Explore Insights on Choosing Presence & the Practice of Presence
Browse, reflect, and embrace the practice of presence!
Welcome to our collection of thought-provoking articles designed to inspire and support your journey towards daily calm and presence. Here, you’ll find deep reflections on Choosing Presence and the Practice of Presence, along with explorations of contemplative prayer, meditation, and the art of living in the moment.
Whether you’re seeking practical guidance, fresh perspectives, or a deeper understanding of presence in daily life, these articles offer valuable wisdom to help you cultivate stillness, awareness, and a stronger connection with God.
The 4-7-8 Breath
Practice of Presence Teaching
Discover how the breath serves as a sacred pathway from the frantic noise of the ego to the steady energy of God’s presence. Learn the 4-7-8 breathing method as a tool for "inner conditioning," helping you retrain your nervous system to release tension and step into a life of contemplative stillness.
The Power of a New Start
Practice of Presence Teaching
As we enter 2026, we explore how to shift from the "unobserved mind" into a vibrant inner life. Discover the impact of our 2025 gift to Illuman, find details for our upcoming Chicago retreat, and access free tools to help you sustain a rhythm of stillness throughout the year.
A Year of Choosing Presence
Practice of Presence Teaching
As 2025 comes to a close, we pause to remember a simple truth we’ve returned to all year: presence is always available. Through breath, stillness, and conscious awareness, we’ve learned again and again that peace is not something we create, but something we remember in the present moment. With gratitude for the journey we’ve shared, we invite you to continue deepening the Practice of Presence in the year ahead—and to begin again with gentleness and trust.
The Peace We All Long For
Practice of Presence Teaching
We can lose our sense of peace in an instant—a tense conversation, a moment of frustration, or our own resistance. Chapter 8 of Choosing Presence reminds us that true peace doesn’t depend on circumstances but rises from God’s presence within. By choosing stillness, we return again and again to the peace already available in this moment.
Turning Toward Presence
Practice of Presence Teaching
Negative thinking can sweep in quietly—a familiar story, a judgment, a worry that spirals before we even notice. Jim Heaney reminds us that negative thoughts and gossip reflect inner unrest, yet presence offers a way back. By pausing, breathing, and becoming aware, we interrupt the pattern and return to truth, compassion, and God’s steady peace.