Obstacles To Yoga and Meditation

It's clear, more than half of us claim to have practiced either yoga, meditation or some form of
relaxation activity - and I would venture to guess that the number is much higher for those of
us who have given these a try.

What I constantly here from people who try the more meditative forms of yoga, such as Raja or
Karma yoga) or try meditation in one of it's more traditional forms, is that they experience
several obstacles or "blockers" that prevent them from truly experiencing the benefits.

Indeed, obstacles to yoga and meditation are real - it's all in how you respond to them.

Here are 3 obstacles you can be expected to experience:

1. Self doubt or lack of confidence. Many people sabotage their yoga experience before they
even start. They cast internal doubt on their ability to not only consistently practice yoga, but
to see any benefit.

To get the most out of yoga and meditation, you must "suspend disbelief". What I mean by
that is, you must enter with an entirely open mind, almost expecting to succeed and feel the
benefit.

2. Falling asleep. When practicing yoga or relaxation, you should not fall asleep. You may aim
for a very deep level of relaxation, but falling asleep will not provide the benefit you are
looking for.

To avoid falling asleep when practicing yoga, keep from performing your yoga asanas or meditation
late at night, when you are most susceptible to falling asleep. Ensure you are wide awake in
the morning, or are practicing at least 1-hour prior to your bedtime for maximum yoga
benefit.

3. The Busy Mind. This was the toughest obstacle to both yoga and meditation for me.
All my life, I have struggled with trying to "turn it off". With the smallest sign of downtime,
my mind races to fill the void by filling it with tons of thoughts.

It wasn't until I took meditative training that I was told to not supress these thoughts but
accept them - have patience and almost sit above the thoughts watching them go by,
creating a certain objectiveness about them. This allowed me to eventually become
disinterested enough during yoga or meditation to slip into the peaceful, relaxed state I
was looking for all along.

You want to enjoy and get maximum benefit from your yoga program, visit yoga and relaxation to let us help.

Jeff