What Is Presence?

Presence. A frequently used word...

But what does it mean, and how do we achieve it?

To be present means to be fully immersed in the moment, whatever moment you happen to find yourself in.  It means when I am playing with a niece or nephew, that is the most important thing to me in that moment.  I play, I listen, I flow.  I am not thinking about being elsewhere, checking my phone, or worrying about the future.  I am just playing.  If you'd like to practice being more present, find a toddler or young child to utilize as a mentor.  My nephew has favorite things to do and see, which includes taking long walks to see tractors.  When I know I'm going to be with him I begin thinking about how fun it will be to go and do those things, how happy he'll be when he sees a big tractor.  But along the way to see a tractor, the adventure can change and shift.  We stop to collect rocks, play in a dirt pile or a mud puddle, pick flowers, or do whatever it is that has captured his attention in the moment.  And those moments are just as fun to him, or even more fun, than seeing his favorite tractor!  So much so, that we become immersed in that activity and forget about tractors.  These moments are equally as fun for me, and have offered me the opportunity to notice more times in my life when I have rushed to get somewhere instead of simply enjoying the ride.

I often say that presence is the greatest gift we can offer ourselves and each other.  Think about this for a moment.  Remember a time when you knew someone was fully present with you, and connect with the memory of how that felt.

When we hold space for someone going through a profound healing process, to be fully present with them is not only a gift, but a necessity.  When we heal through breathwork, we can go to a place that may feel scary and overwhelming.  As we heal from past experiences, we sometimes feel the heavy emotions connected to those experiences.  The role of the facilitator is to ensure our client knows they are safe, held, and loved.  There is an unspoken exchange that happens between our  nervous systems.  Similar to what Debbie shared last week about how a caregiver helps their child develop their nervous system; we as facilitators do this with our clients.  Our client's nervous system will know if we aren't fully there to support them.

This is why we focus so much on personal healing and development at OneBreath Institute.  I believe that as we heal from past afflictions, we become more present (and vice versa!).

Our next training begins September 26th!  Learn more about The Personal Journey (Module 1) below.

In Gratitude,

Lisa