The Art of Inner Conditioning: How the Practice of Presence Becomes Effortless Through Repetition
Practice of Presence Teaching by Jim Taylor
The path is made by walking.
~ Antonio Machado
Earning my black belt in martial arts was a culmination of many years of practice. In those early years, I would often be frustrated with my Sensei because he would seem to go over the forms of every move with exhausting precision. Over and over, we would practice the same move focusing on all related aspects, breathing, stance, balance, core strength, and execution. All this attention seemed overdone to me.
Finally, I remember the day I was able to actually spar with an opponent. I was nervous and worried about how I would do, but as my opponent and I began to parry around one another, suddenly, it was as if my body went into autopilot. Every block, every kick, every punch seemed to magically arrive almost without any effort. It was a coalescence of all that practice. My body “knew what to do.” This is something athletes understand as, “conditioning.” And it leads to peak performance because this kind of conditioning creates a memory and life of its own.
There is something very similar happening when we think of “inner conditioning” through the practice of presence. We learn by repetition to notice when we are not at peace, and we learn by repetition how to return to peace. It is just like breathing – in and out, all day long! All day long, returning to presence and peace, over and over again. We pay attention to our state of being and slowly inner condition ourselves to execute our full intention to be present to the presence.
Take the Next Steps in Presence
Ready to go deeper? These journaling questions will help you reflect on Chapter 5 of Choosing Presence and guide you in strengthening your inner practice of returning to peace.
Inner Conditioning – Enroll in Awakening to Presence and learn how daily practice and awareness gently condition the heart to rest in God’s peace.
Jim Taylor – Wisdom Elder, Weaver, and Spiritual Guide
Jim Taylor is a seasoned spiritual leader and guide with more than two decades of experience nurturing personal transformation and authentic spiritual growth. He currently serves as a Wisdom Elder and Weaver with Illuman, a nonprofit committed to deepening men’s spiritual lives through ritual, storytelling, and presence-based practice. A founding board member of Illuman, Jim has been integral to developing programs such as the Men’s Rites of Passage and the Journey of Illumination.
Before his work with Illuman, Jim was the Senior Pastor of Mosaic Church in Seguin, Texas for 23 years and provided pastoral care in hospice settings, where he established bereavement care programs and led teams of chaplains. He also taught theology and hermeneutics as an adjunct faculty member at the International School of Theology. Jim holds advanced degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he was honored with the W.T. Conner Award in Theological Excellence. His work continues to invite men into a courageous, contemplative, and compassionate way of being.
