Practice Presence

This is a little long weekend post on “Practicing Presence” and my own journey with it. 

Focus and presence have become things I truly value—not just in my personal life, but also as a startup founder. But getting here wasn’t straightforward. It was a long, often painful road.

For as long as I can remember, my mind felt like it was always in overdrive—filled with anxiety, racing thoughts, and a constant struggle to stay present. Learning to slow down and be here, in the moment, didn’t come naturally. It took time, mistakes, and a lot of inner work before I began to understand what focus and presence really mean.

Things came to a tipping point in 2007, when I was living and working in Sunnyvale in the South Bay. I was struggling—both at work and in my personal life. Having grown up in India, I had heard of Yogananda, but it was only in 2007 that I finally read the Autobiography of a Yogi. That book profoundly shifted my perspective on mindfulness and opened a door I didn’t even realize I had been searching for.

I learnt meditation on my own and started practicing in 2007 and in 2008 also added Pranayama to that practice. 

Later I discovered Yoga asanas at the San Carlos Health Center. I fell in love with the Hot26 sequence. I realized that the true essence of practicing asanas lies here: when you focus on your physical posture and pause, you build the foundation to focus on your mental posture and pause your mind.

In 2020 I also did my first Art of Living class with Rathi Murthy and Watson. The long kriya in Rathi’s class was the most effective pranayam exercise I had ever done! 

At Qwiklabs, Enis Konuk had a mantra written on our whiteboard that was not erased: "Startups don’t starve; they drown." Those words have always stayed with me. As a startup founder, I’ve learned that achieving focus isn’t optional—it’s survival. And the only way to cultivate that focus is by practicing presence, every single day, in every single moment.

“Practicing presence is a workout for the mind, just as cardio is for the heart." I am convinced that if you want to build anything meaningful, a company, team, or a good family you will have to cultivate the trait of being present. 

A few years back I made a Pecha Kucha style presentation at Credibl listing all the practices I follow - you can find it here:

Jitesh-PechaKucha-11042022.pdf

Download PDF • 939KB

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Here is the list of practices:

• Daily 20 minute Meditation.

• Sam Harris’s “Waking Up” app. 

• Hot26 sequence Yoga.

• Writing a journal everyday. 

• Practicing being silent for 1 day on a weekend.

Whenever I feel anxious or lacking clarity, I know I’ve fallen off the bandwagon—and it’s time to get back to my practice of Being Present. The key insight for me has been this: with consistent practice, you can truly make a meaningful change .

Next on my list is a Vipassana retreat. I have also attached two pictures which I took on my way back after an early morning long meditation session in Sausolito in 2020.