The sense of feeling the present still resides in me.

What we normally focus on is our self. It is all about 'I' or 'me'.  Feeling the space shifts our attention to the realm beyond 'me'.  If we divide the world into two parts: me and the space outside me, we now have a very intimate friend -- the space around us.  We are so closely interacting with this dear friend at every moment that we do not realized the relationship is existing.  When we stretch an arm, the air around the arm is shifted, the space around the arm is changed.  With each of our movement, we arbitrarily change the space around us at our own will and never consider the impact to the space. Or maybe we believe there is nothing to impact. 

Think about swimming.  When we are in water, water becomes our friend.  Every stroke we push, the water moves us forward. Waves are generated. Sounds are created.  Energy is exchanged.  Swimmers coming in with different attitude actually transform their inner thoughts into different types of strokes during swimming without realizing it.  The water is disturbed in its unique way with each swimmer. 

This phenomena with water shall apply to the air or the space around us.  Each movement of us is a stamp of our inner thoughts at that moment and it is recorded by the memory of the air.  I come to understand why a meditation teach once told us that when we sit there meditate for days, it is an act of great compassion.  During meditation, we barely move, which provoke the least disturbance to the space(air).  We are making peaceful relationship with our dear friend -- space. it is a good karma in its own.

I feel the air touching my skin. I feel the space being pushing out during inhalation. I feel the maneuver of the fabrics of my clothes.  They are all my intimate friends now.  When they are happy around me, I am happy.