Returning to Center
Life is not about constantly being in your center. It is about returning to center again and again and again. It is about noticing when you start to feel off and making the choice to course-correct. The beauty is that we can feel differently in different moments. So, if you wake up feeling like crap, no need to fret, with some intentionality you can feel better in the next moment, or the next moment.
This concept feels liberating because it means we are not trapped by the bad moments. There is endlessly room for shifting. The easiest way to go from feeling off, to feeling on, is to reconnect to your body. Notice your sit bones in the chair, your feet on the ground – picturing roots coming from the bottoms of your feet, coming into your breath – not needing to change it, simply noticing that you’re breathing – noticing the rising and falling of your chest and belly, you can even place one hand on belly and one hand on heart to really feel that breath in your body.
If you can get outside, there is nothing quite like connecting with the natural earth. Maybe you take your shoes off and feel your bear feet against the fresh grass, or the soft sand, or the moist dirt. This practice is called earthing and it has been proven to have a lot of benefit to your overall health and feelings of being grounded.
Another way to course-correct and get back in your body and feel better quickly, is to create with your hands. You don’t have to be an artist to do this. You can have the skills of a grade-schooler and still see the benefit. Paint, collage with magazines, color, draw, sculpt. Using your hands for creativity helps you to feel more embodied.
You can also try putting on some music that emanates the emotions you wish to feel. Notice the vibrations in your body as the music plays. Notice the deep feelings that arise and the shift in energy. You might even decide to dance to the music. Let your body move in a free-flowing motion without any worry or care about what other people would think. You are doing this for you.
There is no need for perfection or to be like a monk meditating alone in a cave at the top of the mountains, for weeks on end.
We are all living perfectly imperfect lives and to expect perfection is insanity. Simply notice when you are off and find a way to come back to yourself.
How do you return to center? Share with us in the comments.
Comments