The Value of Presence
We hear the word “presence” often – in meditation circles, in mindfulness apps, in self-help books. Yet for many, presence is treated as a technique, something to reach for or manufacture.
But presence is not a practice. Presence is what remains when practice dissolves.
Most meditation is still busy. Minds try to watch thoughts, bodies try to follow the breath, attention chases techniques. Presence is the opposite: a falling away of effort. The field itself does the holding.
Why is this so valuable?
Because presence is the one place where distortion cannot hide. It does not argue, it does not soothe, it does not instruct. It simply reveals. In presence, the body unwinds without us “working” on it. Emotions move without drama. Identity loosens its grip.
And this changes everything. Decisions clarify. Relationships simplify. What matters stands out, unclouded by noise.
Presence is not rare. It is not only for monks or mystics. It is the most natural thing of all – to rest as what you are, without addition.
This is why we sit. Not to become present, but to stop leaving it.