Presence Meditation: The Practice of Life Awareness

First developed as a short manual for students in a yearlong meditation course, Presence Meditation offers a step-by-step program for increasing self-awareness through simple but revelatory exercises. The practice of presence meditation involves becoming present to whatever is going on and letting things be just as they are. This awareness is characterized by open attention and neutral observation, which increases the capacity to observe without judging, enables transformation without forcing, and opens the way to a more immediate sense of meaning and joy in life. Author Jens-Erik Risom begins by describing the purpose of meditation and the “four introductions” (rootedness, attention to breathing, fullness of feeling, and witness awareness), and then presents the gradual steps for achieving presence, deepening neutrality, opening to trust, sensing spaciousness, and more.

There are many books about meditation on the market, from Western authors like Eckhart Tolle to Tibetan Buddhist teachers. But many people find it difficult to translate the message of these books into an actual experience of deepening awareness. Whether readers are seeking a spiritual practice, a more serene approach to stressful situations, improved concentration, or greater relaxation for better health, this compact manual offers a simple, undogmatic approach to meditation.

Jens-Erik Risom holds a BA in Oriental medicine and is a certified acupuncturist from the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Beijing. A meditation instructor in Scandinavia and Holland, he lives in Nr. Snede, Denmark.

Foreword contributor Peter A. Levine is the best-selling author of Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma.