Meditation is Boring - 9 Tips for Working with Boredom
As a beginner to meditation, sitting in silence and focusing on your breath for thirty minutes hardly seems exciting or interesting. I know how boring meditation can be, especially when we first begin meditating. I also know boredom has something to teach us, and subsides over time with consistent practice.
Why Meditation Can Feel Boring
Meditation can feel boring for many reasons. We want to simply label something as boring, but there is often more to the story. In the next section on working with boredom, I’ll discuss investigating the experience more and how to actually do so. But for now, here are a few factors that may contribute to boredom in meditation.
Lack of Stimulation
This is perhaps the most obvious of reasons we may experience boredom in meditation. Life is stimulating. Studies show our attention spans are getting shorter. I won’t go into all of the theorized reasons for this, but suffice it to say daily life moves fairly rapidly when compared to meditation. When we take away the stimulation we experience in daily life, meditation can seem comparatively boring or even hard at first.
Restlessness
In meditation, restlessness can arise in many different ways. We might have anxious thoughts, feel physical restlessness in the body, and/or experience boredom. Essentially, the brain is looking for stimulation or engagement, and when it can’t find it, it grows restless. It’s often coupled with dissatisfaction or a craving for entertainment. This restlessness of wanting to find something to entertain ourselves often plays a role in the experience of boredom in meditation.
Resistance
Any resistance to the present-time experience may arise as boredom. It may be resistance to the lack of stimulation, or it can be resistance to any discomfort. What happens here is a discomfort arises, and the mind responds with aversion. As it pulls away and stops engaging, it becomes bored. The stimulus that is present is unpleasant, so the mind ignores it and instead feels boredom.
Expectations
Watching your expectations is a solid tip for beginner meditators. When expectations don’t match with our experience in reality, boredom can arise in that gap. What’s happening is that we’re expecting some strong spiritual, psychological, or emotional experience. When we don’t have such a strong experience, the mind finds it comparatively boring.
Lack of Attention
This isn’t a dig at you or your practice, just a reality in general. Often, dull awareness can lead to boredom. I’ll talk more about this below in the section on working with boredom. For now, what’s worth understanding is that when our attention or awareness is dull, boredom may arise. This is because we are not looking deeply at experience, and instead stay on the surface which can eventually become boring.
Tiredness
This may seem rather obvious, but is worth mentioning. Tiredness can certainly increase boredom in meditation. The tired mind is often dull, leading to an experience of boredom. We can sometimes help the boredom by simply practicing in a way that is energizing and alert.
How to Work with Boredom
So, how do you actually work with boredom? Or how do you make meditation less boring? I have a few tips here, and in the following sections I’ll cover when boredom might actually be a good sign, and how to progress in your practice.
Investigate the Boredom
Like any experience, the mindful response is to recognize it first. Note that boredom is present. If it sticks around, investigate it! Can you identify any causes or factors that may be feeding it? What does it feel like in the body and in the mind? Can you feel the feeling tone of the experience?
You have the ability to gain some insight in these moments of boredom. You might grow to understand it more clearly, recognize the impermanent nature of the emotion, or simply grow less reactive. You can think of turning toward the boredom rather than away from it. Make it a part of your practice rather than an obstacle.
Dive Into Something
This is related to a lack of attention. I truly find that almost anything is interesting if we look closely enough. Where the breath seems boring at first, it’s often because we’re not diving deeply enough into it. Can you be with the breath from the beginning of the exhale all the way through the exhale? Notice the pause between the in and out, the slight stutters in the breath, and how each breath is different.
I do understand how the breath can be boring. I also remember when the breath felt boring every time I meditated with it. But I also know that when we dive more deeply into something, we see boredom pass. It doesn’t have to be the breath (more on this in a moment). But whatever you are working with in your meditation, see if you can investigate it a little bit more deeply.
Try a Different Practice
There are many different techniques and practices. Don’t get stuck doing just one if itsn’t working for you. You might feel bored of one practice, but another practice might spark some interest. Try different practices and keep it interesting. This definitely can only take you so far, as you will eventually have to stick with a practice, but is a good way to work with boredom at the beginning of your practice.
I talk about this more in and episode of my podcast called Building a Complete Practice. We really should eventually incorporate different practices to have a well-rounded practice, so go ahead and investigate different qualities you can cultivate. You can listen to the podcast episode here to learn more.
Shorten the Session
There’s a common misconception that we need to meditate for a certain amount of time for it to really count. There’s no amount of time you need to meditate. If you’re meditating for thirty minutes, try shortening it to twenty or fifteen. If you’re trying fifteen but it feels too boring, switch to just five minutes.
As I cover in my post For How Long Should Beginners Meditate?, research has found as little as five minutes can be useful. Shorter sessions can actually be helpful, making it easier to build a regular habit. And we can build a strong foundation of mindfulness, concentration, and compassion before we lengthen the sitting period.
Do Walking Meditation
You likely think of sitting still when you think of meditation, but there are many ways to practice moving meditation. One of the most traditional ways we do this is through walking meditation, and it’s a great practice for moments of boredom. Sometimes the restlessness and discomfort of sitting meditation can make the boredom much worse.
