Embodied Presence: Coming Home to the Moment

Author: Satyam Veronica Chalmers, Founder Depth-Oriented Coaching.

We live much of our lives somewhere other than here.
The mind spins in loops of overthinking. Rehashing conversations from yesterday or worrying about what tomorrow might bring. Judgment creeps in, toward ourselves and others, pulling us into comparison, criticism, or self-doubt. Distraction becomes second nature, scrolling, planning, staying busy. Even rushing through the day can be its own form of avoidance.

On the surface, these strategies look different. But at their core, they share one thing: they take us out of the present moment. Instead of inhabiting our actual, lived experience, we drift into the past or the future. And often, what follows is a subtle but constant sense of anxiety—like we’re missing our own lives.

Why We Avoid the Moment

It can be easy to label these patterns as flaws or weaknesses. But from a deeper lens, they are protections.
The mind moves quickly, judges, or distracts us because it is trying to keep us safe. Slowing down enough to feel what is truly here - uncertainty, vulnerability, longing, grief - can feel overwhelming. Avoidance is a shield against discomfort.

The irony is that while these protective strategies keep us from feeling what is present, they also keep us from fully living. When we spend our days in thought loops or constant busyness, life begins to feel flat. We go through the motions - work, relationships, daily routines - but with a vague sense of disconnection, as if something essential is missing.

The Cost of Disconnection

This disconnection is subtle. You may feel it as a dull restlessness, or the sense that life is passing by without you quite touching it. Achievements don’t land. Relationships feel thinner. Even moments of joy can slip past unregistered, because the mind is already on to the next thing.

Without presence, life becomes something we “think about” rather than actually inhabit. We can accomplish, perform, and appear fine on the outside, yet inside feel oddly absent from our own experience.

Embodied Presence: Another Way

Embodied presence is the practice of returning home to now. It is not about stopping thoughts or forcing calm, it’s about noticing the ways we habitually escape the moment, and gently coming back to what’s here.

When we let ourselves feel what arises - in the body, in the breath, in sensation - we touch the reality of our lives directly. This doesn’t always feel easy. But it feels true, grounding, and alive. From here, joy can be savored, connection can be felt, and even pain can be met with compassion.

Presence is where life is happening. Every time we slow down enough to notice—this breath, this step, this sound—we reclaim the possibility of truly living.

To support you in reconnecting with presence, I’ve included a guided body scan mindfulness practice. This short practice invites you to gently bring awareness through your body, noticing sensations as they are. It’s a simple yet powerful way to step out of the busy mind and return to what is real and alive right now. You can listen to it below as a way to practice embodied presence—noticing, feeling, and inhabiting the moment.

About the Author: Satyam Veronica Chalmers is the founder of Depth-Oriented Coaching, where she coaches, trains and mentors coaches to work with presence, mindfulness, somatics, and parts-informed approaches. With over 25 years of experience, she is passionate about supporting coaches to slow down, attune to what’s emerging, and hold transformational space with depth and integrity. Through her programs and writing, she invites coaches to reconnect with themselves and discover the kind of presence that truly supports change.