The opposite of stage fright and performance anxiety is presence. Presence is a state of being present in the moment. It is an experience of being saturated with awareness of yourself. It is a state of integration, where physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of yourself are aligned and working together. In a state of presence you pull yourself together rather than allowing your consciousness to be scattered and fragmented.
As the eastern sages say, presence is a sense of being here now. But where is here and now? Where do you have to have your attention focused to be here and now? The answer is in your body. The only place in time and space where you can be totally present is in your body. So, presence has something to do with relaxing fully into your physical body. You experience a full-body sense of awareness.
When you are deeply relaxed and present, some very positive things happen with your mind, emotions and spirit as well as your body. Mentally you can think clearly; your thinking is clear, confident and focused. Physically of course, you feel whole, strong, solid and contained. Emotionally, you feel in control of your emotional states, and, it is much easier to express your emotions. In the state of presence, you have access to your whole self, and you can bring your whole self to your presentations, communications and performances. You are integrated. Grounding in your body creates and develops presence. Grounding is an exercise that you can learn and practice. In my next post, I will explain grounding in your body. Meanwhile, if you would like a Grounding Exercise to develop a grounded presence, you will find one on my website at http://www.self-expression.com/audio_video.shtml.
