5 Ways to Practice Presence

As you leave the holidays behind and ease into the new year, it’s a time of both reflection and intention. It’s a process of shifting that occurs throughout the whole year, but is more prominent as we leave one year behind and head into the next.

Whether you make new year resolutions, or you choose a word that guides your focus over the next twelve months, or you set goals for a specific timeline…this is a gentle reminder to practice presence at the core of it all.

5 Ways to Practice Presence

1.Create a daily ritual Daily rituals can be whatever you want them to be. You can meditate for a few minutes a day. You can take a brisk walk around your neighborhood or workplace. You can set a designated tea time each day. You can start journaling. Create rituals that give you some headspace, support you, and align with your needs and desires.

2.Ground yourself by using your senses. Using your senses is a powerful way to ground yourself in presence, especially if your thoughts run wild and you’re mentally overwhelmed. Pay attention to what you’re seeing, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting. You can also be more intentional by creating your own sensual playground, like immersing yourself in nature or booking a fragrance experience. Let your senses guide you and ground you into presence.

3.Take breaks throughout the day. Life is a beautiful mess of all the things, so it helps to step away from it all to regain some peace. Try taking breaks throughout the day to practice presence. Look out the window. Breathe. Stretch. Walk. Read a bible verse, write down some affirmations or speak them out loud. These moments help you return to yourself.

4.Get into nature. It’s hard not to be present when you surround yourself with nature. Time seems to stop as you watch the birds flying from one tree to the next, the sun dancing in and out from the clouds and branches swaying in the wind. Nature has a slower rhythm — it gives you space to breathe and just be present.

5.Set time aside to reflect each day. It’s so helpful to process your thoughts and feelings each day. You can embody a natural state of presence and reflect on what’s happening within you and in your life. It’s best to set aside time for reflection either early in the morning before your day begins so you can set intentions for your day, or at the end of the day so you can process and release what doesn’t serve you.

Try one or all of these practices to be more present with yourself. Intentionally be more present with your thoughts and how you feel each day. Be mindful of how you change and evolve, and notice how what you want changes in response.

The more you practice presence, the more it becomes a natural habit in your everyday life and the more you benefit from those moments of peace, mindfulness and reflection.

EXPERIENCE CHÉMIN

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