Centering Yourself...
In addition to being a coach, most of you know my husband and I own and operate a ballroom dance studio. Therefore, I spend a portion of my week teaching and coaching dancers on to how to maintain balance and flow in the execution of movement. If you were in the studio, you would hear me say, “You’re losing your center, find your center again.”
Being centered in dance means the abdominal muscles are engaged, which keeps the spine in alignment and allows balance to be maintained. When dancers are centered, they are capable of executing spins, dips and powerful movements that appear to look light, fluid, and effortless. When dancers are not centered, their movements are off balance, difficult, and forced.
Life operates from the same principle as dance. If you execute actions from a centered place, you have plenty of energy, challenges are met with ease, and success flows. However, if you’re operating from a non-centered place, you have limited energy, challenges feel insurmountable, and success appears nearly impossible.
So how do you recognize when you’re centered or not?
Here is a quick exercise I use to teach this concept.
Recall an experience in your life that brings back a negative set of feelings. Really focus on it for a full minute…and as you do, make note of any physical changes in your body. Notice what your muscles are doing, and your stomach. How’s your breathing? Shallow, deep, fast, slow? Maybe you have a general sense of irritation. Make a note.
Now let’s change the focus!
Recall an experience in your life that brings back a positive set of feelings. Really focus on it for a full minute, and as you do, make note of the physical changes that take place in your body. Notice your muscles, what are they doing? How’s your breathing? Maybe you have a general sense of wellness all over. Make a note.
The physical changes you noted in the above exercise is actually energy flowing through your body. Emotions are a form of energy in motion, and they can give you great feedback on when you’re centered and when you’re not.
Typically, when I ask people to tell me what they experience when they focus on the negative feelings, they express that they feel tight, can’t breathe or relax, their stomach is upset, they feel hot or cold, tired and drained. These physical responses are actually energy going out of alignment. In other words, they are no longer centered when those emotions are running through their body.
Whereas, when people focus on the positive feelings, they explain that their muscles relax, their breathing rate slows down, they feel more energy and motivation, and they smile. These physical responses are indicators that their energy is aligned and centered. We all know we get more done and have more fun doing it when our energy is centered!
One of the key characteristics of emotionally resilient individuals is their ability to remain emotionally centered in the face of life’s inevitable difficulties. This ability to remain centered begins with the ability to recognize when they are losing center.
As mentioned in my prior blog, I’m doing a series on emotional resiliency. Learning to become more emotionally resilient begins with the awareness of when you’re centered and when you’re not. Just like becoming a strong dancer, this takes practice!
So here’s your practice: Over the next several weeks, make note of when you are emotionally centered and when you are not, by tuning into the physical sensations in your body throughout the day.
In other words, when you are feeling good physically, tune in and make a mental note of what you’re doing and where your thoughts and feelings are focused. Do the same when you’re feeling bad physically.
Just notice your energy going in and out of alignment. If you feel so inclined, drop me an email about what you notice. I would love to hear from you! You can email me at traci@connectionpointcoaching.com
In the next blog, I’ll explore ways to redirect and shift your emotional energy when you have lost center.
Dedicated to raising your consciousness!
