Centering Exercise: Calming Focus

Centering is a valuable exercise to physically calm your body and to help you focus on what is important.

It is a form of meditation that can be whatever length you want and can be surprisingly useful in only a few minutes.  I meditate daily and use short centering exercises throughout the day to get back in touch with my inner self, calm my body down and provide focus.

Feel free to relax as you read it out loud, or tape yourself reading this, or just use the general sense of it to develop your own centering exercise that works for you.

To begin, take a deep, slow breath in and then out.  Close your eyes if that is comfortable for you (if you have this taped). 

Feel your breath – take another deep breath in…then out.

Take one more breath in…and out.

Notice your breath.  As you breathe in, imagine taking in all positivity and goodness and as you breath out, breathe out any negativity and harm.

Notice your physical body.  Notice how your body feels – your feet…your center…and your head.  Release any tightness you feel – let it go as you breathe out.

As you continue slowly breathing in and out, recognize that you were brought to this very moment in time.  You have a purpose in this world that is filled with love and knowing.  And at this particular moment, you deserve to take a few minutes to feel this love and knowing.  Picture it as a warm light in the center of your body.

Part of this knowing is that our existence is enough.  Just our existence is enough, and all other demands and expectations can fall away. 

As you think about this base feeling of existing, you will recognize that our existence has a natural purpose.  Because of our natural purpose, we will be guided by what needs to be done and there will be no need for force.  We will do those things that are in our center, our core being, as opposed to those things we think we should do that tend to be in our head.  When we are in touch with this knowing, it helps us to live our day with this natural purpose that will unfold in calming moments. 

Take another deep breath…in... and out. Continuing slowly breathing and centering on this thought until you are ready to open your eyes or conclude.   Take a moment to notice how different you feel. 

The more often you use centering, the more you will see results.  Practicing it regularly can improve your outlook, heath and productivity….a big payoff for the minutes spent and a powerful way to cultivate what counts.