What is the Main Obstacle to Meditation Practices?

When you first began meditating, you certainly will have noticed a lot of obstacles to your meditation practices. Is it the noise in your house? Is it the children running around in the neighborhood? Is it the dogs barking outside? Is is the traffic going by? What is it? What is the main obstacle to meditation practices?

For many people, the main obstacle to meditation practices is the thinking mind. If you practice meditation on a daily basis, you will know that quite often the minute you settle down your mind starts churning.

It starts to think about all the thing you have to do when the meditation session is over.

It thinks about the plans you have for the evening.

It recalls memories that you thought were buried for ten thousand years!

It runs amok with “should haves” and “why didn’t I’s”.

It ranges from family to friends to acquaintances to people you pass on the subway without discrimination.

It thinks quite often, “When is the bell going to ring?”

The mind runs the gamut of emotions as well.

Don’t get me wrong. There are times to think about all these objects of mind, but not during the meditation session! I know from personal experience – they all happen to me! Less frequently now, but the thoughts can be a real obstacle to meditation practices.

The Main Obstacle to Meditation Practices

Check out this article by Bob Sharples from the Wisdom Collection of Tricycle Magazine’s website.

The Monkey Mind Constantly Thinks – BBC Life Series

The biggest hindrance to our meditation is constant intrusive thoughts. This is normal for everyone and from the beginning you should expect it. The nature of our mind is to think, and it is childish to imagine that we can simply turn that process off when we wish to. Our minds have been almost completely out of control for most of our life. Recognizing this can help us to be practical and patient—it may take us some time and a lot of skillful practice to tame the crazy ‘monkey mind‘ [emphasis mine].

Read more here.

How can we stop our restless, ‘monkey mind’? How can we eliminate the Main Obstacle to Meditation Practices?

In my opinion, the best way to stop them is by not trying to stop them! If we make a tremendous effort to stop our ‘intrusive thoughts’, we will wind up tired and frustrated. We will lose our motivation to continue meditation practices.

So what should we do? Simply notice the thought. Acknowledge it is there. And bring your mind back to the object of meditation.

You could also say to yourself, “Hello my ‘monkey mind’. I know you are there! I will take good care of you!”

If this seems difficult, remember that Rafael Nadal did not walk up to the tennis court and be the champion that he is. He spent thousands of hours practicing even before his first tournament.

Meditation is just like any human activity that you want to excel in. You just have to make the commitment to practice. Then you will find peace of mind and an open heart!

What is Your Main Obstacle to Meditation Practices?

So now it is your turn. Do you experience obstacles to your meditation practices? Do you say to yourself, “This is not working!” and stop altogether? Or do you recognize the obstacle and simply return to your practice?

If we allow the obstacle to dissuade us from meditation, we will be loosing all the benefits of meditation.

Let us know in the comment box below what your main obstacle to meditation practices is and we will help you progress.