Presence is a palpable sense of being all here – physically, mentally, and emotionally. It gives you a masterful command of yourself and it commands the attention of others.
Presence is spiritual in nature. It is the embodiment of spirit. Through simple mental and physical practices, you can develop this power.
Actors develop presence as natural outcome of their training. Actors are trained to stay focused in the feelings in their bodies while holding the center of attention. You can use techniques established by actors to develop the power of presence to support your professional and personal life.
- Get out of your head and into your body.
Learn to ground yourself in your physical body. Cultivate awareness of being fully relaxed in your skin all the way down to your feet. Contact the energy in your head and let it flow slowly down through your entire body, filling every part of you until it fills your feet. Anchor your energy into the arches of your feet. Then drop energy into the earth as if you are growing thick, deep taproots. Purchase Grounding Exercise Audios. - Breathe. I mean really breathe.
Deeply and fully until you feel high on oxygen. Breathing increases alive-ness. Relaxes stress and flows psychophysical energy through the body. Ten minutes of deep breathing will make you radiate an expanded presence. - Explore the tension of being the center of attention.
Find out where you tense up and block energy in your body when others focus attention on you. Give yourself permission to really “feel” it, relax into it until it releases into a flow state. - Move your body.
The more you move, the more you relax. The best way to still the mind is to move the body. Movement that expresses emotion is best. It clears you of stored tensions and quiets your mind.
