Showing posts with the tag “Centering”

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• December 1, 2021
  1Dec2021

  The Path Is Made by Walking

  

  Traveler, your footprints

  
  Are the path and nothing more;

  
  Traveler, there is no path,

  
  The path is made by walking.

  ~ Antonio Machado, excerpt from Traveler, There Is No Path 
  (Trans. Asa Cusack)

  Last summer my friend Melodee related a story about centering that stuck with me. When Melodee was a teacher she had a centering bell she'd ring for her students as they returned from recess. 

  As they flowed back into the four walls of her classroom, wired with frenetic energy, she'd let them get somewhat settled then ring the bell. She'd explained the purpose on day one, so they knew the ringing tone meant for them to take a breath, exhale, and go to the quiet, centered place that was uniquely theirs.

  There is No Path

  This time of year is alive with energy--frenetic and flowing, excited and solemn, relished and resisted. All kinds of ki flowing in, out and around, so much that we're not sure what to do with it all. Families celebrating, children anticipating, workplaces buzzing with holiday joy, preparations, and even fear about what the holidays might bring this year.

  Recently I was reminded of the Antonio Machado poem, Traveler, There Is No Path, an excerpt of which begins this post, and--for me--its reflection on living a more intentional life....

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• April 20, 2021
  20Apr2021

  Noticing the Now: The Power of This... Ki... Moment

  

  On my newsletter and website, I use the slogan "Support for life's 'key' moments..." to help readers understand how I use the word "ki" and how to pronounce it. This constant association between "ki" and "key" in my writing and my thoughts--as in: "Each moment is a 'ki moment' or "Make this moment a 'ki moment' --has reinforced for me the awareness that all we really have is this... ki... moment. 
   
  When I first named this blog and newsletter Ki Moments, I had just a general idea of what I meant by it. I still like this as a working definition, and the phrase "this... ki... moment" has come to mean more...

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• February 23, 2021
  23Feb2021

  The Requirement of Center in Any Good Adventure

  

  ~ by Tracie Winge Shroyer, virtual assistant and launch tech expert

  You know, there’s something funny about adventures. I have a lot of them. I love a good adventure, and I’ve written about many of them. I’ve realized over the years that any great adventure is going to require centering at some point. Because without needing to find center, an adventure is mostly just an exciting day....

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• April 7, 2020
  7Apr2020

  Centering in the Time of Corona: The Work of Optimism

  

  Life itself is always a trial. In training, you must test and polish yourself in order to face the greatest challenges of life.

  ~Morihei Ueshiba, Founder of Aikido

  *********************************************************

  In this time of uncertainty and unsettledness, but also of surprising kindness, generosity, and creativity, I’m reminded about the importance of centering and true power. 

  Centering—the ability to access our clarity, flexibility, stability, and compassion. A mind-body state of calm at the center of the storm.

  *********************************************************

  True power—the ability to achiever purpose, to turn obstacles into energy and resistance into connection.

  In my work, I teach these concepts through aikido activities I learned from my teacher, Thomas Crum, many years ago. They offer a physical grounding in these concepts and a path to presence and personal power, which are especially important in difficult moments.

  Just like you probably, I've had some amazing ki moments in the past month, and my emotional energy has gone through its ups and downs. Below are links that I hope will help you return to center, and to see the opportunities available to you every day.

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• December 3, 2019
  3Dec2019

  In the Spirit of Giving: Respect, Presence, and Pausing for Breath

  

  Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

  -- attributed to Ian Maclaren (1850-1907)

  In this month of sharing gifts, I'd like to share four brief stories from Ki Moments subscribers like yourself. Over the years, stories like these from generous readers demonstrate how big a difference it makes when we pause, take a moment to find our presence, and offer respect, sometimes when it is least expected. 

  These writers' experiences highlight real-world applications of aikido principles, such as respect, moving with instead of against, and that the only real enemy is the one within. When we practice inner self defense, we can manage whatever comes our way from outside...

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• August 13, 2019
  13Aug2019

  Power Plays: How to Regain Power In Difficult Situations

  

  All meaningful and lasting change begins on the inside.

  – Martin Luther

  I've been reading the first book I wrote in 2006, Unlikely Teachers: Finding the Hidden Gifts in Daily Conflict, looking for a story to help you regain power in difficult situations. I'd forgotten that the book is peppered with anecdotes from students who tell their own stories about regaining perspective in difficult situations. It was fun to rediscover this feature of Unlikely Teachers, because that's what the book is about--the teacher hidden in the difficulty. The difficulty is the teacher.

  So...instead of sharing one story, I'd like to share four that struck a chord for me. The chord is one I play often and that you are probably familiar with, and one we all forget all the time...

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• May 7, 2019
  7May2019

  Beginning Again and Again

  

  Beginning again and again is the actual practice, not a problem to be overcome. --Sharon Salzberg

  As I made my way to the exit, the other passengers on my jetBlue flight were taking their time making their way down the aisle. If I could just get off this plane, I might make the 6:10 bus to Portsmouth and home, and not have to wait an hour for another bus. The flight was already late getting into Boston, and I really wanted to make that bus. Uncentered and pushing mentally, if not physically, I was grinding my teeth and trying to do whatever I could to hurry the passengers in front of me along, including bypassing some seats where the passengers didn’t immediately get up to retrieve bags from the overhead bin.

  And I caught myself. And breathed, and smiled, and returned to center...

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• May 10, 2016
  10May2016

  Centering Tip: Exhale!

  

  Several things happened recently to remind me how we forget to breathe.

  In yoga class, our instructor emphasized the importance of the exhale. She said that in order to breathe deeply, we have to exhale first. That our lungs contain a lot of stale air (as much as 7 years worth!) and exhaling fully helps us get rid of the old stuff and take in the new.

  At breakfast with my goddaughter, we got to talking about her college life, friends, and studies. She and her friends are studious high achievers, and I was surprised and disheartened to learn that stress and busyness are badges of honor among her mates...

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• January 21, 2014
  21Jan2014

  Hold the Difficult Conversations: They Matter

  

  "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
  --Martin Luther King, Jr.

  I read this quote yesterday -- Martin Luther King Day -- and began to wonder how often we are silent when we might speak about things that matter.

  What conversation have you been putting off?
  What matters to you, and where have you become silent?
  When you have something to say, why not say it?
   

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• May 1, 2012
  1May2012

  Dealing With Difficult Conflict: There Is No Opponent There

  

  Stop doing what isn’t working. See a big red STOP sign in front of your face when you begin to react in ways you know don’t serve you, have never served you. You don’t have to have a backup plan, though it helps. Just STOP what isn’t working.

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