21/08/2025
Listening is Presence
In a world full of distractions, deep listening is rare and transformative.
Neuroscience tells us that subvocalisation which is the tiny, often unnoticed movements of our tongue, jaw, and throat when we think, keeps our mental chatter alive.
Somatic practices like softening the eyes, the jaw, and the tongue can quieten subvocalisation, slow down thought, and open the doorway to deeper presence. We can also deepen our breathing and slow our breathing cycles so to relax the body and in turn relax the thinking processes.
When we understand the nature of thought, that it naturally arises and passes away, we see that beneath the mental noise, the chatter, our natural state is already presence.
And here’s the thing:
When we are truly listening with all of our attention, we cannot be thinking at the same time. Deep listening is presence.
Notice how your listening changes depending on who’s speaking.
When someone you deeply respect is in front of you, you might lean in, fully focused with all of your energy into what they are sharing.
When you’re less engaged, you drift into your own mind, your stream of thoughts, maybe into some distractions -checking an email, the phone, losing connection, and drift in and out of the conversation.
Have you noticed this variability, how you have your own range of listening depending on who it is and how present you are?
So here’s an invitation:
Who would you give your very best listening to, hanging onto every word, can you name them, if they were in front of you now? Not wanting to miss a word.
Now, bring that same quality of listening, your best listening, to your next conversation, without your agenda, let thoughts arise and pass, and keep returning to the person in front of you. Fully present, fully engaged.
When you do this, the connection deepens. Your attention sharpens. Trust grows.
Whether in the boardroom or at the dinner table, deep listening transforms every interaction, because when you bring your best listening, you are fully present.
And presence changes everything.
Know that you get to choose what type of listening you bring to every interaction. On the path to mastery, an understanding of how the mind works will naturally bring deeper presence, this can be supported by somatic practices and your conscious choice of how you listen.
I weave an understanding of the mind, neuro science and somatic practices into my work and coaching to become the best listener I can be in every moment. Are you ready to bring yours?
