Presence: Begin with the End in Mind
Being “present” is your end goal for overcoming your behavioral pattern. When you are fully present in your situation of choice, your pattern will have changed and your mindfulness-based efforts will have been successful.
What does “being present” look and feel like? You have probably been present many times before in your life.
You’ve likely had powerful moments when your sense of being relaxed and focused was profound and exquisite.
These moments may have occurred while on vacation, out in nature, or in the presence of loved ones.
While your environment is conducive to eliciting this powerful response, ultimately, these experiences take place in your body and are generated from the inside-out.
The driving force of how present you are is your degree of relaxation.
The Characteristics of Presence
Presence has very specific characteristics:
Clear, quiet mind
Soft, relaxed muscles
Smooth, easy breathing
Enhanced blood flow
Mindfulness trains you to access this mind-body state with intention and purpose.
The Peak State Elicitation
We have created an audio track on our resources page to guide you into a deep state of presence. You will revisit memories in which you have felt deeply calm and at peace before. Doing so will “trick” your body into re-living these moments all over again, giving you access to this healthy, pleasurable neurochemistry once more.
This exercise is “the carrot.” It is very important for you to realize just how awesome being present is. When you are present, you feel more at ease internally and you perform at a higher level externally.
You are also becoming more familiar with how resolution will feel in your chosen area of life.
Vividly realizing this shift in quality of life will provide you with the motivation necessary to maintain a daily mindfulness practice of 10-15 minutes.