Overview:Learning how to center yourself is perhaps the most important skill most people never learn. This guide explains what the Center means and offers effective methods to help you find it.
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Do you start the day in a calm or reactive state?
Do you end the day feeling nourished or depleted?
How about during the day: Are you mostly focused or scattered?
Your answers to all these questions all relate to the Center.
It’s an idea that may sound mystical or esoteric at first, but it’s real. And you can experience it directly in the present moment.
CONTENTS
What is the Center?
The Center is a concept from the ancient Eastern traditions, especially the Complete Reality School of Taoism.
There are various ways of interpreting the Center, including the physical center of the body, an emotional center, a mental center, and a spiritual center.
From the standpoint of the traditions, however, the Center is said to not have any location.
Instead, it represents a quality of consciousness associated with being neutral, calm, steady, alert, active, and present.
What is Centering?
Centering is the process of accessing an internal state of consciousness that is neutral, calm, steady, alert, active, and present.
Many exercises, practices, and methods support centering.
Any exercise or method that brings you to a state of “at-homeness” within yourself can be considered a centering practice.
What the Center Feels Like
AsJoseph Campbell said in The Power of Myth:1Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth, 1991.
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.
The Center doesn’t have a location, yet, there are physical regions associated with it. It’s more of a dynamic point of psychic equilibrium or inner balance.
When you’re in the Center, there’s no internal resistance. Everything simply is.
You are alive, alert, and active. An inner calm prevails.
Abiding in the present moment, you act spontaneously. You don’ttryto achieve this present awareness; it’s a result of being in the Center.
Happiness and sadness are not experienced in the Center. You don’t feel “positive” or “negative.”
In the Center, you are neutral.
Centering is also a Skill
We’ve all experienced this Center before, if only for brief moments. (It’s often more commonplace in very young children.)
Anyone can learn to abide in the Center more frequently.
You can train yourself to notice when you’re out of the Center.
Then, with the right method, you can reclaim the Center, over and over again.
With practice, you’re able to center yourself with greater frequency.
Now, let’s look at signs that you’re off-center.
Clear Indicators You’re Out of Center
Throughout the day, you …
- Take on too many tasks and you multitask.
- Are reactive, checking your phone compulsively.
- Fail to differentiate what is urgent from what’s important.
- Feel fatigued early in the day.
In your mental and emotional state, you …
- Are consumed by negativeself-talk.
- Are easily distracted and unable to focus.
- Ruminate about the past or hold anxiety about the future.
- Get stuck, high-strung, or overwhelmed.
In the evening, you …
- End your day feeling depleted.
- Struggle with impulse control with sugar, social media, alcohol, snacks, TV, marijuana, drugs, p*rn, shopping, etc.
- Can’t remember what you did yesterday or even today.
- Go to sleep too late or crash too early.
Are any of these signs familiar to you?
Most People Live Out Of Center
Most of us are out of the Center all the time.
Our search for happiness is a consequence of being out of the Center.
We strive for success or to “build self-confidence” largely because our Center eludes us.
Other symptoms of being off-center include addictive behaviors, being overwhelmed, laziness, procrastination,a fixed mindset, andself-criticism.
When we’re out of the Center, we either don’t trust ourselves, or we’re overly certain.
Gurus, thought leaders, talking heads, “officials,” and institutions become our authority.
The truth is, when we’re out of the Center, we can’t trust ourselves because we’re disconnected from our instincts and our true feelings.
The Costs of Living Out of Center
We experience all inner fulfillment from the Center.
When we don’t abide there, we feel impoverished. This forces us to lookto the future orruminatein the past.
We believe the answer lies in something external: a better job, the “right” relationship, more money, prestige, and so on.
Certainly, these things will satisfy my needs, we believe.
Perhaps the biggest sign of our collective condition is the prevalence of mental disorders.
Anxiety disorders affect 18 percentof adults ages 18 to 54 in the United States.2https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder
But that percentage just counts what the industry qualifies as “disorders.” Virtually everyoneexperiences anxiety at various levels under certain conditions.
When we’re out of the Center, fear, anger, rigidity, or numbness rules us.
Returning to the Center: Two Ingredients
Thankfully, it’s easy to return to the Center, if only temporarily.
It takes two primary ingredients:
- Awareness: the ability to detect when you’re out of the Center at the moment.
