Finding our center

When I am not in my therapist’s chair, you can often find me seated on a stool at the base of a potter’s wheel. It is in many ways another space where I practice therapy, but as a student, and my therapist is that ball of clay.

I often enter the studio with anticipation, planning in my head what I hope to create and also remembering where I left off last time and if there are any pots I need to trim or attach handles to. It is a joy when I get to throw new vessels. I usually measure out about 6 balls of clay, stack them within arms reach, and then with each one open myself to the process.

This process can of course be where I am met with either a simple satisfaction or annoying frustration. And usually what determines this is how well I center that ball of clay. Centering is where you start spinning the wheel and form the clay to where it no longer wobbles beneath your hands, and it is what allows you to make a vessel that looks even in the thickness of the walls and rim of the pot.

Over the years I have noticed that no matter how much I know and how well I have my technique down, it is my mental space that makes the difference. When I am trying to center a piece and I feel distracted by others in the space, or I am in a rush, I am typically making pieces that are lopsided and uneven. I might bear down and try to center the clay with all my strength, only to be met with the resistance of the clay pushing back at me - that’s when you would notice my body start to wobble back and forth as if entering a game of tug-of-war with my clay. This is when I tell myself to take a break before one of us goes flying off the wheel.

The there are the other days I might come in, peaceful, balanced, and I sit down to center my clay and it takes no effort whatsoever. Suddenly it is as if I have been doing this my whole life and the clay is in agreement with me. This is when I tell myself how amazing, or lucky, I am.

The thing is, centering clay is a place where I meet myself. It is a practice that will often show me how I am doing mentally, emotionally, maybe even spiritually. Sometimes I can’t always say how I am doing, but when I enter the pottery studio I usually able to find out soon enough.

What does it feel like to be centered?

I think of being present.

Being in the here and now.

Grounded.

Free of distraction.

Perhaps free of anxiety.

In the groove or in your flow.

Stillness.

I read on the Chopra website that there are 3 easy steps to find your center: awareness, attention, and intention. We have to be aware that we are off balance, then bring attention to the here and now, and then set your intention with how to respond.

I wonder what other practices people have that help them find their center. Maybe it’s playing music, shooting hoops, drawing, or cooking. Maybe for some it is talking out loud to someone sitting across from them. Whatever it is, I think we can all agree that feeling centered is a good feeling and we can certainly notice when we have gotten away from it.