One-Minute Practice: Presence Over Productivity

Of course we want to be productive! But our current world prizes productivity so much that we often contract our focus and become disconnected from everything but work.

When I write “presence over productivity,” I am aware that putting something over something else continues the paradigm of “this is better than that.” And really, we want both presence and productivity. How can we bring both doing and being into balance?

One way is to briefly, even for just one minute, prioritize being present to wholeness over being productive in your current task.

Try this:

Allow your thoughts to slow down as you connect with your sensations. Allow full and easy breathing, sensing the movement of your breath supporting your torso and opening up into your full width. Let your arms float up and send some imaginary light out your fingers into your room, or beyond your room. If you like, invite an open-heartedness to help you widen from your center and let your arms float down.

Notice your depth, from front to back. The volume of your torso, the volume of your head. Allow this three-dimensionality to open up your awareness further. Notice the space behind you, to the sides as well as space in front of you.

Notice your feet and press gently into the floor, feeling the way the muscles of the legs enliven. With a gentle intention to open up more space internally, press your palms together and notice how that enlivens your arms and torso. With the intention of doing this gentle pressing with easy, open and mobile joints, you may notice that rather than contract into yourself you are experiencing an opening and enlivening quality.

Let the pressing go and just a few seconds, let your eyes softly rest on something in your space or out a window that is beautiful. Let your gaze include the periphery and allow the muscles of your eyes to ease.

As you bring your eyes back to the screen, allow a sensitive awareness to circle around again from your feet, to legs, to torso and breath, to head floating on top of your spine to your soft eyes.

What if you could include qualities of sensory awareness and spaciousness in your productive work? This takes practice. Rather than habitually narrowing your focus and contracting your muscles and breath, can you sometimes gently play with this expanded awareness?