7 Steps for Being Present
By Amisha Patel – Practitioner and facilitator of Raja Yoga meditation
I have new-found respect for all coaches, whether practising professionally or on an ad hoc basis, and I applaud you all for your commitment to help others move forward.
It takes a certain degree of self-awareness and stability in one’s own wealth of experience and to have the wherewithal to be present and available for another human being.
As a practitioner of Raja Yoga meditation, I have heard and read many proverbs and teachings on the invaluableness of being totally present. One such teaching is
“Your eternal form is the form of awareness and power. Your form is not just of thoughts, but it is the embodiment of awareness.”
To have an awareness of our eternal form, our eternal energy, and to be an embodiment of that energy, is to be present.
By being present we can concentrate our eternal energy in the form of a point and when we focus this energy with a pure intent to help others, we are essentially invoking our power of transformation. That is why I believe all coaches should learn to recognise their eternal energy and practise the awareness of being their eternal form, so that a transformational atmosphere can be created for all clients.
Adopting a regular meditation practise helped me recognise my own eternal peaceful energy. Raja Yoga meditation teaches us that we are all originally and eternally peaceful souls. You too can connect to your original eternal energy by following seven simple steps for being present.
This is an open-eyed awareness exercise that can be undertaken throughout your day and, with practise, the steps will eventually become a fluid process of a journey inward.
1. Aware
Be aware of your external environment through your sense organs. What are you seeing? Hearing? Smelling? Tasting? Feeling? Be aware of your breathing. Bring yourself back to the moment and be aware of what you sense from your environment. There is no need to interpret what you sense. Just be present in your body and be aware of the external stimuli through your senses.
2. Observe
Now turn your attention to your inner world. Observe your thoughts. They are not who you are. You are the creator. Your thoughts are your creation. Observe the feelings created by your thoughts. Continue to be the observer of your thoughts and feelings. There is no need to justify, excuse or give them meaning. Just observe your inner world and your creation.
3. Accept
After being aware of your outer world and observing your inner world, it is now time to accept all you have sensed and observed. This step can be tricky when the stimuli, thought or feeling create an internal conflict. Just be gentle on yourself. Acceptance is part of healing the internal conflict. Allow yourself to accept and see what happens.
4. Let It Go
You will find that once you have accepted it, it is now easy to let it go. You are not the stimuli, thought or feeling; the former is external, and the latter are your creation. You feel no need to engage in or entertain them. A healthy detachment is created between you and what you are sensing, thinking and feeling.
5. Let It Flow
You can now choose to let the information flow without engaging. Thoughts and feelings become like clouds passing by. You are aware of them and you are also disengaged and free. You are entering the stage of awareness of your eternal form.
6. Listen
By now, you have created an inner sanctuary within your mind. A place of inner peace and calm. You have given yourself some space and a chance to listen to your higher self, you may call it your heart or your intuitive self. You are present in your eternal energy. When you can hold this space and silence, you can experience the embodiment of awareness. Where in your body can you feel your awareness being concentrated?
7. Connect
By reaching your inner sanctuary, you have already connected with your eternal energy of peace. Imagine this energy being concentrated in a point-form. Energy is light, so imagine your awareness being concentrated in the form of a point of light. In this form you can connect to a reservoir of spiritual powers and qualities that are innate within you.
From here it takes just one step to connect with the presence of the Higher Power, the Source of Energy. By connecting to the Higher Power, we can replenish and restore our reservoir of inner power. This step is part of the journey upwards as taught in Raja Yoga meditation.
By adopting these steps of the inward journey, we can learn to be more presence-conscious or soul-conscious rather than action-, time- or even body-conscious. You may have experienced mindfulness and the awareness of being present in time or in action. But this practise takes us further. To be soul-conscious is to be present in being. An awareness of self that is beyond actions, words and thoughts.
“The soul is the charioteer who drives the chariot. A charioteer is naturally an observer when doing, seeing or hearing anything.”
Listening and observing without judgement nor emotional engagement, are hats good coaches wear well. By being present we automatically wear these hats and create a coaching space of nurturing energy.
“Your desire to serve will give others the fruit of peace and power.”
When this nurturing energy is focussed toward the client with the pure intent of helping the client, like an arrow striking its target, transformation will easily occur. The transformational power we can hold while being present is more effective than words alone. Doing coaching through speech then becomes easy and also successful.
So, what energy do you bring for your clients? Recognise your eternal energy and invoke your power of transformation by practising these seven steps for being present, that is, present in being.
This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the author’s employer, organization, committee or other group or individual.
Amisha is a practitioner and facilitator of Raja Yoga meditation as taught by the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University.
Email: amisha@outlook.co.nz