The Paradox of Mindfulness: How Striving for Presence Creates Distance from It

Summary

This article explores the paradox of mindfulness: the very effort to "be present" often creates resistance and distance from genuine presence. It examines how the desire for presence can become a subtle form of striving, turning awareness into another goal to achieve. The piece argues that true presence arises not from effort but from relaxing the attempt to control experience, and that the search itself can be the very thing blocking what we seek.