A Day Of Presence
How to live like your body matters. By Dr. Becci Grant
In a world obsessed with acceleration, the most radical thing you can do is to slow down. We’ve been conditioned to measure our worth by how much we produce, not how deeply we feel — and in that constant motion we disconnect from the body that holds us, heals us, and whispers when something’s not quite right.
Your body is always speaking, whether it is through fatigue, inflammation, tension, even the way your skin glows or dulls. But presence is the language it understands. When you start living like your body matters, everything changes: digestion, hormones, sleep, mood and even the way your cells repair.
Here’s how a mindful, regenerative day can look when you start living ‘in rhythm’ with yourself, rather than against yourself.
Morning: Ground
Presence starts with how you arrive in your day. Before reaching for your phone, place a hand on your chest and take three conscious breaths: in through your nose, out through your mouth. Feel the body you woke up in.
Sip warm water with lemon or minerals to hydrate and awaken digestion.
Move gently: stretch, walk, or flow through a few rounds of sun salutations. This wakes your lymphatic system, the body’s cleansing network, and signals safety to your nervous system.
When you apply your skincare, do it mindfully: notice the temperature of your palms, the texture of the product, the scent. It’s not just about the skin, it’s a moment of self-connection.
MORNING MANTRA: “I am grounded, hydrated, and here.”
Midday: Flow
As the world speeds up, your challenge is to stay soft.
Eat lunch away from screens, chewing slowly to let your body digest nourishment and not stress. Set small 'breath breaks' two minutes every couple of hours to reset your nervous system.
When your mind starts to drift, try this quick re-grounding ritual: Feel your feet on the floor. Relax your shoulders. Take one long exhale.
If you work in a healing or service role, remember: your energy is your medicine. Honour your boundaries. You cannot pour from a dysregulated body.
MIDDAY MANTRA: “I flow through my day with ease and awareness."
Evening: Restore
Evenings are where you teach your body to rest, not collapse. Dim the lights. Put your phone on airplane mode for an hour before bed. Choose nourishment that soothes rather than stimulates: warm herbal tea, grounding foods, slow breathing.
Create an evening ritual that feels sacred: a magnesium bath, facial massage, journaling or candle meditation. These acts of softness recalibrate your hormones, lower cortisol, and signal to every cell that it's safe to regenerate.
EVENING MANTRA: “I am safe to slow down."
Living like your body matters
Presence isn’t something you do — it’s a relationship you cultivate. It’s found in the pauses, in how you eat, breathe, move, and care for yourself when no one’s watching.
When you live like your body matters, you start to notice that your skin glows differently, your thoughts soften, and your nervous system finds a rhythm of peace that no supplement or serum can replicate.
Healing isn’t a race. It’s a rhythm. And when you honour that rhythm, your entire being, soul, and spirit begins to thrive. The journey back to presence is not about reinventing yourself — it’s about remembering who you were before the world told you to rush.
Every pause, every deep breath, every mindful sip of tea is an act of rebellion against burnout and fragmentation. Your body does not ask for perfection — it asks for partnership. When you learn to listen to its cues, to rest when it’s weary and move when it’s alive, you step into a state of harmony that no external achievement can give you.
This is what it means to live like your body matters:
To trust that softness is power.
That slowing down is not losing time, but reclaiming it.
That healing is not a destination, but a daily devotion.
When we live this way — in rhythm, in reverence, in relationship with ourselves — we don’t just look alive; we become alive.
Om Magazine
First published in November 2009, OM Yoga magazine has become the most popular yoga title in the UK. Available from all major supermarkets, independents and newsstands across the UK. Also available on all digital platforms.
