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You’re right – centering (or any pre-performance routine, for that matter) can seem pretty complicated and involved at first. Getting it down to a natural, organic routine you can do in 15 seconds without having to think about it takes some consistent practice.
With time, you’ll find it easier to combine steps – for instance, to breathe and release tension all at once, and to be able to release all the key muscle tension at once, rather than one muscle group at a time. And with even more time, you’ll just be able to get focused and get physically to that place where you know you need to be within a breath or two. Some take to it pretty quickly, and only need a couple weeks to feel like they have it down, and don’t have to think about the steps. It took me quite a bit longer to feel like I could get centered effectively in high-pressure situations. Part of it was that I didn’t practice centering every day, and it comes quicker if it’s something you do on a consistent basis.
To use a driving analogy, do you remember your first driving lessons? How there was a checklist of things you had to do when you sat in the car? Like buckling your seat belt, looking to make sure there was gas in the car, putting the key in, making sure your foot was on the brake before putting the car in gear, etc. At the time it seemed like a lot to keep in mind, but now, you don’t even think about any of that. You just do it. Centering is similar – keep at it, make it your own, as they say, and you’ll find it’s a pretty natural-feeling process once it’s more automatic.
