I’ve always been curious about power, what it is and how people use it. I so often hear, and use, the word empowerment, and ask… What does that actually mean? Taking back or reclaiming our power implies that there is something lost, or never acknowledged. What is reclaimed then? At first glance, power means the capacity to gather whatever resources needed to make something happen, so something like Will. To use that power effectively, we must access the foundational and fundamental powers we as human beings have that give us the capacity to use our energy and will for our good and that of others.
One fundamental power we have is the power of our attention. Where we put our attention, we direct our energy. In our era of overstimulation and distraction, ‘passive’ attention is reinforced, one that is not intentional, but is driven by whatever stimulus there might be around. Part of empowerment is the development of the capacity for ‘active’ attention, intentionally directed attention that is freely chosen to guide your energy to what matters to you. Active attention is the power that we have to direct our energy to nourish, create and love according to the need of the moment, rather out of habit, impulse or automatic pilot. Active attention can be trained and developed, and is facilitated by a resilience and coherence in the nervous system. In other words, to develop the power of our attention is to develop our capacity to be fully present.
Presence is power, then, because it is the ground of all other powers. When we learn to be fully present, we are accessing the fullness of our intelligence in all three centers of being – the mind, the heart, and the body, the thinking, feeling and sensing modes of intelligence. From coherent presence blooms effective and appropriate right action, attuned and connected to yourself, others and your environment. Innovation, art and an intimacy that recognizes beauty and truth arise from that attuned interconnectedness and natural belonging. The access to all of our innate powers and brilliance begins with presence, and the active and intentionally directed attention.
The power of practice, intentional and repetitive, to change and heal our nervous system and train our attention is tried and true. The practices of meditation, breath work and body mind modalities, woven into our life, help us to cultivate presence, and in turn, access our own power. The power of our own energy, guided by our intention and attention and aligned with love, creates beauty, value and nourishment, and affects positive change. We are more powerful than we know. What we do matters.