In soulful leadership, you may hear about the importance of being centered. However, what exactly does that mean? In spiritual leadership, being centered refers to living actively in the present moment. You’re not looking back at the past and wondering what you could’ve done differently, you’re not looking to the “what ifs” of the future. You’re taking your tasks, situation, and life as it comes, and observing each action in the present moment. Centeredness can help to make decisions easier, and it can quell anxiety and stop new anxieties from creeping in, it can also help you to see a clearer picture when it comes to how to achieve your professional goals.
When you feel stress and the emotions that come along with stress (like anxiety, sadness, loneliness, or anger) what are you thinking about? Chances are, it’s not the present moment. It’s more likely that these emotions are coming from thoughts about things you could have done differently, what you’re missing, or how you can prepare for all the “what ifs” that could come up in the future. In this way, centeredness looks after your well-being both physically and emotionally while allowing you to move forward with confidence.
Centering techniques or exercises can be helpful in keeping you centered when your presence in the moment may begin to slip away. Even the most experienced spiritual leader will find themselves in situations that make centeredness difficult, and at Technalink we encourage our teams to never be hard on themselves when they fall out of their own center. A few of these centering help techniques include:
- Sensory stimulation with touch – Having a textured surface to touch can help to bring you into the present moment quickly. A rough meditation stone, a soft surface, or a textured sticker are all easy to incorporate elements you can use for touch stimulation. When you touch this item, focus on how it feels on your hands, the sensations it creates, and you’ll bring yourself back to the moment in seconds.
- Internal affirmations – When you feel yourself slipping away from your center, have an affirmation ready to remind yourself of what’s really important. You can repeat this affirmation internally to yourself, and you can say it as often as you need to keep yourself in the present.
- Breathing exercises – Focusing on the breath is a common centering technique. Take slow, deep breaths, focusing on the feeling of your lungs filling with air. This not only brings you back to the moment, but it also brings you back to your own body when anxiety takes hold.
The OM Factor, now on audiobook, provides tools and techniques to help any spiritual leader to better exercise their ability to center and re-center. With an audiobook option, these tools can be accessed from anywhere and at any time.
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