We’ve all heard the phrase, “Just live in the moment, man.” Sure, it sounds like a good idea; after all, life is made up of moments and who wants to miss out? But sometimes in the hustle and kerfuffle of daily life, the concept of presence becomes an extravagance that most of us busy bees can't afford.

The question becomes, do we really have to forfeit quality for quantity in our daily experiences and personal presence of mind, body and spirit? Answer: Most definitely not!

Founder of the Conscious Living Foundation and teacher, Leonard Jacobson, states in his stunning life guide "Journey into Now":

“When you are in the world of the mind, you are somewhere in the past or future. The one place you are not in in the present moment. So all you have to do is bring yourself fully with something that is in the present moment. You will then emerge from the past and future world of the mind and enter into the world of the now.

"If you can see it, feel it, hear it, taste it, touch it, or smell it, you can be present with it.”

Here are 10 simple actions that are easy to incorporate into your life. Once you practice them — even just once or twice — you will start to observe your existence in a different, more present way without even having to think about it; being in the moment will be second nature. Even the Dalai Lama must lose focus sometimes. Once you have the skill set to return to, falling off the horse will become a matter of getting back on instead of fruitlessly chasing said horse down the freeway.

These focus components can be useful in a smorgasbord of situations — from enjoying your spring break with family and friends, to calming yourself during an anxiety attack, disrupting the doldrums of a monotonous schedule and simply enhancing your every day life.

Touch

Going Barefoot

Weather and surroundings permitting, take off your shoes for a while and let your toes explore the earth's floor. Concentrate on how the earth holds you in perfect balance; feel every pore of your soles as they get a combination of acupressure and freedom of movement along with an entire new world of sensation. Is it cold, hot, dry, soft, rocky? Only your feet can tell!

While you might be shaking your head at my seemingly hippie ideals right now, many studies have discovered the powers of walking barefoot in nature. The research shows what we innately know already: feet were made to be used without shoes, evolutionarily speaking and that shoes actually alter your gait whether you notice it or not. There is even a specific term for the activity of going without shoes, called "earthing." Dr James Oschman describes it as : "...in the simplest terms possible, earthing is simply walking barefoot; grounding your body to the Earth." Basically, when your skin — a very good conductor of energy — connects with the earth, there is a free transfer of healthy negative electrons into your system. Strictly health-wise, earthing experiments have concluded that it provides beneficial changes in heart rate, decreased inflammation, anti-aging benefits and better blood density, amongst many other positive results.

Massage

We all know how good it feels to get a nice back massage from a pal, but have you ever done yourself the favor of a little body rub? You probably have, maybe without even noticing, but here's the thing: when you want to fall into presence with yourself and your body, nobody, not even a trained masseuse, can know exactly what is going to help you the most in the moment, except for you.

It can be as simple as kneading your shoulder muscles out of their knotty stress, giving your hands (yeah, those things that type all your papers, make food and brush your hair but are so often forgotten) the love they deserve or rolling out those strong thigh muscles. All this can be done while waiting for the bus or watching the sun go down.

If you want to really give yourself the royal treatment or if you have a specific ailment, try this acupressure chart for connecting and releasing any areas of stress. It seems hokey-pokey, but I've known it to work wonders.

Connecting with your body immediately brings you into the present moment and reminds you to focus inward whenever necessary. Help your body help you!

Breath

Moving forward into body-mind connection, the breath that enlivens us every day is so often taken for granted. That is, until we get a cold and can no longer breathe through our stuffy schnozes!

Breath is what moves energy through our bodies and fuels our brain power, so why let it sit on the back burner?

Somato Respitory Integration

A tool for finding presence in breath that I have found to be extremely helpful throughout my entire life is a technique in presence and release, developed and practiced by Dr. Donald Epstein. Somato Respitory Integration, or SRI, is a fancy term for integrating our body's energy and breath into one rhythm. It uses focused attention with gentle breath, touch and movement to increase the brain's connection to the body.

Similar to some deep breathing exercises used in yoga practice, SRI goes a few steps further by creating 12 Stages or Rhythms.

Defense physiology tells us that when we experience trauma or pain, our bodies trap it inside as specific tensions of experience that continue to expect the same experiences from life. Although it is logical for a while, it isn't useful in the long run and is extremely ineffective in helping us live in presence!

Dr. Cliff Inkles of the Life Power Wellness Program puts it more eloquently when he explains that "each stage also has a characteristic pattern of breath, movement, and touch, that can help us to reconnect with the natural, internal rhythms of our body…SRI consistently reverses the process of defense physiology, spinal distortions, and disconnection that hinders the expression of life."