- Method: an effective practice for centering yourself.
I stress it’s easy to center yourself because if you think it’s difficult, it will be.
If you believe, as I once did, that it takes years of mind training to center yourself, it will take years.
Before we dive into a range of centering practices, it’s helpful to have a conceptual understanding of the Center.
Four Centers of Intelligence
There isn’t just a single center. There are four primary centers of intelligence in the human body. Any of these centers is a gateway to bring you back to the present.
Thesecenters are referred to in the works of Plato, Carl Jung, G.I. Gurdjieff, and Rudolf Steiner, among others.
They are found in all of the wisdom traditions. Neuroscience shows correlations to these centers too.
Each center provides vital information about ourselves and our world.
| Center of Awareness | Physical Location | Line of Intelligence | Jung’s Types |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical | Gut | Kinesthetic | Sensing |
| Emotional | Heart | Emotional | Feeling |
| Mental | Brain | Cognitive | Thinking |
| Spiritual | Crown | Psycho-Spiritual | Intuiting |
Table: The Four Centers in various systems
The Physical Center
The physical center of the body is located just below the navel. In energetic systems likeQigong, this center is called the lowerdantien. In Japanese, it’s thehara.
While the brain has approximately 100 billion neurons, the digestive system has roughly 500 million nerve cells.
The gut sends electrical signals to the brain via the vagus nerve, allowing the gut to “talk” to the brain.
Interestingly, the gut’s autonomous nervous system allows it to work independently of the brain.
Neuroscientists often call the gut thesecond brain.3Michael Gershon, The Second Brain, 1998.
If you tend to take in information via your five senses, you favor the physical center. This is called a sensing type or instinctive type in the personality literature.
Returning to this center entails bringing awareness to your bodily sensations.
Specifically, bring your full awareness to your navel region (inside the torso; not on the skin level).
The Emotional Center
The emotional center is in the heart region.
Did you know the heart has a neural network too?
The heart has roughly 40,000 neurons. Yes, it hasfewerneurons than the brain.
But, the electromagnetic field produced by the heart is over100 times greaterthan the field created by the brain,according to HeartMath Institute.4https://www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart/energetic-communication/
If you tend to interpret experience through your emotions, you favor the emotional center. This is called a feeling type.
Returning to this center means connecting to your present moment feelings, and locating your awareness in your chest area.
The Mental Center
The mental center is in the brain region.
Most people are familiar with this center. It gets most of our attention. We often favor this center at the exclusion of the others.
If you evaluate the world through your thoughts, beliefs, and mental models, you favor this mental center. This is called a thinking type.
Returning to this center means quieting our mental chatter and “emptying the mind.”
The Spiritual Center
The spiritual or psycho-spiritual center doesn’t have a precise location.
Some traditions place it in the “third eye” or pineal gland region. Others place it at the crown of the head or about six inches above it.
Taoist sage Chuang-Tsu said:
When there is no more separation between this and that, it is called the still-point of Tao. At the still-point in the center of the circle one can see the infinite in all things.
Taoist and Buddhist psychology use the concept of the host and guest to explain this fourth center.
The psyche is your house. At present, many guests inhabit the house.
These guests are your subpersonalities or archetypes—all the characters or parts within your psyche.
The host is the Self (with capital “S”), also referred to as the Original Spirit.
The Self is neutral, clear, and empty. It doesn’t get consumed by thoughts and feelings like the guests.
The host is supposed to keep order in the house, but where is the host? The house is overrun by unruly guests!
Returning to the Center brings the host back to establish order, freeing the individual from being influenced by the guests.
Philosopher Alan Watts explains this Self here:
How to Center Yourself: The Basic Process
The good news is that there are many transformative practices to help us locate these centers. Even better: most of them don’t take long to reap benefits.
The process is straightforward:
- Notice when you’re out of the Center, and then
- Do a transformative practice that helps center you.
Noticing when you’re out of the Center is half the battle. We experience most of our lives without much consciousness (being out of the center).
There’s a good chance you’re out of the Center right now (especially if you’re reading this on your phone).
One of the many gifts of meditation training is that it can help train your mind to remain in a state of nonjudgmental awareness.
The challenge most meditators have is they separate their meditation practice from the rest of their lives.
To remain in the Center, you want to make this reflective state more available throughout the day. Doing so will increase your awareness of when you’re out of the Center.
