Mindful detachment.

For a long time, I thought mindfulness was something I had to do in order to live fully and be happy. It felt like a task on a to-do list:
Be present. Notice the breath. Feel your feet on the ground.

I followed the steps, but underneath it all, I was still clinging to this idea that I had to experience life deeply and on purpose. Like it was my job to make each moment meaningful. And that it was this striving “I”, who had to make it all happen.

Mindfulness really landed for me after spending months with Buddhist nuns and monks. Their way of being just felt lighter. Like they weren’t trying so hard to be mindful. One day I heard: Mindfulness isn’t about grabbing onto every moment and thinking, “I’m feeling this,” or “I’m going through that.” It’s more like watching a movie without needing to direct every scene.

They called it the decentralisation of experience. Basically, loosening the grip on the “me” at the centre of everything. Life doesn’t get any less vivid, it just comes with less pressure. Less need to manage it, narrate it, or make it personal. You stop being the main character, and start being the space the story unfolds.

That’s when the shift came for me.

I stopped trying SO hard to be present and just started noticing what was already there. Sounds. Light. Breath. Thought. Not my breath, just breath. Not my thoughts, just thinking happening. It was only the beginning but at least I was on the path that already felt true to me.

If you haven’t tried this, I invite you to. Watch. Listen. Feel. Without turning every experience into a “me” movie. It brought a kind of freedom and a lot more joy into my life. Maybe it will do the same for you.

Mindfully,
Jo x

This blog entry is an extended version of my Instagram post from June 2025.
Check: @mindfully_with_jo