Falling Asleep During Meditation? 5 Tips to Quickly Stay Focused and Energised.

"Sloth-and-torpor" is the third of the Five Hindrances to successfully meditating and cultivating concentration.

Do you find yourself getting drowsy or falling asleep when you are trying to meditate?  Unfortunately this affects many people.  In this brief teaching, we will review the value of meditating with purpose and how to address the common complaint of "I keep falling asleep when I meditate, what can I do to stay awake?" And what to do if your attempts to stay alert fail.

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INTRODUCTION: MEDITATION VS THE FIVE HINDRANCES

It is beneficial to always remember that meditation is a mind-training exercise.  It's very much like taking your mind to the gym for a workout; and while it's not technically difficult, is a lot of effort, and you should be far too busy meditating to possibly get drowsy (or bored) while doing it.

Yet, most people aren't familiar with that perspective of the practice; and instead, they are instructed to "just be" or to just "let it go."  Unfortunately for many, that is a recipe for boredom, and eventually, for drowsiness. So when you find yourself feeling bored or sleepy, these are signs that you aren't actually "meditating," but rather that you're just sitting still...trying to "just be" and that can become pretty boring and rote, which leads many practitioners toward various degrees of drowsiness while on the cushion.

Meditation is so much more than just trying to be peaceful.  Meditation is intended to be used to prepare the mind, to develop strong mental strength, and to create the foundation for Buddhist enlightenment to take place.  If you are dedicated enough in your practice and exert skilful effort to bear this in mind, it becomes much easier to stay focused and maintain the energy levels required to stick with the object of your meditation, retarding drowsiness and boredom, and make actual progress toward the experience and bliss of proper meditative attainments.

Most people are entirely unaware that by focusing on the breath, that they are practicing a technique (ānāpānasati) that is used to stabilise their attention so that they can start the process of learning and re-enforcing how to develop Concentration (samādhi), as opposed to cultivating relaxation, and that by applying sustained concentration, they will naturally enter into the first of many deep states of consciousness called jhāna (absorption).  But they will not be able to enter into any deep and blissful states of concentration until they can develop their ability to hold the object of their meditation (e.g., the breath) with stability, clarity, and ease; and without possessing unshakeable focus, and the understanding that comes only through knowledge, trying to do this by just sitting with eyes-closed can get pretty boring pretty quickly, and boredom can lead to sloth, torpor, and falling asleep.

However, all is not lost!

Being vigilantly aware of the state of your mind and body will alert you to your pending hindrances.  Practicing and getting good at applying the antidotes that follow will go a long way toward laying the foundation for your spiritual success.

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ANTIDOTES TO THE THIRD HINDRANCE

The purpose of these techniques is to remain strong and continue to meditate!  If we stop meditating every time we experience the challenges presented to us by the Five Hindrances, say to splash water on our face or to take a break, then we will never grow beyond our limitations nor develop our meditative abilities.  The Five Hindrances aren't to be avoided, they are to be overcome!

So, when sloth or dullness come into play, it is critical to have a battle plan on how you will address them before you take your seat on the cushion.  Here are five proven techniques that I suggest adding to your practice:

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