1. DESIRES: These are troublesome, especially strong sensual desires. Basic needs such as simple food and shelter we can dismiss here; we are talking more about blind grasping where we are so caught up in acquiring pleasurable experiences that we lose our sense of balance. In meditation, thinking about these kinds of things distract us, and if we actually indulge in the quest for sensual desires when not meditating, then when we attempt to meditate, our practice will be disturbed by a restless, ambitious mind, and it will be difficult to go deep.

In life, when we chase after pleasures, pain is many times our reward. We can go to great lengths seeking constant pleasure, all the way to drug addiction, but since pleasure always fades in time, our levels of pleasure must constantly be shored up, and soon the pursuit of pleasure becomes a liability. No pleasure has the power to last forever, although we mistakenly think that it will.

2. ANGER: Anger includes ill will, jealousy, aggravation, frustration, and all the things we normally feel during a hectic day. If we take these feelings with us into meditation, our entire meditation session will result in thinking about how to solve our frustrations. Barring a fundamental change in the way we approach life, however, there is no solution to these frustrations; our approach to life only changes when we understand our thoughts — and meditation begins that process of understanding by observing thoughts.

In life, Anger and ill will can have much more serious consequences, leading all the way to war. Until we learn to deal with our annoyances and anger, the burden of their inflammatory influences will only muddy the waters, and the world will continue to be a dangerous place — not a place of peace where we can safely and comfortably explore our deeper relationships as human beings.

3. SLOTHFULNESS: This one includes tiredness, lethargy, and a general lack of interest. It is one of the most common hindrances to meditation. In the beginning, meditation may be the first opportunity we have had, for a long time, to relax, and since we are all overstressed and overworked, we naturally fall asleep right there sitting on our cushion! In order to overcome this impediment, we need to get the proper amount of sleep and rest, but more importantly, we need to reduce our stress levels. Meditation can help in both areas, as meditation, if done correctly, can be even more restful than sleep, and reduce stress levels significantly as well.

In life, slothfulness can lead to many problems. Without energy, not much can be accomplished; energy is very important in all aspects of life. Successful people have an almost unlimited amount of energy, and energy many times is more important than even intelligence, or a formal education in the long run. Energy helps with positive attitudes that result many times in positive relationships.

4. RESTLESSNESS: Restlessness is a feeling of worry and unsettledness, as if you are not peaceful and contented. Restlessness can be the opposite of slothfulness, where now there is too much undirected energy, or energy that is directed into the wrong areas resulting in moodiness, a feeling of unhappiness with others, and sometimes a general boredom. There is a vague sensation of guilt or not being at ease, and your mind will jump from one thing to another as you attempt to escape these feelings. Again, these negative feelings, along with the associated thoughts that try to find some relief from them, disturb your meditation immensely.

In life, restlessness causes complications. The primary complication is prematurely changing circumstances at the first hint of adversity without giving a situation time to mature and ripen. We can go through life temporarily hitting one high spot after another and never really explore the depths of their immense possibilities.

5. DOUBT: This begins as a little niggle that can develop into huge roadblocks if we continue to feed its negative energy. Doubt can begin as a feeling of uncertainty, followed by thoughts and intellectualizing about what we are doing and why it may be illogical, as we find ourselves standing at a crossroads forever. We can doubt our ability to ever get anywhere in our practice, we can doubt if we are doing it correctly, and we can doubt if the practice will actually produce results. These are all thoughts, and during concentration meditation, all doubt should be looked upon as hindrances.

In life, doubt can be helpful if we doubt and question life itself, for then we become seekers. If, however, doubt manifests as a lack of confidence, in ourselves or our situations, or if we doubt our ability to do well or succeed, then doubt can be counterproductive and actually lead to depression and lack of purpose. Doubt can make us fearful of failure, fearful of success, and fearful of making decisions. Actually, doubt reflects fear in many ways.

All in all, life is no different from meditation. Meditation is merely a condensation of life into concise, manageable settings where one can learn important life lessons without the necessity of acting them out. It’s a short cut if you will, a way to see life in new and creative ways. As a result, even the most ordinary, mundane life will produce metaphysical awakenings all the time. If we can work consciously with these five impediments, both in our meditation practice and in our lives, before we know it both our practice and our life experience will show excellent results.