Be In Your Center

The rollercoaster ride continues…as we embark on our new journey into the unknown world, like Christopher Columbus, with new eyes, discovering new lands and learning how to adjust to the ever changing landscape. This is life on earth in 2014.

As the energies of the planet continue to grow and shift, you may feel like one day you are on top of the world and all is going well and another day may feel like you haven’t made any head way at all.  With the turbulent energies, if we are centered, the ride will be much more enjoyable.

Being centered is so important and not always so easy!  What does it mean to be centered?  It means that no matter what is happening around you, that you feel a calm, relaxed, peaceful, loving energy radiating out from your own being and you can give and receive easily. You treat others with care and compassion and are not disturbed or upset by the external forces that are swirling around you. It also means that your heart and head are working together and that you know who you are and what you truly want.  All…the….time…. (that’s the challenging part).  When you are not centered you may notice you are trying to force things to happen, you may feel anxious, depressed, frustrated, exhausted, confused, helpless and hopeless.  Clearly, it’s worth the effort to stay in your center!

Within our energy system there are 3 main energy channels that flow around the spinal column.  The sushumna is the main channel that runs parallel along the length of the spine from the  base chakra (which grounds us to the earth plane) to the crown chakra (that connects our energy to the Divine plane).  The sushumna energy channel carries the kundalini energy up the spine through the crown chakra once it has been awakened and the person reaches mystical states of consciousness. (My kundalini awakened in 2001). The spine is the center line of our physical being and the sushumna is the center line of our energetic being.  In yoga, there are many pranayama (breath control) exercises that can be practiced to support the flow of breath within our bodies that help us to stay centered.  Along the sushumna, there is the pingala energy channel, which runs from the right nostril and weaves itself back and forth around the spine to the base of the spine. Pingala is prana or active life force energy and also is warm, male, solar energy.  Ida is the passive energy emanating from the left nostril, and is cool, feminine, lunar energy.  When these energy channels are clear and aligned, we feel calm and centered.

Our breath is the most important tool we have for staying centered.  In a yoga class you breath deeply and rhythmically throughout the class and you oxygenate your entire being.  In meditation, you breath in and out consistently and you hold one focal point throughout the practice.That is why pranayama, yoga and meditation are all good practices to employ to become centered.

Another way to bring yourself back to your center when your peace is disturbed by someone or something outside of you is to look at the big picture and bring in God’s Love to replace what you are seeing and experiencing. This will re-center you in the present with Truth again. Find a phrase that works for you like, “All is well”.  If you can connect to what the Truth is when you are in your center and peaceful, knowing that there is only love, that you are deeply loved by the Creator and that all is well, then the phrase you choose can bring you back to that truth when things go topsy turvy.  Try it.

Communing with God and being in nature (the same thing) is another wonderful way to become centered.  I have a dog so I get to start each day with a walk in nature and see what the weather is doing, feel the earth beneath my feet and greet the sun and smile at the birds. There is not a day goes by that I am not out in nature, I literally need it like I need air, water or food, it is a necessity.  Also, take time to talk to God and if nothing else, just say thank you.

Keeping your central nervous system healthy is important to being centered.  Nutritionally, ensure adequate intake of healthy intake of fats, vitamin D and vitamin B12  All are essential to maintaining optimal nervous system health. Exercising daily in some way will help keep the nervous system healthy as well as plenty of rest. I also like to take dead sea salt baths at night and rub almond/sesame seed oil on my body, which calms the central nervous system. Use a pair of pyjamas you don’t mind getting ruined from the oil.  You will sleep so well and feel incredibly rested..it’s so nurturing.Also be sure to spend quality time with your friends and family.  Isolating yourself can throw you off-center.  If you need more friends, get out there and join a group of people that do what you love to do like dancing or knitting or cross-country skiing.

When we are centered we are more likely to hear the voice of our heart, which is the voice of our Spirit, which is aligned with Love.  When we are off-center we will hear the voice of our head, the voice of ego which is aligned with fear.  I know immediately when I am off-center because I have negative, fear based thoughts running through my mind.  When I am centered, I feel loved, loving, creative,  relaxed, joyful and I know that all is, in fact, well. When I am centered and feel good, my Spirit attracts great things and people toward me.  If I feel fearful, I attract things and people I will later need to release.

To be in one’s center all of the time is one of our greatest lessons.  Connect with your Higher Self before you plant your feet on the earth each morning, meditate, center and greet the day ahead with love.  I share these words with you because this is what I am working on and I know how important it is and how challenging it can be.  Practice makes perfect.