....what was I thinking?

Yogis,

I woke up this morning to begin crawling my way out of the void, better known as Christmas week.  Family was packing up to head home, bags and bags of trash piled on the steps to go out and the aftermath of the holiday meals and our rainy walks strewn across the wood floors.  Dog hair like tumbleweeds and cookie crumbs mixed in with those annoying plastic pieces that hold price tags onto new clothing.  A nerf dart discovered lodged in my Buddha’s elbow.  All there as a tribute to the wonderful time had by all.

I knew my morning was to consist of preparation for the workshop I was leading at 3:00 titled ‘Finding Your Center’ and I was so far from center I didn’t even know what day of the week it was.  HEL-LO.  Who in their right mind plans to lead others in centering at the tail end of basically a 4 day slumber party for 12 (not counting the 2 dogs and baby) in their home?   Uh, oh…….

Where to begin?  What does it actually mean to ‘Find your Center’?  Is it even possible in the swirl of the holiday season….or even in our run of the mill hectic day to day lives?

If I asked you to put your hand at your center, where would it go?  For me it is the center of my torso, above the belly button and right under the ribs.  I had to start somewhere and I found this morning that the simple act of placing my hand there sparked a remembering.  A small sign pointing to the path. 

It brought me back to the couple times I took Phoebe out alone for her walk over these last couple of days.  My rain boots on and  leash latched we would cross the barrier from the Christmas carol filled house with all of its lights, laughter and aromas into the stillness of the night.  A light drizzle and oh so quiet.  Hearing my own steps as they made their way through the puddles.  Oh yeah, there is my breath!  I forgot about you!  Everything suddenly slowing way down.  The bare branches so stark against the foggy sky and one time a sudden parting of the clouds to reveal the full moon.  On our return we would step back through the barrier right into the thick of Christmas mayhem and jump in without missing a beat. 

What was it in those walks that felt so centering? 

I don’t proclaim to have all of the answers but I will share the ones that steered me inward today.  Try them on for size:

·         Stopping.  Simply stopping.  Everything.  Movement, breath, thoughts.  Suddenly stopping….for a few seconds.  Then going back to what you were doing.  Absolute stillness.

·         Quiet.  Turning everything off, including your own voice.  In the quiet our center speaks.

·         Watching the breath.  Visualizing a line through the center of the body where the inhale traces it up and the exhale traces it back down.  The breath is the compass.  When it zigzags, so do we.

·         Heading outside ….I am sitting in my rock circle as I write this

·         Closing your eyes giving the other senses a chance to share in your experience.  The chimes in the distance.  The breeze through my hair.  The birds chirping because it is 70 degrees.

All of the above lead us to one place…. To Noticing this moment.  When we choose to notice this moment we stop.  We become so quiet we can hear our breath.  All of our sense awaken and everything  becomes crystal clear.  We….as the observer of this moment…..are our center. 

Our center isn’t a physical place.  It is our very essence. It is always there, we are just sometimes distracted.  It is who we are. 

And I……………….am now ready for the workshop to begin!......thanks goodness since it is now 2:15!

Remembering,
SARAH