Ideas about being centered while we are not training with an uke.

Everything can be our uke. Any situation, good, bad or unlabeled provides a unique set of circumstances that challenges us to maintain or regain our centers.

First, we totally let ourselves off the hook. There is no winning or losing in centering training. We are either centered or we are not. If I lose my center I simply get it back as quickly as I can. Judgment is not helpful and counterproductive.  Why waste time and energy? Just get back to training as quickly as you can.

At work if I have a difficult customer, I can notice where my awareness is in my body. If my awareness is not below my navel. I will notice where it is. Then I can let it drop down as soon as I am able. I pay attention to my centering process instead to judging the other person or myself. By getting centered again or at least trying I can only help the circumstance because I have come out of my critical mind.

My boss telling me what a good job I am doing presents me with another opportunity to practice being centered. I notice I start floating in a balloon of inflated ego or if I try to hang on the good feeling instead of letting it wash over me and then slip away. I can check my awareness again and get back to center as soon as I can.

I have PTSD. If I get triggered I sometimes can’t pinpoint the awareness inside my body. I fell disconnected like I am looking at my body from above. Sometimes I can feel the awareness around my chest area and my breathing becomes shallow. When this happens I do the 5 things exercise either by myself or with Ron which back into the zone of tolerance where I am much more likely to be able to bring my inner body consciousness back to center.

Sometimes I get in a blah mood. My mind asks me why bother? What’s the use? I get lazy and sad feeling.

When this happens I ask the universe to help me be honest, open-minded and willing.  The little glimmer of humility provides me with a small spark of hope that I won’t feel like this forever. Then when I am able I go back to my center. The dark mood passes because I left it unattended with no made up story to fuel a destructive bonfire of self-abuse.
Centering practice is very challenging in and out of the dojo. Every uke and every situation provides a new opportunity for a centering adventure.