Presence

Source teaching · Alex Julian, 2024

The original lesson

Along with focus and discernment, presence is one of the main pillars of yoga. It is one of the most fundamental teachings — live fully in the present moment. Unfortunately, most people are only partially there for their own lives! This is a simplified example, but let’s say a person is thinking about the past 20% of the time, thinking about the future 20% of the time, and spending 20% of their time on social media. Let’s say that another 20% of their awareness is entangled in various attachments like drinking alcohol, smoking, sports betting, and similar things. This means that they are only 20% there for their own life!

Think about how good a driver you would be if you only had 20% vision. Think about how much information you would retain from studying if you were only 20% there. Again, this is a simplified example with somewhat arbitrary numbers, but the point is that most people are only partially there in life. This is why presence is so powerful and so important. It allows you to be 100% there and get the most out of life.

To do great things, you need to be 100% there. To fully enjoy life, you want to be 100% there. There is a time and place for everything just mentioned — reminiscing about the past, thinking about the future, connecting on social media, and even enjoying some drinks if that is your thing. However, the time is not all the time. Whatever you are doing in the present moment is the thing you should be thinking about. As Ram Dass once said, if you decide to drink, drink! Don’t sit there, ruining the experience by worrying and doubting yourself — thinking about everything except the drink. If you decide to have a drink, enjoy the drink. Be present. When you are working with AI, work with AI. Be present.

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