How to Center Yourself: 12 Transformative Exercises
Below are twelve transformative practices that can help you center yourself.
I find it best to remain neutral toward these practices. Different exercises work better under different circ*mstances.
Depending on your personality type, you may find certain exercises work better for you than others.
You should notice the effects of these powerful practices within a minute or two.
If after 2 minutes, you don’t feel a shift in your conscious state, you either are doing something incorrectly or the practice may not be right for you.
Tune the Breath: Breathe Properly
When you’re out ofCenter, one thing is certain: you’re not breathing properly.
When your mind is racing, your breath is coarse.
Observe your breathing. Don’t try to change anything; simply observe the involuntary process of breathing. Let the mind follow the body, not vice versa.
Witnessing the process of breathing, allow your awareness to gently sink into your lower torso.
Just 3 or 4 breaths can sometimes help bring you closer to the Center. But the longer you can neutrally observe the breath, the more you can tune it.
Zhan Zhuang: Stand Like a Tree
This is one of the most effective ways of centering yourself. Stand like a tree with your feet shoulders width apart and your spine straight.
Imagine a cord extending from the crown of your head into the sky.
There are several variations of this practice:
Variation #1: Place both of your hands over your navel. While your head is “floating” above your body, allow the rest of your body to relax and sink (internally).
Variation #2: Imagine that you’re a tree. Your head, arms, hands, and fingers are the branches. Your legs and torso from thetrunk. And your feet sprout roots far down beneath the ground. Feel how heavy your feet get as they take root.
For these practices, stand with your eyes mostly closed for a minute or two.
This is a highly modified version of an ancient standing practice called Zhan Zhuang.
Feel Your Feet: Sink Your Awareness
When you’re scattered, anxious, and distracted, you’re often overthinking.
Too much energy is swirling in your head so it helps to redistribute that energy.
To do so, put both feet firmly on the ground. Place your full awareness on the bottom of your feet.
This helps draw the excessive energy down into your body.
Pay attention to any sensations in your feet. This practice often works within a minute or two.
Belly Bliss: Attention on Your Navel
In Qigongand Tai Chi, the center of your body isthe lower dantien, about two finger widths below your navel (within the torso—not at the outer skin level).
Place your awareness in this area andbreathenaturally.
Sometimes it’s helpful to put one or both hands over your navel as you breathe.
Combine this with conscious breathing practice (above) for greater benefit.
You’ll probably notice the effects within 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Heart Centering: Attention on Your Heart
Your heart is working all day and night for you and you likely give it little attention.
Place your awarenessonyour heart region as you breathe naturally.
Smile inwardly at your heart. Acknowledge your heart on the inhale, saying, “I see you.”
And then express gratitude to your heart on the exhale, saying, “Thank you.”
Repeat this five times.
Establish a Plumb Line: Attention on Your Third Eye
To construct a vertical wall or a door jam without using a level, carpenters must first establish a plumb line.
A plumb line is a straight vertical line. There’s a plumb line in the body too.
In an upright seated position, gaze with both eyes at the tip of your nose.
As you do this, place your awareness on your “third eye” region in the center of your forehead, about an inch above your brow.
This practice may take a little trial and error, but you’ll know when you get it.
Once you do, you can establish a plumb line quickly whenever you need it.
Call Forth the Observer: Attention Above the Crown
When there’s chaos on the surface, sometimes you need to seek higher ground.
When you are out of sorts, place your awareness about six inches above the crown of your head.
Take the position of an observer, or internal Sage, and watch your thoughts, feelings, and sensations.
This is a powerful practice. It can instantly provide space between the Self (host) and whatever drama might be happening in your ego (guests).
Maintain this observer perspective for as long as it’s comfortable for you.
Access the King: Pyramid Visualization
This practice comes from neo-Jungian psychologist Robert Moore and mythologist Douglas Gillette.5Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette, The King Within, 1992.
The King is a powerful archetype in our psyche that represents an organizing principle of the Self.
Visualize a crystal pyramid. A pyramid is a symbol associated with this sacred King.
Imagine a crystalline pyramid in your heart area or a larger pyramid encompassing your entire body.
Feel the invincible, eternally durable presence of this pyramid. Hold this image until you are more centered.
Or, you can try accessing King energy by praying for inner guidance.
