Regular and Emergency centering
The closer you are to your centered posture when practicing the techniques, the more effective they will be. Centering in Verbal Aikido is the capacity to feel stable within oneself in order to make a conscious decision on how to act next. A regular centering practice teaches you to accept and observe the sensations or energy within yourself. This awareness enables you to access this posture more easily when you need it most.
“When we are connected with our body, the present moment comes more into focus and we can then begin to make decisions from there.”
Richard Strozzi Heckler (7th dan Aikidoka)
In Verbal Aikido training sessions, we encourage practitioners of all levels to share their own style of centering once they feel ready to do so. There is usually something in their approach that benefits others. Generally, the different forms of centering touch on at least one of the following:
- Connection with one’s breathing cycle
- Connection with the earth or universe
- Conscious awareness of the present moment
- Tuning into one’s senses
- Self-awareness
- Self-acceptance
- Self-confidence
- Meditation or prayer
- Mindfulness
- Visualization or projection
There are at least as many ways to get centered as there are people on the planet. The more we practice on a regular basis, the easier it is for us to reaccess our centered state when we need it most. We use the signals of tension that our body give us, to return to our centered state. We can start this by simply recognizing what these signals are.