How To Centre Yourself (and why!?)

20 Aug How To Centre Yourself (and why!?)

There is more of a sense of carefree fun during the summertime and sense of routine, direction and focus take a back seat for a while – this is good for us, to break free a little and be more in a relaxed or8uyi “fuck it!” state. As August end draws near our thoughts may shift towards “what’s next?” This can be uncomfortable, exciting, anxiety inducing or something else for you, for all sorts of reasons: work, health, the season change, home and family life stresses, being indoors more or even the thought of routine itself.

Notice how the ending of summer feels for you, without judgement. What thoughts come up for you? What sensations do you notice in your body as you think of the ending of summer? Maybe an emotion comes up?.. Don’t attach to whatever comes up, we are just information gathering, or “checking in”.

This process is giving us helpful information about ourselves at this time, and maybe where we need some support (from ourselves or from others) or even what we might like to change. AND it can also be a process of just acknowledging and allowing feelings to be there; to come through us.

One practice that my clients and I find helpful is Centering. Centering is a simple and powerful practice that can help us find our home within ourselves when facing change, stress, challenge, pain, uncomfortable emotions or overwhelm.

There are various ways to Centre but here is one that I like that is short and simple:

First, close your eyes or just relax them and notice how you feel – what sensations do you notice? (eg. Heartbeat, breathing, temperatures of different parts of your body, is there restlessness, heaviness, emptiness, tightness, contraction, or something else?)

Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your heart or the centre of your chest and place your awareness at these points, noticing how it feels to connect through your hands with these two central places of your body. Keeping your hands on your belly and heart, take your awareness to the soles of your feet and the crown (top) of your head…. Take a slow, deep inhale imagining breathing from your heart and belly expanding out to the soles of your feet and your crown and exhaling back to belly and heart. Repeat this breath cycle 3 times. Then let your hands rest down by your sides and notice how you feel now. You can repeat the process as many times as you need or want.