How I Center Down

11-09-2020

By Maryclare Beche

“There’s a center of quietness within, which has to be known and held. If you lose that center, you are in tension and begin to fall apart.”

Joseph Campbell

The past few months have been full of stressors, uncertainties and a lot of anxiety. I remember in one of my classes the professor asked what are some of the ways in which we center down during these chaotic times. As I listened to my classmates’ responses, I realized that I have been really caught up in both mental and physical chaos that I never really took time to reconnect with my body. So, I decided to be intentional in reconnecting with myself, and abiding in the inner balance to maintain my sanity amidst the chaos.

I created what I call a five-minute power pause (FMPP). I started to take time intervals throughout the day where I pause for five minutes. In this time, I breathe deeply. I take breaths that push out my stomach, then pulls all the air out my lungs that my stomach sinks in. I do this continuously for one minute. I have also created an emotional safe space for my FMPP. On my last breath count, I enter my safe space where I stay for four minutes. Here I sit still and connect with the energy in nature, the ground on my feet, the sun, the wind: I let this energy flow through my body. Using my mind, I direct the energy to the center of my body, and abide in the inner calmness it brings. This is how I center down.