Presence is Your Present in This Season of Gifting

Hints from Heather

This holiday season, the greatest gift you can give yourself and your loved ones is your presence—Your undivided authentic self, who is available in the here and now, as free as possible from distraction, letting go of worry and choosing to ditch the multi-tasking!
Here are 3 Hints, that if practiced consistently, will hardwire your ability to be present with automaticity.
Automaticity is the ability to engage in a behavior, like being present, as an innate reflex and ingrained habit.

1. Be Present in your Mind. One of the most researched paths to creating a mind that lives in the present moment is through the ancient practice of meditation. Meditation techniques for mindfulness have been shown to strengthen the brain’s prefrontal cortex (responsible for deciding to be present), anterior cingulate cortex (responsible for your attention to the present), and insular cortex (responsible for grounding in emotional and social processes so you can be present with loved ones) and has been shown to decrease activity in the amygdala (the home of stress and enemy of presence!) Our friends at TriVibranceTM have created a masterful meditation process incorporatingfour of their frequency-imprinted products: Vibrant Self TM oil, Vibrant Intuition TM oil, Clarity and Manifestation TM oil, and Vibrant Space TM spray.. Check out the guided video and handout and watch your presence of mind expand. Vibrant ManifestationTM 
2. Be Present in your Body. Introducing one of the all-time classic relaxation techniques from the 1920’s, Autogenic Training. I had the privilege of hearing Dr. Norm Shealy speak and train on this powerful energy medicine tool several years ago. I have been using autogenic training exercises with my clients and myself ever since! (I especially use it when I wake up in the middle of the night as a tool to fall back to sleep.) During Dr. Shealey’s presentation, he purported that if everybody did nothing but Autogenic  Training for 5- 10 minutes daily, up to 75% of illnesses would be positively affected! It does this by lowering stress-inducing hormones (the hormones that cause inflammation—the root of all disease). It also retrains the brain and calms the limbic system. In fact, Dr. Shealy shared that the 1st time you engage in an autogenic training session, you will lower your blood pressure by 10%!  Autogenic Training handout.
3. Be Present in your Spirit. Spiritual presence is an inside job. For me it’s a purposeful ritual to build community within myself. It’s choosing daily acts that foster a sense of greater self love, self acceptance, gratitude, and in turn, empowers you to love and be present for your people by bringing your highest self to the table. Some of my favorite ways to create this internal intimacy are prayer, gratitude journaling, intention setting, practicing my Vibrant AffirmationsTM (that I shared in my Hints last month). I can even enhance my spirit by hiking or running in nature and marveling at the remarkable beauty all around me. What is your spiritual practice? 

As we embark on the holiday hustle and bustle, let’s hold in our hearts the wise words from the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, who said, "If you're depressed, you're living in the past. If you're anxious, you're living in the future. If you're at peace, you're living in the present." As for me, I vow to spend less time online shopping and more time dedicated to giving my best presents this season, my presence!  Let’s resolve to practice the gift of presence and mindfulness during the holidays along with self-care and personal growth as we go into 2025.