Tips for cultivating presence in-the-moment

Tell me if this story sounds familiar to you...

You arrive home from a long day of work. You’re looking forward to spending some quality time with your family. You walk into the house and begin interacting with your loved ones. But while you’re physically present, your mind is still at the office. Thinking about that e-mail you forgot to send, how you’ll facilitate tomorrow’s meeting, or how you’re going to handle that recent resignation in your team. You feel a twinge of guilt for being only half present.

I believe we all yearn for connection, and one of the necessary ingredients in forming meaningful connections (with ourselves, each other and nature) is actually being present in the moment. It is only from this place of presence that we can experience genuine curiosity, compassion, beauty and awe.

One tactic for returning to presence in these moments is to briefly shift our attention into our bodies. From this more grounded state, we can reconnect with the here and now.

Below are some quick tips to return to presence in-the-moment when you find your mind wandering. These practices can be used in the context of meetings or conversations and you can practice one or multiple anytime you notice an opportunity to bring yourself back to presence.

1) Take some long breaths. Feel your abdomen expand with each breath in. Fully let it go with long exhalations. From this embodied state, tune back into the present moment.

2) Notice your feet on the floor. Allow them to feel heavy as you plant them into the ground beneath you.

3) Place your hands on your body. Tune into the sensation of your hands resting heavily and purposefully on your body.

4) If you’re taking notes, notice the feeling of your pen gliding along your paper as you take notes. Allow this sensation to anchor your attention to the here and now.

5) Hold a coffee mug in your hands and notice its texture and temperature. It helps to have a nice, textured mug that you love. 

Once you feel grounded in your body, lean back into the conversation with a sense of curiosity.

As you attune your awareness, you may notice that you have a greater capacity for presence at certain times of the day, or when you’re generally feeling more “resourced”. Begin to notice this about yourself - you may use it to inform how you plan your time. For example, if you find your mind is more prone to wander in the afternoons, you may preserve your mornings for important one-on-one coaching meetings with your team members. 

The above suggestions are examples of simple solutions that you can apply in-the-moment. Our minds, like the muscles of the body, respond to exercise. Mindfulness practices are a means of exercising the muscles of our minds to cultivate presence. Each time you bring yourself back to presence is a “rep”, and our capacity to be present is strengthened with practice. This is the power of a regular mindfulness practice. 

—

If you’re interested in cultivating greater mindfulness, please check out my latest group mindfulness program.

Calm in the Storm: A Mindfulness Journey for Purpose-Driven Leaders is a group program. This group program offers a proven, 6-week curriculum and guidance for developing a nourishing and sustainable mindfulness meditation practice. The small group format offers an added source of support and accountability as you build new habits.