Presence: The Art of Being at Home in Yourself

by Tracy Cochran

In 20 short, gem-like chapters, meditation teacher Tracy Cochran invites us to explore living fully in the present moment as a revolutionary practice.

Tracy’s vibrant essays from her storied life give plenty of encouragement to reframe and dive deep into our own experiences.

Mindfulness offers us a way to be fully in the present moment—and as we start to embrace this practice, we learn that our lives are made of present moments. That gift of presence is the palpable experience of awareness that appears when we remember to be mindful of those moments.

In 20 short chapters, Cochran encourages us to see presence as a living force—and to recognize and explore how that shows up in our lives. She offers riveting and relatable stories from her life—a spiritually transformative wine-making trip in France, a near-death experience while being mugged, managing her feisty child while on a retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh, among many others—and Buddhist teachings to encourage us to see the power of presence to illuminate and transform our past, present, and future.

Cochran's observations and reminiscences are wise and pithy, and she gives us plenty of encouragement to explore and reframe our own experiences.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Buddhism, Mental Health

248 pages, Paperback

Published April 16, 2024

About the author

Tracy Cochran is a writer and meditation teacher. She has taught and led workshops at the Rubin Museum of Art, the Getty Museum, New York Insight Meditation Center, the Jacob Burns Film Center, and at corporations, schools, and medical facilities. She is the founder of the Hudson River Sangha, which meets online and in-person. She also offers one-on-one mindfulness mentoring and teaching.

Podcasts of her teachings can be found on her website, on Insight Timer via the Rubin Museum of Art and on SoundCloud via Parabola Magazine and the Getty Museum.

She is the editorial director of Parabola, an acclaimed quarterly magazine that draws on the world’s cultural and wisdom traditions to explore the questions that all humans share. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Psychology Today, O Magazine, New York Magazine, the Boston Review, and in many book anthologies and podcasts.

Reviews

[Maltaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb melding of spiritual insight and writing that sings on the page. Cochran touches upon myriad aspects of modern life here, from child raising to ghost hunting to seeking ancestors and meditating with Buddhist masters, and with each story gently guides the reader into seeking their own deepest understandings. This book is a welcome path toward personal transformation, lined with stories that will galvanize and inspire. And it's a fun read, full of drama, humor, and wisdom!

[Lindsay Bomstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, soul soothing, insightful, helpful. I did lots of underlining and highlighting. Such an uplifting read.

[Surnaí Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading 'Presence: The Art of Being at Home in Yourself' is like taking a big breath of fresh air. The stories and reflections within it are graciously and gently told, delicately drawing profound meaning from the ordinary details of life. Tracy Cochran expresses herself with such honesty and humility. The personal experiences that she recounts speak to a common, human experience; she shares a vast range of stories and insights, from being broke and confused in her twenties, to fender-benders, spiritual retreats, motherhood... The reader learns each lesson with her. A beautiful book, this collection of essays comforts and reassures, celebrating the wonder to be found in our lives.

[Constance H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories to identify with, that make being present a concrete, achievable state.

[Rosary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love how lively and real these essays are -- not at all your typical spiritual tracts. In fact, it's borderline cinematic at points. Love the ghost story!

[Artemisia Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an experienced journalist and meditation teacher, Cochran understands the value of storytelling to teach, to inspire and to impart wisdom or exemplify the principles she is explaining. In Presence: The Art of Being at Home in Yourself, each chapter centers around one of her own personal experiences as a seeker, world traveler and student of life as she shines the light of awareness on the everyday and even the extraordinary events life can bring. Showing us, rather than just telling us, how accessible a state of presence and immediacy can be in our own lives as well.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

With each passing day in this world , it feels like there is another thing competing for attention. Everything, everybody wants my ears, my eyeballs. This book refills the well. Beautifully written experiences of stillness, simplicity and contentment, rooted in the everyday grit of reality.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not something I would ever read, but I bought it as a present and they like it.

[Lisa November · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good Buddhist nuggets in this one.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually groan at very anecdotal books, but this one broke from the norm. The stories were woven beautifully and led to a meaningful message at the end of every chapter.