Learning about this technique will 100 percent enhance your life skills and experience. To help you get started, here are the basics: place both hands on your chest. Breathe an easy in-nose, out-nose breath into your chest and the palms of your hands resting gently on it. Focus completely on your breath. After a few breaths, transfer to the base of your rib cage for the same amount of breaths. Then move to your stomach, maintaining the same slow, rhythmic breathing and focus. Now try placing one hand on one area, and the other on another, alternating which section you are breathing into on every other breath. Let it bring you into presence.

Feel It

Yoga

If you prefer a more active approach, try yoga. Whether this means a weekly class or simply stretching your muscles when you wake up in the morning, you will feel immensely more energized, present and "in-your-body" if you take two minutes while your water is boiling to do some basic stretches. Watch your breath and remember to always come from wherever you are on that particular day — i.e. don't over do it and find your limits. Tickle them (your limits), but don't push them around!

Here is a basic Sun Salutation that most beginners can accomplish with vigor:

Sound

Singing

This one's pretty basic: sing your heart out! Even if it's in your car on your way to work, turn on your favorite tunes and belt it out! If you play an instrument, get it out and focus completely on how the sound feels emanating from your fingertips or your vocal chords. It doesn't matter whether you "sound good" or not; that is all relative and subjective. Bringing your focus into the lyrics or simply the sound you are making is an ideal way to find presence in your every day schedule.

Sight

Observation

Find something you love in everything that you see. This will not only bring you into presence with the current moment, but it will help encourage wonder in the world around you.

Take a walk in nature, ideally barefoot (!) or in town, and just allow your mind to let your eyes drink in the smallest details; notice how the leaves fall in different patterns from different species of tree, how many bird footprints you can find, what the water looks like when the sky changes and how many pedestrians look you in the eye or don't.

The possibilities are endless, and this can make the monotony of walking to class or work a joy to behold! You'll also have plenty to discuss once you get there.

Hearing

Listening

Let your ears do the work for a while. Close your eyes and find yourself drawn into the world of sound. You could choose to listen to your favorite music, a new soundtrack or simply tune into what's happening around you.

Hear the precision of the voices, children's chuckles and the variety of animal sounds. What are the leaves in your oak tree whispering about now? Can you hear the traffic from four miles away?

Turn your brain into a filtering machine and let your existence pour in.

Thought

Sometimes your mind just won't want to turn off, and that could very well be all of the time. There are many times when the past few techniques in focus have helped bring me into the present, but there have been other times I need to put all that thinking to work.

Writing

Pull out one of those beautiful journals someone gave you for your birthday three years ago and start free-writing. This method of expression can be called "stream-of-consciousness." It can be a major help in getting everything out of your mind and onto the page where it can either be more easily untangled or left there to dissipate.

Read and/or write some haiku; yes, those pesky things you learned about in grade school. The simplicity of the 3-4 line length, and the fact that the 5-7-5 rule doesn't actually exist, make it the ultimate writing and reading meditation. Capture a moment, an emotion, an image or imagine one in short bites by reading it.

However you choose to express your mind's battles, your mind is now more free to absorb your day and focus on what matters: the present!

Drawing

If you consider yourself more a Picasso than a Poe, grab some crayons or pencils, a piece of printer paper and draw without limitations or expectations. I find that, at times, my mind is the most at peace when focused on the brush or pencil. Shading with minuscule, gradient circles can be the most therapeutic thing in the world if done right.

Thought

Is your mind still not cooperating? Connect to the thought, tell it it's loved, thank it for working so hard and let the incessant thought be carried off like a rockstar while letting your inner rule keeper know that the thought is no longer the rule being held true. Replace it with thoughts of love and gratitude.

Gratitude

Ultimately at the base of all presence lies gratitude for your life, your experiences and those in it. While curating your focus to appreciate the small details in your everyday rituals, also allow it to welcome in a thankfulness for the abundance that is always present whether we acknowledge it or not. Have an attitude of gratitude and watch your ordinary turn extraordinary.

Send out gratitude for what you have, and the Universe will say: "OK, you're ready for more abundance! Here you go!"

Presence

As you begin to find your way back into presence, you will notice, appreciate and feel more in tune with your environment. Though it may feel like juggling a million balls at once right now, the more you ask yourself to be present with what is, the easier it will become and the more you will be able to enjoy every aspect of your journey. The key is to not let your past or future drive; they can sit in the corner, and don't ignore them completely, but tell them it's not their turn to be the present moment. That time has passed, or is yet to come, and you are here to be here,now.