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Finding center, being centeredJust like everyone else, I have days when I feel energetically off. A stream of worry can throw me into a wicked state of anxiety. All the positive thinking in the world feels useless when your insides feel like a heavy bowl of knotted spaghetti. To make matters worse, when we are caught up in the storm of life, we tend to see the world through a pair of anti-rose-colored glasses. What else could possibly go wrong? When I find myself in that mindset, the best thing I can do is to stop. Stop doing and start being. For when we find ourselves in a disconnected state of mind, the most important thing we can do for both ourselves and others is to nurture our inner needs and bring ourselves back to center. In these moments, it is time to take a break from the life swirling around us and to visit with the inner you that so desperately needs your loving attention.

Too often we underestimate the importance of being centered. Taking the time to quiet the mind, sit in silence, meditate, or get into your creative flow can seem like a far off dream for many. Life can become so hectic and demanding that many go into a survival mode where they are just trying to get through their days. Who has time to relax? When we finally find the time, we plummet into our couches in an effort to zone out and escape from the daily worries. I have done this many times. We all have. Inside ourselves we can sense that something is off. We don’t know what it is and so we seek out sources of distraction that can supress our inner discord. Who likes to feel bad? We might go shopping, watch television, go out drinking, or try our chances out in the casino; all in an effort to find that satisfaction in living we so desperately seek. While this doesn’t mean that these activities are bad in themselves, it can hinder our quality of life when we seek out fleeting distractions as a means to an end; when we seek a lasting gratification outsides of ourselves that can only be realized within.

Bringing ourselves back to center is one life’s greatest gifts; for it allows us to experience our lives from a richer, more authentic state of awareness. To be centered is to be in a state of ease with life. We become the eye of the hurricane. We let life unfold around us rather than to seek control of our surroundings. We let go of the need for things to happen a certain way and let things be. We breathe more deeply and live more fully. We see life in all its beauty and as a result, feel joy in the sheer gift of being alive. Any decisions we make from this state will be in harmony with the greater good. Synchronicities abound and life flows. Everything truly feels like it is going to be okay. All is well.

Centering yourself can be a different experience for everyone. For myself, it is more of a letting go. I surrender all of thoughts, emotions, beliefs or egoic ideals that caused the discord in the first place. At my core, I know I already am everything that I seek. The inner peace lives inside of myself. If I cannot feel it, it is because my life choices have caused me to disconnect. Therefore, I must release any negative energies that I may be harboring.

Being centered

On a personal level, I have found that meditation is the best way for me to do this. In meditation, I can breathe out my anxieties. I can visualize dark, negative energies leaving my body as I exhale. I can breathe in beautiful, peaceful light. I can turn off my thoughts and sit in complete stillness. I can feel myself recharging like a battery filled with the purest of energy. Once again, I am ready to give to the world around me, for I have found the true source of all of my energy — love. I am love, and I am centered in it once again.

We can never obtain peace in the world if we neglect the inner world and don’t make peace with ourselves. World peace must develop out of inner peace.—The Dalai Lama

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.—Buddha

 If you get the inside right, the outside will take care of itself.—Eckhart Tolle