Presence

by Amy Cuddy

In March and April we will be reading Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy. Amy is a Harvard Business School professor and social psychologist who studies how nonverbal behavior and snap judgments influence people. She conducted fascinating experiments on how our body positioning affects our mental state, and explored other factors that can help us feel present, authentic and powerful.

Amy Cuddy writes: “Presence emerges when we feel personally powerful, which allows us to be acutely attuned to our most sincere selves. In this psychological state, we are able to maintain presence even in the very stressful situations that typically make us feel distracted and powerless. When we feel present, our speech, facial expressions, postures, and movements align. They synchronize and focus. And that internal convergence, that harmony, is palpable and resonant—because it’s real. It’s what makes us compelling. We are no longer fighting ourselves; we are being ourselves. Our search for presence isn’t about finding charisma or extraversion or carefully managing the impression we’re making on other people. It’s about the honest, powerful connection that we create internally, with ourselves.”

I chose this book because I believe that cultivating the sense of presence is fundamental for yoga teachers, yoga therapists and anybody who practices healing modalities. A huge part of our work is creating a safe space and holding that space for our students and clients, and it’s impossible to do that if we are not present. Amy Cuddy writes: “It seems that when you become present, you allow others to be present.” And that makes your clients feel seen and heard, and allows them to get in touch with their own personal power.

This book is full of personal experiences, stories and interesting studies that teach us how to use simple techniques to connect with our authentic selves, liberate ourselves from fear in high-pressure moments, perform at our best, and empower others to do the same.