Presence: Probably the biggest change to occur in human consciousness in the 21st century will be shifting to a different center of consciousness, presence, which exists within each one of us. The worldwide movement towards continuous presence appears to be cumulative, sweeping many towards the goal. Presence is a state of being in which one becomes conscious of the interconnectedness of all life, all times, all places, and all existence. Each of us has had moments that stand out because we’ve felt these connections. The experience of presence can seem fleeting and even impossible to recreate. Many of us have journeyed far and wide to find better and better ways to recreate these experiences.
Presencing: By presencing I mean the conscious choice to practice presence. The operative word is choice. Once we discover the presence inside, each of us becomes responsible for our own awakening. Once we recognize that this center is the only real antidote to the fear and suffering we humans have created, we will choose to activate our own shift in awareness. Once we have set our intention to move beyond the chaos of our fearful minds, all of life becomes useful for practicing presence. The body surprisingly is the key link to this change. Upon feeling this connection, we can become facilitators and advocates for this change.
The Body and Presence: The body, it can be argued, exists only in the present moment and is reflecting the present moment continually to its owner as sensation and awareness. In that sense “the body never lies.” Experiencing presence is possible because we are in bodies. As a bodyworker of many years, I have noticed that the body is an incredible communicator because it always reveals one’s state of being. When our bodies are perceived through the lens of presencing, our bodies can become reliable loadstones for our lives.
By design the body communicates through its various systems: mental, chemical, affective, neurological, positional, sensorial. These channels of communication produce internal sensation and thought. When thought is consciously directed towards tracking these processes, thought changes from brain-centered and abstract, to body-centered and present. If we train our minds to pay closer attention to these communications we establish somatic links to the body. The body and mind form a somatic unit that is capable of tracking inner and outer phenomena reflexively.
Touch: My trainings for bodyworkers, counselors, and businesspersons, include attention to presencing touch. Anyone can learn to use their hands to listen to the body and thus accompany the inner experience of another. The key ingredient to presencing touch is to learn to listen to one’s own bodily signals continuously. We will spend time developing our sensitivity and then practice using our hands to listen. We will then partner as givers and receivers. The receiver will also be sensing into the part of the body in question; thus a sensory meeting place is established. As both persons presence a painful part of the receiver’s body, both will experience the transformation that happens through passing through the gateway of pain.
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