Find Stillness in Movement: Mindful Walking
Sometimes standing or sitting still makes your internal chaos worse. In these cases, mindful walking can serve you.
Start by walking at a pace that’s comfortable for you.
Stay fully present with every step. Pay attention to your breathing or your body’s movements instead of the mind’s chatter.
Over time, you’ll notice that your pace will slow as will the volume and intensity of the mind’s chatter.
Try this for at least ten minutes, longer if it’s enjoyable to you.
When possible, walk in nature to further assist the centering process.
Capture What Troubles You: Journaling
To use journaling to help you feel more centered, write about your current challenges: problems, fears, upsets, insecurities, and indignations.
Dump it all in your journal. Express your emotions and it might let them go, allowing you to center yourself.
Sometimes you can be more centered in a matter of minutes. Other times, you may need to journal for longer.
Grounding Exercise: Hold Your Crown
When you’re off-kilter, place one hand directly over the crown of your head. It will help ground you more quickly.
Try this in combination with any of the above methods.
Keep your hand there until you are more grounded, usually a minute or two.
5 Tips for Help You Maintain Your Center More Frequently
Here are five tips to keep in mind:
1: Pay Attention
Before, during, and after you do these practices, pay attention to your mental, emotional, and physical state.
Notice any changes that take place during and after you use these exercises.
Attention builds awareness. Awareness precedes transformation.
2: Anchor In the Positive Results
To stay in the Center with greater frequency, create positive associationswith your experiences being centered.
If you feel lighter or energized with a more calm, clear mind, take note.
Some people turn these exercises into a chore—something theyshoulddo.
I’ve done this many times. I’ve tried certain practices for the sake of doing them—simply to feel better about myself (ego).
If you turn them into chores, it creates resistance in your unconscious.
As a result, you’ll quickly forget to use any methods and stay off-center without realizing it.
3: Adopt a Beginner’s Mind
Any ideas or preconceived notions you have about the Center or these types of practices will reduce or block their effectiveness.
Your mind will try to discount the value of these practices and the Center itself.
So when you practice,adopt a beginner’s mind.
Stay curious and open.
4: Experiment, Experiment, Experiment!
You have a menu of options to choose from. Each time you try a method to center yourself, hold it as an experiment.
You’re the subject of the experiment and the scientist making the observations. See what you discover.
Are you more in the Center after running one of these experiments or not?
Can you detect any new sensations?
Are you more present in your body?
Is your mind calmer? More alert?
5: Be Playful
I often act serious, so I’m writing this as a reminder to myself and the part of you that’s serious too.
Seriousness is a sign you’re out of Center.
Seriousness creates internal tension.
When you’re in the Center, you’re relaxed, alert, and spontaneous—all of which are signs of positive mental health.
Ground Yourself with a Digital App?
Okay, so what I’m going to share with you now may sound like science fiction.
Eric Thompson is the founder of a company called Subtle Energy Sciences.Using quantum resonance technology, Eric engineered a method of encoding digital images and sound files with specific energy signatures.The result is what he calls Digital Mandalas or Quantum Energy Apps, which combine beautiful digital art with layers of various energy-related sound technology.
If you’re open to exploring new technologies,check outEarth Pulse.
This digital media program broadcasts the amplified energetic signature of the Schumann Resonance through your electronic devices.Basically, you can use it to turn the devices that are producing harmful EMFs into something that protects you from harmful EMFs—and makes you feel more grounded!
I always have at least one of Eric’s mandalas running on my computer and other devices (usually more than one).
Use codeCEOSAGE30 for a 30% discount on Earth Pulse.
Now, if you don’t have energetic sensitivity, you may feel nothing at first. If that’s the case, Eric offers various ways to augment andoptimize the effects.
(Disclaimer: affiliate link)
Recap: How to Center Yourself
The Center is a dynamic point of equilibrium within each of us.
There are four primary centers of intelligence:
- Aphysical center below the navel,
- An emotional center in the heart region,
- Amental center in the brain region,
- And a psycho-spiritual center near the crown of the head.
When you access any of these centers, it brings you to the present.
When you center yourself, you feel more alive, alert, present, and resourceful.
Centering is a skill. Once you know how to center yourself, you can access the Center when needed.
To center yourself:
- Identify when you’re out of the Center, and
- Use a method to return to it.
Rinse and repeat.
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