Practice
The Future is Present: Why Being in the Now is the Future
Picture yourself in a world where AI handles every mundane task. No more boring meetings, fighting traffic, or wrestling with, well, most things.
Sounds like paradise, right?
But in this automated paradise, the most valuable human skill won't be strategic thinking, technical know-how, or even emotional intelligence. It will be something far more fundamental:
Presence.
A World Where Presence is Your Superpower
Let's talk about coherence – not just as a buzzword, but as a fundamental principle of evolution. Coherent systems adapt to increasing complexity with remarkable efficiency. Think of an orchestra playing in perfect harmony, or a school of fish moving as one. This coherence isn't just beautiful, it's evolutionary genius.
Recent neuroscience* reveals that when you're fully present, your Default Mode Network – the part of your brain associated with mind-wandering and self-referential thinking – becomes less active. This allows your entire system to operate in heightened coherence.
Your brain waves synchronize.
Your heart rate variability optimizes.
Your innate intelligence awakens.
Ever had those moments where everything just flows? Where you're "on fire" and can't explain why? That's coherence in action, and it stems from presence.
As automation and artificial intelligence reshape our world, presence becomes increasingly precious. Think about it: when machines handle all practical tasks, what remains?
The pure experience of being alive
The quality of our attention
Our capacity for deep connection
The future is for those who master the now.
The Secret to Being Future-Proof
Presence isn’t just about enjoying life—it’s the key to navigating complexity. In a world of extraordinary change, presence helps us stay grounded, move through chaos with wisdom, and make clear decisions in complex times.
The best way to prepare for the future isn’t to obsess over it—it’s to embrace the present.
Because in the future, presence—not productivity—is your superpower.
The Practice of Presence
Every shift into deeper presence begins with a single conscious breath. The beauty of this practice lies in its natural progression, moving from obvious physical sensations to increasingly subtle awareness. Here's how to develop this essential capacity:
First Tier: Breath as Anchor
The breath serves as our most reliable gateway to presence (something I teach in depth in the Ethr platform). Simply notice your breath moving in and out without trying to change it. Feel the physical sensations - the air moving through your nostrils, your chest expanding and contracting, your belly rising and falling.
When your mind wanders
Return to breath
Begin again
This fundamental practice builds the muscle of attention.
Second Tier: Embodied Awareness
As breath awareness becomes more natural, expand your attention to include your entire body. Feel the weight of your body against the chair or floor. Notice the sensations in your hands, feet, face. Let the breath continue as a gentle anchor while you explore this broader field of physical awareness. Your body becomes a living map of present-moment experience.
Third Tier: Inner-Body Awareness
Now we enter subtler territory. While maintaining awareness of breath and physical sensations, tune into what Eckhart Tolle calls the "inner energy field" - the subtle sense of aliveness or presence within your body.
Feel the tingling
Notice the vibration
Become the awareness
This awareness connects you to a deeper dimension of presence beyond mere physical sensation.
[Watch Tolle's Inner-Body Awareness Practice for a guided exploration]
Beyond Survival to Thrival
Being present isn't just about feeling good – it's about optimal functioning. Research shows that presence accelerates learning, enhances decision-making, deepens relationships, improves immune function, and even slows aging*.
In a world of increasing complexity and change:
Presence becomes our compass.
Awareness becomes our shield.
Consciousness becomes our guide.
When we're fully present, we access what neuroscientists call the "direct experience network," allowing us to perceive reality more clearly and generate novel insights. It's how we navigate chaos while maintaining our center, how we build futures from a foundation of wisdom rather than reactivity.
In the Future, Presence is Power
As we ride this tsunami of change, presence isn’t just another skill—it’s the meta-skill that enhances all others. It’s how we maintain our humanity in an increasingly artificial world, how we access our deepest wisdom when we need it most.
This is how we thrive in the age of AI.
The greatest skill of tomorrow isn’t prediction. It’s presence.
Start with your next breath. It’s always available.
Always free.
Always now.
Who is Leo Marrs?
