An Approach to Presence
It is said that present moment is all that matters.
All you can influence is how you are in the now.
Let’s look at chronic stress
If you generally experience a high level of stress that makes you tired and tense and you would like to learn a healthy way to deal with it. You cannot undo the stress you’ve experienced in the past. And you cannot tell how stressed you will feel tomorrow. But you can do something today that changes your experience of stress and how you use it as an energy resources in your own favor today. And doing something today, will affect how you will be able to use stress as a resource in the future.
As a body-based coach and bodyworker, I guide and support people on their path to being present.
This I do with verbal guidance, touch, instruction, exercises etc.
Why is the present so important?
When you are fully present moment, you have all your skills and abilities available to act or respond to life in a healthy and self-empowered way.
When part of your self is stuck and not present…
MENTALLY
… you are busy with explaining yourself why things happened how they happened, you worry about the future, you explain how you are even though you might not like how you are
EMOTIONALLY
… you might feel lost in a feeling not knowing how to move out of it, you might easily pick up atmospheres that surround you and drag them around bringing down your energy and awareness.
PHYSICALLY
… you might be disconnected or unaware of certain body areas and not have your full physical wellbeing, you might not be aware of tension until they become painful, or your physical abilities will be limited, e.g. your range of movement, breathing, mobility.
If you want to create a change in your life, identifying imbalances on those three levels and how they affect your actions is a good starting point. Something new can happen when you acknowledge the status quo. If you don’t know how to do get a status-quo picture of your situation, that’s where I bring some light to the situation.
No matter on which level you feel you have the strongest imbalance, becoming more physical and aware will impact all levels. And as I said, my preferred doorway is the body.
I have come to see it as my best friend who is always supporting me and communicating with me in ways that guide me through life. The continuous learning path is to learn to notice and understand the body’s language that is unique to everyone.
So, how do you become present?
That’s where body-based coaching and bodywork comes in.
I have found that becoming aware of your body and directing your attention to the body is an easy door to achieve alignment on all levels – mental, emotional and physical.
Why start with the physical level?
Because the mind is super smart and can switch fast between the past and the future. It can be an airy and fickle b*** sometimes, hard to bring to calm and silence. Don’t get me wroing: I love the brilliance of the mind. It just needs to be anchored in the present to serve you well.
Emotions are kind of elusive. You feel them, and we know they are chemically triggered in the body, but often they don’t seem tangible enought to address. An emotion can feel like a fog or a bubble and be difficult to pin down and grasp.
The body, on the other hand, is always in the now. You can pat yourself on the shoulder or tap your fingers on your face and you will feel it. It is a simple and effective way to get the other levels also on board by training your body attention (your ability to feel and be in your body). By learning how to bring your attention back to the body, the mind is involved and the emotions will follow.
At least, that’s my experience.
There’s no hierarchy among the different levels. It’s just that the body is an easy and always accessible doorway to holistic alignment. It’s very grateful and usually very happy when it gets some much deserved attention. It’s doing much more than we could ever notice and give it credit for.
Once you are aligned and reconnected with yourself, the next step is to bring your awareness to the world. The space and people that surround you.
In brief, you could say body-based coaching – as I practice and teach it – is collecting yourself mentally, emotionally and physically to become present and (re)connecting the the world around you by using body attention as the strategy to reach a state of full presence.
This is already it, folks! That’s the essence of body-based coaching. The magic happens when this knowledge becomes alive in your body.
This approach to presence can be applied in different settings:
Three different ways of learning
DIY Journey
You can use any information for your own learning and growth journey. You practice by yourself.
If you’re into DIY, you can check out my articles, I have a couple of videos and audios to let you experiment with your body awareness.
Depending on your situation, it might be a fun and easy start into body awareness and presence.
If you feel stuck and don’t know hot to move out of it, one of the other options will be more suitable.
One-to-One
This is a format where all the attention and energy is on you. It’s special me-time and you get guidance and tools tailored to your individual situation.
It’s also ideal if you have physical apects that you’d like to improve.
Groups
I also offer group formats, like workshops and focus classes; trainings for teams and organizations and embodied event design.
Together with Aninia I have developed an Embodied Inquiry Process that we offer online and in person. If you’re interested, sign up on the website and you’ll get information on upcoming Question sessions (free) and the online course.
I hope this overview has given you a first idea what body-based awareness is about so you can make an informed decision if it’s for you.
Feel free to browse the website and soak up as much information as you like.