Learning to Pause Before Reacting
Based in Southern California, Mike Geluz balances a dynamic career as a real estate group leader with a deep commitment to personal grounding and intentional living. As a dedicated practitioner of mindfulness, he actively integrates the principles of choosing presence into both his fast-paced professional life and his personal journey. His experience reflects the profound impact that cultivating a quiet center can have on navigating a demanding modern world.
“As long as you’re doing it every day consistently, you can bring in the stillness.”
In a short testimonial about Choosing Presence and the Practice of Presence, Mike Geluz reflects on a simple but life-changing shift: learning to pause before reacting.
Mike describes how, before beginning the practice, he often felt the pressure many of us know well—the feeling that every situation requires an immediate answer, response, or reaction. But through the class, the readings, and the daily practice of presence, he began to experience something different. Instead of reacting automatically, he began learning to breathe, pause, and return to stillness.
What stands out most in Mike’s testimony is that this calm did not arrive all at once. It came through repetition. Presence became less of an idea and more of an exercise—something practiced again and again throughout the day. Mike mentions using ordinary moments, like getting in and out of the car, as reminders to return to the present moment.
For Mike, the Practice of Presence has become a way of returning to peace in the middle of daily life. He describes asking himself whether he is present in the moment, whether he has a sense of calm or peace, and noticing how those questions begin to lead him inward. Over time, the practice opens into what he calls a “deep peace”—something that affects not just one moment, but every part of life.
Mike’s testimonial is a reminder that presence is not complicated. It begins with a breath, a pause, and the willingness to practice again.
