Presence Matters

“What if we think of gravity as a spiritual force of belonging? Gravity offers each of us a place called here, where we can let go of effort and rest in the ‘lap of belonging’ of the larger earth’s body. By turning our attention to an inner awareness of the attractive force of gravity, and to felt sensations of this ongoing connection to the earth, we can tap into an innate sense of belonging.”

Thus, Susan Harper began our time together this past weekend in the Meeting the World with Heart workshop. I was reminded over and over as the days progressed, of the enlivening effect of simply directing my attention to what is happening in each present moment in my body as it is an integral part of all of nature. It was wonderful, restful and rejuvenating.

Then we dived deeper into the consciousness of open inquiry – exploring how our hearts have such a capacity for seeing the beauty in everything around us – the beauty that is deep within, not the surface Hollywood definition of beauty. The inner intelligence of the heart is stimulated each time we perceive our world with fresh eyes – not pre-judging something. We all played with turning off the auto-pilot and navigating with no set preconceptions. The weekend deepened and got richer with a wonderful balance of movement and stillness, reaching out and resting back to receive deeply.

I am reminded, yet again, of the importance of taking periods of time away from my normal life to deepen my own relationship with myself at a deep core level – my Spirit, my Soul – this is the primary place of belonging for each of us. When it is not fed and valued all else starts to suffer. Often I feel as though I get off course (slightly or dramatically) when I forget to tune in regularly, drinking in what my inner wisdom is telling me in each moment.

What are you doing this Spring to start this new cycle of nature inspired and renewed? 

Something in this week’s news caught my attention – it was in the story about the hostage situation with the Somalian pirates and the naval captain that has just been freed. As the news channels churned out all possible aspects of the story, an expert hostage negotiator was being interviewed.  What he said made my ears perk up. He was talking about the elements of what makes good negotiation in a situation like this. One of his key points struck home with me.

In essence, he said that a good negotiator must be a presence that calms the captors, saying the right words so that they don’t panic and kill the hostage. He went on to explain that this is a two-pronged effort. The first is knowing the right words that create clarity and calmness in the mind of a hostage taker. The second and equally if not more important is the presence to deliver those words in such a way that they come across with congruence. Meaning that the person hearing them feels calmer by their delivery. Right words and thoughts coupled with presence – creates an optimal possibility for success.

I am reminded further of a story from Full Body Presence about one of my students whose home was broken into at night. She stayed calm, using her presence to calm the intruder and talking him down so that he did not harm her or her boyfriend (although he was armed and initially really agitated). Here also, knowing the words and having the presence to deliver them congruently was highly successful for her.

This has ramifications in our bodywork sessions every day. I see the “right words” spoken about above, as knowing the proper techniques to address the issues of the person on your table. There are many available classes in all the specialty areas that can give us this information. Once we practice them enough, our “right words” are at our fingertips (pun intended) when we need them.

The “presence” spoken of above is the invisible substance that holds the session together and allows those techniques to be delivered seamlessly. This is the part that I find fascinating. I have mastered many techniques across the years and continue to add new ones to my storehouse of knowledge, but the presence to deliver them seamlessly, when they are needed most is what stimulates my creative juices.

The process of how to nurture this presence – how to stay inspired – how to take care of myself so that I have available all that I am capable of – this I see as my daily practice. 

One of my favorite mentors in this rejuvenation process will be here this weekend to help a group of us prime the pump of our creativity – come join me if you feel so  inclined  http://www.healingfromthecore.com/conmeetworld2009.shtml

How do you keep your presence strong – how do you nurture yourself? Is it a priority for you? Are you on your own “TO DO” list?