An Earthy 2 Pound Lesson

I couldn’t believe I was sitting at a potter’s wheel with 2lbs of clay spinning in my wet hands.  Rusty, my instructor, would often lean in over my shoulders and help me mold and shape the clay, guiding my hand up and down the sloppy clay so I understood the exacting hand movements.  Really!?  Was this a moment carved out of the movie Ghost?  It was strikingly similar except that my mind wasn’t moving towards the hot and steamy.  I was SO focused on getting my hunk of earth centered onto my wheel.  It was like me versus the clay.  I really wanted to make peace and become one with the clay but that was more challenging then I ever thought.

I slapped the clay on the center of the wheel and listened carefully as Rusty demonstrated all the basics.  Centering, she tells me, is critical. If the clay is off center at least a tinny bit, I would be destined for a lopsided bowl or cup.  No way!  My ego wasn’t going let that happen.  I set my sights high.  I wanted to be the master of centering.

The art of centering is a two-step process. The first step was molding the clay up into a shape of a cone.  The second part was to flatten the cone down like a hamburger patty.  There is nothing casual about doing this.  It required that I lean my entire body weight into the clay and hold my hands in specific positions to optimize the results.  As I practiced, I was struck by how my body desired to be a connected to this process.  For starters, I was sitting on a small rickety wooden stool.  (The more experienced wisely brought a cushion, so I was slightly envious.)  But even the pros had to negotiate the safety of their lower back. This wasn’t something Rusty talked about as she was leaning over my shoulders.  As I pushed my weight into the clay, I also felt my pelvis tipping and my lumbar spine lengthening.  My transverse abdominals (the deeper muscles below the pretty six pack abs) were drawing in and I was breathing deeply as I practiced centering the clay. I could feel the forward fold action in my spine and pelvis.  I know, this sounds way to “yogic” but I swear this awareness was instinctual.  I wanted to not only center the clay but to center my body!

It’s no accident that “centering” is the first step taught in throwing clay.  This whole centering processing is indicative of any good yoga practice.  You can’t

just plop down on your mat and begin without centering or grounding yourself. It is the feeling of being rooted in the “here and now” and a knowing why you are doing what you are doing.  You are connected to the person, place, or thing that is presently apart of your life. The opposite of being centered is unfocused and you would never choose this. Yet it happens, more often then we’d like to admit.  You don’t have to look far to know how much of our current culture challenges our focus.

Centering clearly has its place off the yoga mat.  That is why centering is vital to the rhythm of your day.  When you come to your yoga mat, it begins a new chapter.  If you intend to be apart of a new experience and to truthfully engage, you must somehow activate your mind and body.  This mirrors life and you should look to find places to make more space to bring yourself to this state of awareness.

So the take away from my pottery class experience is to be more aware of how your body and mind are feeling on a day-to-day basis.  Check in when major shifts happen in your day.  From the gym to the office or the office to restaurant, can you ground or center yourself in each new space?  Take a few conscious breaths, close your eyes if you can, and be aware of what you are feeling or hearing.  Say a word or phase that is personal to your life and will allow you to refocus.   Finally, find the part of your day where you are easily centered and connected so you can use this as a barometer throughout your day. This nudge of consciousness is a step towards knowing the feeling of letting go of a stress-filled chattering mind and living in a refreshed sense of “being” human.