EXERCISE SHEET: 2-5 sec presence

One of the simplest ways to recognize Presence is the following two-step

exercise:

1. Relax your attention away from thoughts and mental labels for a few
seconds, and
2. In that clear space of mind, recognize what remains: the sense of
presence.

Another way of accessing presence is to Ignore thoughts by simply being

uninterested in what they have to offer you in that moment.

Or, if you can, simply stop thinking altogether for just a second: as thoughts

naturally arise, withdraw your attention immediately from them; tune them out as
you would a conversation at the next table in a restaurant.

In the absence of thoughts—or in the absence of interest in them—you are in a

space of mind that more easily recognizes that there is aliveness present in this
moment: you suddenly notice very consciously that you exist.

You become aware of I-AM; you feel I-Exist.

By relaxing your mind and noticing the presence of I-AM, you shift from
automatic thinking and unconscious being, to conscious noticing of the present
moment and into an effortless awareness of your true Existence.

———

The 2 to 5 seconds Exercise:

Take a deep breath, relax your thoughts and ideas for 2 to 5 seconds, and gently and
joyfully place your attention on the sense of being here, now.

Or simply feel the feeling of I-AM or I-Exist. Repeatedly recognize this sense of I-AM, or
the sense I-Exist, in your direct experience of everyday life. Allow it to naturally become
more genuine, more obvious, more palpable, and more visceral with each repetition.
Naturally. Don’t force anything. Simply let it happen.

Practice this I-Exist recognition throughout the day (at least 12 times per day), for just a
few moments at a time; then continue on with your day until the next moment of
recognition naturally occurs, or is induced by you remembering this homework
assignment.

——

Remember: In the beginning, it’s easier to recognize Presence when you relax than
when you’re trying too hard to “get it.” That’s why the instruction is to relax your
attachment to thoughts for about 2 to 5 seconds before you try to recognize the sense
of Presence.

At some point, you won’t have to intentionally move your attention from thoughts
anymore; you will start noticing that Presence is always available—with or without
thoughts. Presence will become more and more obvious to you over time; it does for
everyone—it’s guaranteed. You can simply let it become truer for you with each gentle
repetition of relaxing your thoughts and opinions about life, and placing your attention
on the pure and innocent space of here-and-now Existence.

You will find that a moment of recognizing Beingness is like discovering the space
behind or beneath your thoughts—much like noticing that there is motionless sky behind
the movement of the clouds. Relaxing your attention away from the thinking mind is like
shifting your focus from the clouds to the clear blue parts of the sky; it allows for easier
recognition of the free presence that remains.
Explanation of the I-Exist Exercise

Placing your attention on the feeling that you exist gives rise to the recognition and
experience of pure Presence-Consciousness. And it allows for Awareness (you) to wake
up from its entanglement with the dream of being a person inside of a world.

In this way, the person you have assumed yourself to be will very quickly wake up
to the recognition of a changeless Presence. Awareness attached to the person
will wake up to its truer Self: Presence-Consciousness.