We can do many different practices with walking meditation. You can do a loving-kindness practice, concentration practice, or mindfulness practice. It often can help to stimulate the mind a bit more when the boredom becomes overwhelming. For more on walking meditation, check out my post Walking Meditation: Instructions, Benefits, and Practices for Beginners.
Be Uncomfortable
I know this may seem snarky or cold. But this is probably my most honest tip on this list. Just be uncomfortable! Often, the discomfort is worse when we resist it. Be uncomfortable, and stop trying to change it. This is the advice I would give my students first and foremost. We can be uncomfortable and utilize some of the other practices on this list.
A fair amount of “problems” in meditation may be met with the advice to just allow it to be there actually. The Buddhist teaching of the two arrows covers this well. It is often our reactions, not the actual discomfort that causes the suffering. Make space for the boredom. By starting here, we are able to tend to it without as much resistence.
Practice Loving-Kindness
One way we can dramatically change our relationship to experience, including discomfort or boredom, is through practice of loving-kindness. There are many benefits of loving-kindness practice. One of these is a decrease in reactivity and better emotional processing. We’re able to be with the discomforts (such as boredom) without such strong reactions.
You can incorporate loving-kindness into your mindfulness practice, but I also recommend dedicating some space to loving-kindness meditation. With practice, we cultivate an ability to respond more gently to the mental objects like mental states and thoughts. You can learn more about loving-kindness and how to practice at my page Loving-Kindness: Origins, Benefits, and How to Practice.
Follow Curiosity
This goes with the tips to try a different practice and to dive in more deeply. Specifically here, I want to encourage some introspection and investigation. What sparks your curiosity? This is one of my tips for meditating with ADHD as well. Following our curiosity can be an incredible way to really dive into practice. It’s amazing what genuine interest can do to support us.
You might ask if anything has grabbed your attention. Maybe it’s getting to know the breath, self-compassion practice, or mindfulness of the thinking mind. Consider (outside meditation) what draws you in. What do you want to understand more clearly, or at least observe more closely?
Use Guidance
For many people, boredom is worse with silent meditation. Guided meditation can be of use here, as it can help keep the mind on track. It also can help give structure to the meditation, so you know exactly what to do. I’ve written about the pros and cons in my post Guided Meditation vs. Silent Meditation: Which is Right for You?
I think guidance can be especially useful for those prone to boredom. Some teachers leave a lot of silence, while others only have a few minutes of silence here and there. You can find the practice that works for you and supports your practice best. For some guidance for beginners, you can check out my Mindfulness for Beginners playlist on Youtube, or my playlist of 10 Minute Guided Meditations.
When Boredom Might Be Wholesome
In the Tibetan tradition, the teacher Chogyam Trungpa had a lovely teaching on hot and cold boredom. Now, Chogyam Trungpa had his share of controversy, but for this moment I’m going to put that aside and focus on this teaching. Although I find some of his behavior intensely problematic and harmful, it’s a useful, unique, and interesting perspective on working with boredom.
Hot boredom, as he describes it, is generally what we are talking about in this post. It can arise as restlessness, irritation, and the urge to escape the experience. He teaches it comes from a craving for stimulation, which may be at the sense-doors, in the form of meditation progress, or some distraction. It leads to doubt and stagnation.
When we endure the hot boredom, we can arrive to what he calls cold boredom. He describes hot boredom as being locked in a padded cell, and cold boredom as a mountain stream where nothing needs to happen. It’s more peaceful and relaxing, without mental activity. Cool boredom arises in deeper states of meditation and concentration, and actually can be quite pleasant.
This teaching is useful because it helps us differentiate between different types of boredom, and he teaches how to move from one to the other. The core teaching here is that patience, when cultivated consistently, will transform the irritation into spaciousness and equanimity. The boredom actually becomes a support for practice rather than an obstacle, as it’s effects include ease and relaxation rather than irritation and craving.
Progress with Boredom
I think it is crucial to note that boredom, much like other difficulties we experience in (or out of) meditation, take patience and consistency. We aren’t going to transform our experience in one moment or one sit. The path of mindfulness and meditation is generally one of gradual awakening in my opinion.
One of the best things we can do to transform our relationship with something like boredom is to practice regularly. Research shows that meditating more frequently is more important than meditating for long periods when it comes to positive effects and building a habit. Consistency really is key. I cover this research in my post How Often Should You Meditate as a Beginner?
For some tips on building a regular practice, I recommend reading my post How to Start a Daily Meditation Practice: Tips and Guidance for Beginners. I really believe in the power of regular practice. I’ve seen it in my own life, and in the lives of my students. Even five minutes a day regularly can make a huge difference.
The last resource I’ll offer for those new to meditation is my page Mindfulness for Beginners: A Guide to Getting Started with Meditation. You’ll find an explanation of mindfulness, the benefits of practice, common struggles and beginner questions, myths, and how to get going with your practice!
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