Victor presents four methods for staying present using the metaphor of being carried by a river current. The first three are attention-training techniques:

1. Anchoring to a stable object like breath (grabbing branches to stay in place while the current flows around you),

2. Practicing objectless concentration by letting all experiences pass through without attachment (sitting on the riverbank observing the flow),

3. Mindfully noting each arising experience as it occurs (going with the flow while staying aware of every turn and obstacle).

The fourth method transcends these mechanical approaches through developing insight into the unsubstantial nature of all phenomena. When practitioners realize that nothing can truly be grasped or held onto — that there's nothing concrete enough to carry them away from the present — staying present becomes effortless.

This represents a shift from technique-based practices to a fundamental understanding that there is literally nowhere else to be, making presence a natural result of wisdom rather than effort.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K72jLfdT6h8