To feel centered is what my Sensei called absolute joy.  Even though that may be a bit overstated, it is a joy.  When you can feel relaxed and comfortable in your body and as if you can move in any direction at any time, it gives you a feeling of strength and power, like you are a kung fu master that can take on 10 men or dance with a man or woman like they never knew possible.  For me, that puts a smile on my face. Also, there are times when I find the right alignment and centering, and it just clicks. When this happens, there is a feeling of emptiness and stillness, my body becomes totally relaxed and I don’t ever want to move. This is certainly a cause for joy.

Well, that is not the only benefit to being centered.  It’s about moving through life comfortably, feeling like you can take on anything and not having to worry about injury.  When it comes to the mind and how it affects the body feeling centered is definitely a symbiotic relationship between mind and body.  When they are both centered the outward expression of each is increased 10-fold.

Now combine that with being strong and flexible within proper alignment of the body and you have a recipe for a cocktail I like to call, the Jackie Chan. Being able to move through life overcoming and accomplishing anything with light-hearted humor. Every martial artist needs to be centered, strong and flexible in order to be fast, move through any position and not worry about injury.  For me I want to be like this in life, without the fighting. Sometimes life is enough of a fight. Or it’s good for keeping up with your kids.

Either way, being centered and strong in alignment and add being relaxed and you have yourself a recipe for a long awesome life.  And when you are in a place like that, the body uses less energy because when all your muscles are working together, they work less, and this also gives you more power to your movements.  Your whole body will feel more relaxed and pain free because you won’t be putting any unnecessary stress on any part of the body.  Now if you incorporate some Chi work and connecting mind to the body, then you will be able to move with the lightness of a mere thought.

Just know this, you don’t have to get to that perfection of centered and aligned to feel centered like a kung fu master. Once you find your center and feel it, then it becomes an evolving journey of deepening that sense of centeredness.  Meaning that you can have that feeling while working to perfect it.  Awesome!  So, keep practicing and get to that center and alignment, enjoy your joy and kick ass everyday!