Written by Jen Liu

“The moment we realize we are distracted is a win, not a fail. It's like doing a mental push-up in that the movement is twofold: we have to lower ourselves in order to build the muscle of coming back up. In meditation, catching the mind straying is the first step in practicing coming back.”

Aside from our naturally discursive minds, it is inevitable that we will occasionally face sensory distractions in meditation like sleepiness, a growling stomach, or unwelcome stimuli from our environment. Rather than allowing these to become obstacles to our meditation experience, how can we work with them instead?

First, it's important to acknowledge that we have some power over the conditions under which we approach our practice. If we plan on having a long meditation session early tomorrow morning, it might be a good idea to plan on getting a good night's sleep rather than staying up late. If our space has become cluttered and visually distracting during meditation, it would be skillful to take time to tidy up and prepare the space before our session.

But for those situations where we may not find ourselves under ideal circumstances and are still committed to practicing, we can experiment with trying to be aware of our breath while simultaneously experiencing distracting sensations. Can we be hungry, sleepy, or hear the neighbor's car alarm blaring repeatedly — and still manage to find our breath?

The moment we realize we are distracted is a win, not a fail. It's like doing a mental push-up in that the movement is twofold: we have to lower ourselves in order to build the muscle of coming back up. In meditation, catching the mind straying is the first step in practicing coming back.

In this way, our distractions are not our enemies; they are valuable opportunities to practice. To meditate without the mind straying would be like trying to do a push-up without first lowering into a position from which to return. Each time we return, we are building strength and resilience that would have been impossible to cultivate without some type of challenge.

What distractions do you typically face during your meditation sessions? How might you learn to befriend them?