A recent study found that 95% of chiropractors suggest exercise to their practice members to strengthen the spinal core musculature and improve fitness levels. Many chiropractors also teach techniques and exercises that create better body awareness, deeper breathing, taller posture, and dynamic balance and movement principles. Through 20 years in a wellness chiropractic practice, I have developed techniques and strategies to assist health care professionals and their practice members in applying these principles to every day life. I’ve learned to make lifestyle habits simple, understandable and fun so that people follow through and do them!The process I teach to complement spinal care is called PowerCentering, and it is an experience that can be had by anyone, anywhere, and at anytime. The results have been fabulous, and participants experience a transformation in their mind, body and spirit. Some reported benefits of PowerCenteringsm are; a leaner, fitter body, greater range of motion and flexibility, improved breath and energy levels, relief from aches and pains, better ability to handle stress and relax, enhanced muscle tone and strength, improved posture and balance, and better ability to focus and concentrate in a variety of daily activities.

PowerCentering™ is the act of tapping into your inner energy and core strength so that your performance in life is improved. Your PowerCenter is the physical center of mass of the human body and is usually represented on anatomical charts anterior to the sacrum as your center of gravity. It’s an area about the size of a softball that lies roughly one to two inches below your navel within the middle of your lower abdominal cavity. Some may recognize it as the dan tien (Chinese), the hara (Japanese), the powerhouse (pilates), or plainly, the center (modern dance and ballet).

George Leonard, the 78 year-old author of the Ultimate Athlete, Mastery and The Way of Aikido, and practitioner of the Japanese martial art of Aikido teaches that, “Physically as well as symbolically, this point can be treated as the center of power. It is anatomically surrounded by the long muscles –thigh, buttocks, abdomen, back - that attach to the pelvic girdle, muscles that are far stronger and contribute more to athletic ability than the macho upper body.”

PowerCentering is first and foremost, a simple quick method that anyone can use to perform at their best in most situations. Below are the Five Instant Steps to PowerCentering that create an immediate awareness of your center. This will cause an instant shift in your body physiology and ability to perform. Like any skill, regular practice will prepare you to use it in everyday real life. Start by picking a favorite spot, like the beach, a mountain or more commonly a preferred spot at home. Select music that inspires you. Stand with your feet comfortably apart, resting your hands on your lower abdominal wall. Enjoy the exhilaration that accompanies this delightful PowerCentering Experiencesm

1 . Focus Your Awareness to Center
Allow your mind to focus your awareness at your PowerCenter. Try imagining that it is a ball of energy that glows with your favorite, vibrant color. Visualize that your deeper self is present at your center, not in your head. Once you connect to your center, it is your spirit that moves you! It can virtually change your life in an instant.

2. Breathe to Center
Breathe in through your nostrils and visualize the in-breath traveling down the midline of your spine to your PowerCenter. This “belly breath” works the diaphragm and abdominal muscles. Hold for a few counts then exhale up and out through the spine and nostrils. The sound of your breath is similar to waves crashing on the beach, and helps you to focus and refocus your awareness to your center,

3. Stand at Your Tallest Height
Become aware of your feet rooted like a big old oak tree to the ground. Then, lift the crown of your head directly up to the sky, elongating your spine and standing at your tallest. Pretend you’re being measured for height, like when you were a kid. Once the upper cervical spine is put into its proper relationship with gravity, the neurological program for good posture is automatically generated throughout the whole body. Feel confident as you stand with a regal posture. You are royalty!

4. Achieve Balance
Visualize that your PowerCenter istethered to the center of the earth by a long rope, like a mountain climber. Now gently, almost imperceptibly, sway from side to side and front to back, feeling your PowerCenter move in and out of balance. Notice that much like a tightrope walker, your balance is a dance with gravity. Try to feel the perfect center point for your stance and practice holding a dynamically balanced position.

5. Move from Center
Finally, perform any movements or exercises that you desire, but now do it from your PowerCenter. Imagine that your every motion begins and ends at your PowerCenter, visualizing it moving through space. Once centered, you will perform any activity with more focus, efficiency and grace.

This grace of movement is what we admire when a skilled athlete or dancer performs at their best. And the added focus and efficiency of motion can save the life of a first responder as they take action in a fire or emergency situation. I always PowerCenter myself before I deliver every chiropractic adjustment. It creates a healing physiology that improves my technique and results with patients. Its applications are diverse and endless, so give it a try in a variety of situations.

As I applied PowerCenteringsmto my exercise routines as well as those of my practice members, itultimately evolved into an integrated exercise program. It blends the best of Western scientific exercise principles with the more ancient of Eastern movement arts into a fun routine that strengthens and stretches the total body starting with the core. PowerCenteringsmimproves all physical endeavors and is one of the best ways I know of to maintain consistent physical fitness.

Anyone can do the Five Steps to PowerCenteringsm and it is a great compliment to chiropractic wellness care. I’ve also produced a Basic PowerCenteringsm DVD workout program that illustrates a quick, efficient daily exercise routine. The PowerCentering program is an excellent way for beginners to motivate themselves towards a fit lifestyle. You can duplicate the results achieved by thousands of ordinary people, athletes, people with disabilities, police, firefighters, chiropractors, medical doctors, teachers, exercise trainers and cosmetologists.

As George Leonard so eloquently concludes, “You can practice centering every time you take a walk, even when you stroll from one room to another in your house. Think of it. Pay close attention to your every step, the swing of your arms, the tilt of your head. You are walking with full awareness of your center as it moves powerfully and effortlessly through space. You are breathing easily into your hara. Your shoulders, neck, chest and abdomen are relaxed. Your legs are swinging in perfect counterpoise with your arms. Your hips, too, are engaged in this elemental rhythm, and you are deliciously aware of the soles of your feet blending with the surface beneath them.”

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