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November/December 2006 Spirituality
The Power of Presence

by Audrey Mairi

Audrey Mairi

All around us is a life-giving, life-regulating power that always has been and always will be. Called the life force, it is the active aspect of the intelligence that is the source of all life. The most healing, empowering and creative act we can do for ourselves is to consciously connect to this force, which can only be experienced in the present moment. In the present moment connection is automatic.

Such a connection is not intellectual -- it is a feeling. Having a mental understanding of the subject merely points the way to the experience, it is not the experience itself.

"You can't try to get it," says Dr. Milton Trager, developer of the Trager Approach. ".to try is to fail. You don't try. To try is effort and effort is tension. We don't try. We just allow it to happen."

Paradigm Shift

Most are caught up in trying, in exerting as much effort as they can to get their desired outcome. Few have learned how to not try. They have no experience of what effortlessness feels like, and therefore even less experience being connected to the life force. People who consciously connect to the life force describe it as a feeling of peace or lightness of being. Others use words such as stability, joy, empowerment, clarity and a sense of homecoming. But whatever words we put to it, what matters is the feeling in our body/mind.

Trager is a practical approach to living, not just a way to fix pain in the body. Its practicality is its magic. To foster a connection we use a series of simple tools called Mentastics (derived from the two words mental gymnastics). There are three basic Mentastics: pausing, mindful breathing and feeling the weight.

Pause

Before we can consciously connect to the life force, the first thing we need to do is apply the breaks to our doing, both in our mind and body, and . pause. Stop talking, stop walking, stop worrying, fretting, controlling, and . pause. A pause helps us to become the observer instead of the reactor. It is a gateway that opens our body/mind to the intelligent life-giving, life-regulating power all around us.

Mindful Breathing

The second thing we do is breathe mindfully. After a pause we put our awareness on our breath, taking our attention from out there and placing it in here. With practice, we become centered, like being at the hub of a wheel. At the hub, our perspective broadens, becoming multifaceted. Our assumptions soften. We awaken to the realization that we are not the pains we feel or the thoughts we have-they are only spokes of our wheel. We are a part of a interconnected web of consciousness.

Feeling the Weight

Once we have paused our doing and thinking and have centered ourselves through mindful breathing, we enter the present moment by feeling weight. When we pay attention to the downward pull of gravity we enter into the physicality of the here and now. The next time you are putting the groceries away, doing the dishes or lifting a hammer, feel the weight as you move the object through space. The next time you are holding the hand of someone you love -- pause, breathe and feel its weight. Rather than holding it up, let it rest in your palm. You will experience a positive life-affirming sensation. This is a present moment experience.

Try it. Right now. Wherever you are.

1. Pause. Let go of reading this article. 
2. Become mindful of your breath - like an umbrella opening and closing. 
3. Now shift your body from side to side. Feel its weight move through space.

If you use these three simple tools throughout your day you will feel differently. Your awareness of the life force flowing through your body/mind will grow and bloom, and in turn so will your empowerment, wellness and creativity. This is the power of presence.

Audrey Mairi is a Senior Trager Practitioner, tutor, workshop leader, electives teacher and author of Trager for Self-Healing: A Practical Guide for Living in the Present Moment. Visit www.audreymairi.com.

Based on the book Trager for Self-Healing: A Practical Guide for Living in the Present Moment © 2006 by Audrey Mairi. Printed with permission by New World Library, www.newworldlibrary.com.