I imagine that Centering is a process that means something different to everyone. Do you begin your practice of yoga with a Centering? If you do, what is it like? If you don’t, imagine what it might be like.
Consider these two options: A Centering where you are checking in with the different aspects of yourself to see what’s happening in the moment and another Centering where you are trying to bring all of you together to experience yourself in a more grounded place. One is about noticing, not trying to change, not bringing in judgment, just allowing. The other requires more intention, though it may also ask you to notice and allow it to happen, but essentially requires you to work with what you notice, to make some changes, maybe let some things go. I am drawn to say the second demands more effort – though perhaps not necessarily so.
The first option is difficult enough if you really check in and allow without judgment whatever is happening for you in that moment. How is it to notice how you are breathing, what parts of your body are speaking to you and what parts are quiet? What is it like to acknowledge what emotions are up for you, both big and small, consuming or not? What happens when you open up to thoughts and images that are taking up space in your mind, and how do you not get caught up in the story? And, finally, what does it even mean to look at what might be present for you in that space beyond your body-mind, that connection to whatever might be bigger and more encompassing? Okay, it is a lot to take in. Thankfully we all have filters, so we’re not continually overwhelmed by what’s happening now. I recall the story of the millipede who stopped to consider how he was able to walk with all his thousand legs and feet and then finds that he can’t take another step!
Perhaps this is where the other Centering process steps in – where the work of centering really happens. This is where you bring it all together, just as it is. (And try not to think about who it is that’s doing this, just appreciate that it happens.) Accept that what you’ve noticed is all right here, right now – knowing that to be all that you are in that moment, the present moment, is the most centered you can ever be…
I love your wonderings on centering. You helped me to access a new perspective on why I lean towards centering in some moments. I have centered myself with the intention of bringing all of myself together in order to assess what’s happening now and I have used centering to find my ground. I have also found that sometimes I combine those two intentions and what happens is I then have access to my own wisdom. If I feel disconnected (without ground) or I feel like parts of me are missing, I center myself, tune into WHNow and open up to receive myself and my guidance. Thank you Carol, you have helped me to remember why I love this process.