FINDING YOUR CENTRE - AN INVITATION TO INQUIRE

Recently a question came into the clinic and it was forwarded to me for my attention. It was such a good question and I enjoyed answering it so much, that I thought I would share it all with you because it is a topic that is relevant to us all.

The question was: How do you connect to your inner core?

And this was my reply:

Thank you for your insightful question about how to reconnect to the inner core. This is a profound inquiry with many possible answers, but I’m delighted to offer some initial thoughts and am happy to answer any further questions you may have.

Connection to our centre, whether referred to as the deep core, dantien, or hara, is fundamental in any somatic-based practice and is central to an embodied approach to yoga.

Being centred means being connected to our deep primordial core.

Being centred allows you to:

Establish a mobile, breathing core.
Connect our core to the periphery.
Be moved by the breath.

How to Connect to Your Inner Core?

The centre is the thing that stabilises all else & the ripple effect of not being in the centre can be felt in our movement & behavioural patterns.

The ‘how to’ connect to this part of us is a practice of sensing & feeling, of casting a question into intelligence of the body & noticing what you notice.

In my practice I offer this through a variety of ways

Embodied Anatomy

Sensing, feeling, touching, visualising & imagining ourselves as we breath & move.

Can I feel the breath moving me?
Where can I feel the breath moving me?
What gets expanded?
What gets condensed?

2. Shared Inquiry

A question is 99% the answer.

What does it feel like to take up space?
What does it feel like to get small?
What does it feel like in-between?

3. Somatic Movement

Inspired by practices like Mind Body Centering and Hanna Somatics, Somatic Movement emphasises the internal experience of movement and the body's sensations.

4. Therapeutic Yoga

Drawing inspiration from practitioners like Donna Farhi, Therapeutic Yoga can help us connect more deeply to our bodies through Mindful and Intentional Movement.

5. Breath Work and Mindfulness

Breath work and Mindfulness practices are essential for reconnecting to our centre. These practices help us become aware of our breath and its impact on our body and mind.

Finding Your Centre - An Invitation to Inquire

Begin by settling yourself into a comfortable seated position.
Feel the ground beneath you - feel the connection of your sit bones to the seat/chair/cushion.
Bring your awareness to your breath.
On the exhale, can you feel more contact with the floor?
On the inhale, can you sense more contact with space?
Can you notice how these two polarities are mediated through your centre?
As you tune into this place of mediation, can you sense and feel into your head, tail, arms & legs, can you have a sense of where you are in space?
Sit with this for a moment, notice how your breath echos this relationship, expanding outwards and condensing inwards.
Notice how every breath you take expands outwards and settles inwards - radiating in and out from your centre like a starfish.
Sit with this for a moment and notice how your entire being expands and condenses on your fluid breath.