Cover image for the "presence" article showing a dark starry sky with the Milky Way

Presence – how do you feel right now?

Hello sweet soul, welcome back,

This week we talk about presence. Take a deep breath.
Presence is one of my favorite topics because it is almost the foundation for everything else. 
What do I mean when I say presence?

What happens when you become really present with me right now? All your attention is with me. Right now, my attention is with you, even though you see read this later. I’m very present with you. I think of you as I do this.

The first important piece about presence is to remember that we have a physical body, and this physical body wants to be taken care of. Most of all it wants to be felt. It is the biggest sensory device that we have. Our mind often likes to take us on a ride. Yet our body has so much wisdom for us. So, can we tune in with that beautiful body? Can we just notice what is going on right now? Whether it is that I’m still digesting my lunch, or whether that is a tight neck, or whether it is some joyful bubbles in my chest, and some playfulness, some shenanigans that I feel sitting behind my ears.
That’s the first piece: Let’s come home into the body. 

The second piece for presents is when I say let’s not let those thoughts take us on a ride. It is just that. Let’s not have our thoughts take us for a ride. A random thought coming in can be an easy way to distract you and take you back into a story you heard too many times.
So what do we do instead? Can we notice that we are not our thoughts? And that we don’t have to believe all of our thoughts? Ha. How interesting! That’s the second piece: You are not your thoughts.

Third, I would love for you to pay attention to how you speak to yourself in your mind over the next few days. Can you be a little kinder to yourself? What would it mean for you if your best friend talked to you the way how you speak to yourself in your head? Would you keep them around? It’s a good question to ask ourselves, because I think it is a really good practice to be our own best friends. That’s sometimes tough, especially when we screw up. That’s the third piece: Be your own best friend.

This week 1) become present in your body, 2) notice that you’re not your thoughts, and 3) be kind to yourself.

Take care, I love you!

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