to face.

Digesting Life’s Challenges

The image of the python is powerful. Just as the snake doesn’t question the size of its meal, we are asked not to question the size of the challenge before us. Instead, we must learn to “dislocate our jaw”—to expand our hearts and consciousness enough to take in what life offers.

Resistance shows up when we decide something is “too big” or “too unpleasant.” We wish for different circumstances, a lighter burden, or an easier path. But resistance is nothing more than denying ourselves the nourishment that has already been placed before us. Śakti, the energy of life Itself, is the digestive force within us. It provides us with both the intent and the power to transform difficulty into strength, contraction into expansion, resistance into growth.

Growing is not about avoiding discomfort. As Rudi said, “Growing is reaching from where you are into a totally different place, with different energies and a different consciousness.” This is the deeper nourishment, like the connection between mother and child through the umbilical cord. That cord, in yogic language, is never severed. Through the central channel, we continue to draw sustenance from the Divine, expanding into new levels of being.

Most of us trust life when it feels like we are being served on a silver platter. When circumstances appear “perfect,” it’s easy to believe they come from God. But the real work is learning to trust that the difficulties—the overwhelming demands, the disappointments, the unfair burdens—are also Divine offerings. They are fuel for growth.

Life’s challenges are not random punishments. They are precise invitations to get bigger than our perceived limitations. When we swallow what seems “too much,” we discover that our capacity expands in the process. The central channel has no limit. The only limit is the resistance we create when we say “this isn’t fair” or “I can’t handle this.”

Feeling Overwhelmed Leads Us to Inquiry

One student recently shared: “I feel overwhelmed. Too many requirements are being placed on me—friends, responsibilities, commitments. I’ve been pushing some aside because I can’t do it all.”

This honest confession points to a crossroads we all encounter. Do we simply say, “I can’t” and shut down, or do we pause and ask the deeper question: “Is this an opportunity for me to get bigger?”

Sometimes the answer may indeed be no—it may not be the right moment to respond, or the demand might be a distraction rather than true nourishment. But if we never ask, we miss the chance for growth. Rudi used to say bluntly, “Get to work, schmuck.” The message was clear: don’t collapse into resistance without first inquiring deeply.

Growth is not about blindly saying yes to everything. It is about conscious engagement. To grow means to ask sincerely: “Will this serve my evolution?” If the answer is yes, then step in—even if it feels uncomfortable, unfair, or impossible. If the answer is no, the growth lies in the clarity of setting a boundary with awareness, not avoidance.

Either way, growth happens within. The real expansion is not about checking off obligations but about deepening awareness of the Self. When we open ourselves to the possibility that every moment is an offering, our relationship to life changes. We stop negotiating with circumstances and instead engage them as fuel.

Living on the Growing Edge

So, where is the boundary of the heart? The answer is simple: wherever we set it. The invitation of spiritual practice is to move that boundary outward, to live on the “growing edge.”

This doesn’t mean we won’t feel resistance, fear, or exhaustion. It means we recognize those feelings as signs of opportunity. The heart’s edge is where life is most dynamic, and the gift of our life is not ease—it is the capacity to be conscious of our boundaries and the willingness to expand past them.

Rudi expressed this in his mantra: “I wish to grow.” It is both a prayer and a challenge. Spoken softly, it may sound like a timid wish. Spoken with conviction, it roars like a lion. And the moment you say it sincerely, life will respond. Opportunities to grow will appear—often in the form of the very difficulties you wanted to avoid!

This mantra is deceptively simple. Try sitting quietly and repeating “I wish to grow.” If you mean it, the universe will test you. Someone will ask for your help. A burden will land in your lap. A door will open that feels intimidating. Your wish itself will draw these challenges to you.

The question is: will you resist, or will you get bigger?

To grow is to trust that nothing life serves you is wasted. Every challenge, every contraction, every moment of resistance contains the fuel you need for transformation. To grow is to dislocate your jaw, widen your heart, and swallow life whole—knowing that Śakti will digest it, and you will emerge larger, freer, and more awake.