Embodying Authentic Presence: Practices to Awaken Your True Self

Twenty years ago I had no clue about the meaning of presence. I used to live from a very organized and powerful mind. WILL was the mantra, pushing through life to get where I wanted to be in order to fulfill expectations, mostly my expectations, so that I could feel that I was doing enough, that I was enough, and that I was safe.
In this way of living I was always projected into the future and relating to the way I thought things had to be. In other words, I was completely disconnected from the present moment and from what it was bringing me. There was no presence at all. My body was doing things, but it felt as if nobody was at home.
It took a lot of inner work to discover a completely different way of being.

In a world that constantly pulls us outward into productivity, achievement, and endless doing, returning to ourselves becomes an essential act of inner leadership. Authentic presence is not a concept but an embodied experience. It is a way of inhabiting your body, your truth, and your relationships with clarity, softness, and integrity.

Whether I am working with individuals, couples, or visionary leaders, the invitation is always the same. Slow down. Feel. Return. Embody. This is the place where transformation begins.

My purpose today is to share simple practices that can support you to embody your presence and awaken your true self.

When you embody presence you respond from awareness instead of old survival patterns. You meet yourself without judgment and your nervous system becomes a supportive guide. Authentic presence is not something you think about. It is something you practice and inhabit.

Our body speaks through sensations long before the mind understands. When you allow yourself to feel and to sense you reconnect with the deepest truth of the moment. Sensation is the foundation of somatic work and the doorway to presence.

Take a moment and ask yourself:
What sensations are present right now?
What is my breath doing?
Where is my body tightening, softening, expanding, or holding?
These simple questions begin to shift you out of thinking and into embodied awareness.

Micro practice:
Pause for ten seconds.
Feel your feet.
Let your weight drop.
Notice one sensation without changing it.
This is presence.

The power of the breath

Most people breathe to survive, to get the minimum amount of oxygen to function. Shallow breaths, tight chests and diaphragms, and rushed exhales are the norm. When we become aware that the breath is the bridge between our conscious mind and our deep inner world, and when we breathe with awareness, our nervous system begins to reorganize. Safety increases. Space opens. Presence becomes available.

Try this:
Inhale softly through your nose.
Exhale with a relaxed jaw.
Allow your breath to drop into your belly.
Do this three times.
Notice what shifts.
Small, consistent moments of conscious breathing create stability in your inner landscape.

There is a huge difference between feeling and performing. I was in that trap for so long, shaped by expectations, approval, roles, and success. Embodied presence asks you to notice where you perform and where you hide.
When you stop performing you start feeling.
When you start feeling you start living as yourself.
This is where life becomes honest again.
In my sessions and workshops I guide clients to explore the layers they have armored themselves with. Behind the armor lives truth, vulnerability, power, and freedom.

Authentic presence is a regulated state of being, not a mindset. When your nervous system feels supported, your inner wisdom becomes accessible. When your system is activated or overwhelmed, your patterns take over.
Working somatically means learning to sense your states and meet them with compassion and capacity. This is how you strengthen the inner ground that allows you to lead, love, and express from truth.

When we work with the fascia tissue and we soften it, the body naturally expands into its authentic shape. Emotions come to the surface as memory and old survival strategy. Presence becomes easier because the body is no longer fighting itself.

How to cultivate authentic presence in daily life?

You do not need hours of practice. Presence is built in small moments of awareness.
Feel the ground under your feet when you walk.
Take one conscious breath before speaking.
Place a hand on your heart before making a decision.
Notice when your body contracts and offer it space.
Speak from sensation instead of stories.
Let yourself slow down even when life asks for speed.
These simple practices shift you from autopilot into aliveness.

Embodying authentic presence is a lifelong relationship with yourself. It is choosing to stay connected to your inner world even when life becomes loud. It is listening to your body as your deepest source of truth. It is living from integrity, clarity, and embodied awareness.

When you awaken your true self your relationships shift, your leadership expands, your sexuality deepens, and your life becomes aligned from the inside out.

This is the essence of my work and my personal lifelong journey.
If you feel called to explore this more deeply, I offer private sessions, immersive workshops, and programs designed to support you in living from your truth, your breath, your sensation, and your embodied power.