Can you consider any move calm and peaceful? We both been through enough moves that, although they are less harried and hectic than some earlier ones, to call those most recent peaceful would be a stretch. There is, however, a move you can make that is decidedly serene and calming. That is the move to the center, as in centering yourself.
Those who routinely meditate or are spiritually aware recognize the benefits of centering and use the technique to prepare themselves for their encounters. Anyone can perform and benefit from the act of centering.
Where do people go when they head for their centers? Centering, also called grounding, is the process of finding yourself and putting your mind at peace. The idea is to put your mind in its most calm and peaceful state while stabilizing your thoughts and emotions. The benefits are to be able to manage your emotional, mental, and physical selves and create a state of total self-awareness.
The yogi, meditation coach, and spiritual guide have their specific beliefs of the best practices to achieve a centered state, and their goals and results may be different. The average person doing everyday activities will also benefit from centering exercises and mindful decision making.
At its most basic, the art of centering yourself benefits you in several areas.
Thoughts and feelings: Centering bings you to a mindful awareness of yourself or your environment without judgement
Emotions: Centering calms emotions so you can decide and act thoughtfully rather than impulsively
Physical: centering makes you aware of your person, how you hold yourself, possibly improving your breathing and posture, and lessening your physical idiosyncrasies
When one is centered it has been described as knowing where you are and why you are there.
Everyday benefits of centering following these same expanses
Decisions are more purposeful generally more easily attained
Conversations are more thoughtful and productive
You generally feel better, more confident, more alert, and less anxious
When one is centered it has been described as knowing how you are and what you need to do to maintain your health.
All this is good news for those who can find and then move to their centers. Again, centering “professionals” have their means and processes, but you can practice mindful exercises any time you want or feel a need for it. It it’s important to make your process your process. A basic technique may look something like this.
Find your place, perhaps in a quiet space but at least a calm space.
Make yourself comfortable, relax your muscles.
Control your breathing. Some sources recommend a 5 second inhale and a 5 second exhale 5 times (5-5-5). However you do it, you want deliberate, even breaths.
Quiet your mind. Thinking of things you are grateful for may help you focus on positive thoughts
When done right, a centered mind should be less stressed, be more focused, be more confident, and be more productive. Exactly what you get from your centering practice may depend on where you started. In general it will create a more direct path to finding life in your slow lane, allowing you to connect with you, focusing more clearly on the near and now.
Moving doesn’t have to be stressful. In fact, moving to the center is designed to reduce stress and heighten your mood. It could be the location you are looking for where you can live a calm, thoughtful existence.
This reminds me of the verse in Psalm 46:10: "Be still and know that I am God." Stillness is part of centering, but it's hard to do in a world that doesn't slow down or respect silence. What you've shared makes so much sense. We need to practice quiet to be centered, which means shutting off the noise of screens and people for enough time to really listen to what God is saying to our hearts. It really matters to us at the moment. It's so easy to be thrown off course by the busyness of life and the noise that seems to permeate all we do. Thanks for this.