When life is going oopsie daisy

[Unveiled Artist]

Finding your center
How to Center Yourself to Reduce Anxiety and Increase Focus

Overview: Learning how to center yourself is perhaps the most important skill most people never learn. This guide explains what the Center actually means and offers effective methods to help you find it.

Zhan Zhuang: Stand Like a Tree
This is one of the most effective ways of centering yourself. Stand like a tree with your feet shoulders width apart and your spine straight.

Imagine a cord extending from the crown of your head into the sky.

There are numerous variations of this practice:

Variation #1: Place both of your hands over your navel. While your head is “floating” above your body, allow the rest of your body to relax and sink down.

The whole site is pretty cool. It's not a one-shot read; but, it's worth it.

Enjoy.

 

[Windwalker]

Good stuff. I practice qigong and taiji every day. I recognized right away what he was saying. It truly is centering, and I'll add grounding as well.

One thing to add to when you are doing a standing meditation like this, where he was talking about bring your attention to the lower dantien, additionally breathe abdominally, like an infant does, not filling your upper chest.

Ultimately, with a standing meditation, you want your posture all correctly aligned so you should be able to stand without using much strength to hold you there. It's really all about relaxation of the muscles, and alignment of your centers of gravity.

That takes some practice. Once it can become effortless to stand like this, you literally sway like a tree. So tree's are a great metaphor. I like to practice qigong standing near trees. You kind of become one with the forest.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Good stuff. I practice qigong and taiji every day. I recognized right away what he was saying. It truly is centering, and I'll add grounding as well.

One thing to add to when you are doing a standing meditation like this, where he was talking about bring your attention to the lower dantien, additionally breathe abdominally, like an infant does, not filling your upper chest.

Ultimately, with a standing meditation, you want your posture all correctly aligned so you should be able to stand without using much strength to hold you there. It's really all about relaxation of the muscles, and alignment of your centers of gravity.

That takes some practice. Once it can become effortless to stand like this, you literally sway like a tree. So tree's are a great metaphor. I like to practice qigong standing near trees. You kind of become one with the forest.

I actually haven't looked into qigong before. A while back I wanted to make a habit of doing something like that (had to look it up). I can't remember what it's called, but it looks like taiji. I want to go back practice and start making a habit of it each morning. I tend to stick with habits better in the morning than I do evening weirdly enough

 

[Windwalker]

I actually haven't looked into qigong before. A while back I wanted to make a habit of doing something like that (had to look it up). I can't remember what it's called, but it looks like taiji. I want to go back practice and start making a habit of it each morning. I tend to stick with habits better in the morning than I do evening weirdly enough

Taiji is a martial arts form of qigong practice. It teaches learning to collect and direct the energies in martial application.

But the real benefit is health. It really connects you with your body, slows the mind down. You learn to let go of stress. You are strong, but relaxed. And it becomes eventually just how you live life, and everything is taiji. You live connected, grounded, relaxed, present, and aware. That's a good thing. It's a good goal.

You'll certainly get my support.

 

[DagonVarunaMitraApolloZan]

Very nice to put suggestions which help people through their days! That is awesome!