From Morning Ritual to Way of Being: Ken Tillman’s Journey with Practicing Presence
Dr. Ken Tillman, Ph.D., RN is a nurse educator and academic leader with extensive experience in program development, faculty collaboration, and curriculum innovation. He is currently Assistant Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Southeastern Louisiana University, where he continues to advance excellence in nursing and healthcare education.
Be sure to check out Ken’s poem, “The Holy Communion of Breath” below his testimonial. 🌬️
Two years ago, I was invited to co-develop a training program on work-life balance for university faculty and staff. What began as a professional project unexpectedly became a deeply personal transformation. One of my colleagues co-developing the training program introduced me to what he called practicing mindfulness - a short 5-minute breathing and body awareness exercises that we incorporated into the workshops. That was my first real exposure to any type of mindfulness or meditation as a tool for managing stress and anxiety.
Since then, it's as if mindfulness, contemplation and practicing presence have continued to find me! Books on meditation, centering prayer, and the writings of Fr. Richard Rohr on contemplative prayer, began to cross my path with regularity. One of those books was Choosing Presence by Jim Heaney, and the Practicing Presence App. Earlier this year, I made the commitment to begin a daily practice of presence. I now set my alarm to rise 30-minutes earlier, and look forward to my daily 20-minutes spent in stillness and connecting with God’s Spirit.
This sacred morning ritual grounds me. It quiets my anxious thoughts, helps me calmly enter the day with greater clarity, and opens space for awareness and gratitude. Most importantly, I feel this practice is deepening my spiritual relationship with God. In the stillness of practicing presence, I experience a sense of holy communion – with each breath receiving God’s Spirit, letting it fill my inner being, giving me peace and assurance for the day ahead.
One challenge I continue to face is remembering to pause throughout the day. I aspire to take three mindful breaths every hour, and while I haven’t perfected this rhythm, the gentle reminders from the Practicing Presence App greatly help me. Whether I’m in meetings, on phone calls, or simply moving through my workday, I try to return to the breath and remember that this practice is always available to me—not just at set intervals, but whenever I need to re-center.
This journey has made me more conscious of the indwelling presence of God, more attuned to grace, and more open to seeing each day, and each breath, as a divine gift. I find that practicing presence helps me step back and see things with even greater perspective and peace. For me, practicing presence is not simply a morning ritual - it’s becoming a way of being, and I am grateful.
The Holy Communion of Breath
By Ken Tillman
In the beginning
The breath of God
Breathe in, breathe out
Receive God’s Holy Spirit
In this moment
Fully present and open
Breathe in, breathe out
Receive God’s Holy Spirit
Deeply inhaling
Gift of life, of love
Breathe in, breathe out
Receive God’s Holy Spirit
Fully Exhaling
Emptiness, serene peace
Breathe in, breathe out
Receive God’s Holy Spirit
A gift freely given
Again, and again
Breathe in, breath out
Receive God’s Holy Communion
