Presents say : I am thinking of you - Presence says: I am with you!
Do you spend much of life chasing moments, rather than living them? Expecting particular outcomes when you arrive to where you are heading?
I know I have.
Take December. We rush around, shopping, hoarding food and booze, cooking, making our homes beautiful for the many guests who will visit.
We wrap piles of presents in colourful paper, tie perfect bows, and hope the people we love will feel the depth of our care.
But the greatest gifts we can offer never fit inside a box. They cannot be bought, wrapped, or delivered.
What if Christmas, perhaps - means a little bit more?
“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more,” Dr Seuss.
The greatest gift, as the Grinch eventually realised, are those moments of presence. Being being present for yourself and those you love is a radical act.
“Love is not something we give or get; it is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people when it exists within each one of them – we can only love others as much as we love ourselves,” Brene Brown.
Presents say: I was thinking of you.
Presence says: I am with you.
Presents last a moment. Presence, a lifetime.
So… what is presence, really?
Presence is the art of being fully here.
Not half-scrolling, half-listening.
Not rehearsing the next thing you’ll say.
Not replaying yesterday or predicting tomorrow.
Presence is the courage to choose each moment, as it is – without trying to change or control it. Being with the moment —just as it is.
It’s noticing your breath, your body, your heartbeat.
It is hearing someone fully, seeing them clearly, and letting yourself be seen in return.
Presence is not mystical.
It’s not reserved for monks or yogis or people who have “figured it all out.”
It’s a skill and it can be learned. And like any skill, it grows with practice.
Can presence be taught? Absolutely.
Presence begins with awareness:
A breath.
A pause.
A decision to show up for yourself and the world around you.
It is cultivated through grounding practices—movement, mindfulness, breathwork, stillness, journaling.
It is strengthened by noticing when you drift away and gently guiding yourself back, without judgment.
Presence is a muscle.
Use it, and it expands.
Ignore it, and it withers.
Presents are nice… but presence transforms.
Presents last a moment.
Presence lasts a lifetime.
In a world overflowing with noise, urgency, and distraction, choosing presence is an act of love— for yourself, for others, for your nervous system, for your sanity.
Get ready to practice presence!
Ready to practice presence—softly, gently, cozily?
If you click this link you will receive my yoga sequence, aimed at fostering presence and you will be invited to join me in January for a FREE PJ Yoga for Calm & Presence class.
You will wear comfy pyjamas, bring a pillow and show up exactly as you are.
We will slow down, breathe, stretch, release tension, and practice the simple, transformative art of being here.
No pressure.
No performance.
No perfect poses.
Just presence.
A gift for yourself and all those you love. And it needs no wrapping, only willingness.
Come as you are. Leave more connected.
Your presence is the present.
See you on the mat soon!
And remember to subscribe Below to receive my Yoga for Presence sequence and be invited to my January Free PJ Calm Practice!
See you on the mat soon.
With love
x
Jules
