Centering

---

One of the first challenges of creating pottery on a wheel is to learn to center your clay.  I have been practicing pottery for 4 years, and I still have days when this is difficult.  Sometimes I try to blame my clay (its too old, or too dry or too new or too wet) or the wheel (its too fast or the bat is warped), or the atmosphere (I don't like the music playing or the mosquitos flying around are annoying.)  The reality is that the factor that influences my ability to center clay the most is my ability to find my own center, physically and mentally.  It’s the right balance of force and ease and of moisture and air, and in many cases it can be a very messy process.  Anyone who has seen me after a pottery session knows that.  My wise pottery teacher, Dennis Ott, used to say that you can't center clay if you aren't feeling centered yourself.  Oh how we miss his sage wisdom. 

Finding center implies being balanced.  We are naturally drawn to things that are balanced and symmetrical. In his book "Why Beauty is Truth" the author, Ian Stewart, presents the case that humans enjoy symmetry because it represents predictability and order.  We admire it in art and nature.  Throughout history the great artists have mastered the beauty of symmetry in works such as DaVinci's Vesuvius Man, the Parthenon and even musical compositions like those of Bach. 

Nature is full of symmetry.  Our outer bodies are bi-laterally symmetric, which supports more efficient movement and survival, and there are numerous examples of radial symmetry around a center point in flowers, snowflakes, spiderwebs and fruit.  Evolution favors symmetry in biology because these structures often require less energy to form and maintain, and symmetry in living organisms is often linked to health and genetic fitness.

I think many of us these days are seeking center to find more balance.  Instability and polarization are uncomfortable.  This is why having a personal activity (or two or three) that allows you to practice centering is so good for your nervous system.  Whether its art, music, biking or yoga - taking some time each day to shut out the chaos that we have swirling around us keeps us sane.  And better than sane, it keeps us humble and compassionate.  We all know that it doesn't take much to throw us off center so we can be more understanding of others when they experience being off balance. 

It is helpful to consider our activities in life as practices.  Every artist, athlete and human no matter how experienced has a day when they just toss it all out and start again.  Its also a very personal experience. Those of you who have been to Village Yoga know we have a growing collection of water/tea mugs that are the result of my dissatisfaction with the results of my pottery.  These are functional pieces that I feel could have been better.  Its funny to me how often people ask if they can buy one of these.  Something about the imperfection is in itself attractive.  Dennis had a saying for that too…. "Perfectly imperfect". 

When you are feeling off balance or stressed, and your nervous system is on high alert, take some time to find a centering practice.  I can't promise it will be easy or pretty.  The piece of pottery that resulted from the picture above ended up on the floor a week later when I lost center for a moment trying to trim the bottom, setting the wheel too fast and sending the piece into my lap.  "Its just clay" as Dennis would say.  Not taking ourselves and our actions too seriously is another good centering lesson.

I know that the time to center and arrive on my mat is critical to my balance for the rest of my class, just as centering my clay is necessary to make a decent vessel.  But, if I fall out of dancer pose its not the end of the world, even if I am teaching a class.  My version of tree often involves having my foot on my calf or ankle, not my thigh.  There is no point pretending I am a perfectly centered and balanced human, and I enjoy all the life lessons that allow me to practice.  At the end of the day I can enjoy being perfectly imperfect, and I hope you can find the comfort in that for yourselves as well.