The Meaning of Centering

I’ve heard the terms “centering” and “centering prayer” used on many occasion, but I was never sure exactly what they meant, so I did a little research.

In the Christian tradition, centering prayers were intended to quiet the mind and open oneself up to the influence of God.

In sports, centering refers to a technique for staying focused and avoiding distractions. It helps an athlete stay in the moment and release past and future thoughts, worries and plans, and redirect their focus from the negative or anxiety-causing event to the present task. This process aims to keep you in the present, help you drop any baggage you carry about performance anxiety, expectations, and worries.

Centering often works best with regular practice. It can be aided by focusing on a slow, steady pace of breathing. This is often accompanied by repeating a key word (mantra) that helps you refocus on what you want to do.

But centering also refers to achieving a sense of balance in your life as a whole. To me this means being neither too busy nor too idle, neither too excited nor lethargic, calming the emotions that are pulling you to one side of the other. Being centered means remaining calm amidst the business of everyday life, and not being diverted by stressful circumstances or negative thoughts and emotions. Being centered means both being able to focus on the present, while simultaneously keeping in mind what is truly important in the long run.