got bored of meditation; want to continue!

[salty-J]

I was getting into it, almost daily, usually for 25 minutes.....then the leader at our meditation group went on a retreat, and everything was ok for a couple weeks, with guest leaders on the weekly sits; but one day I had to do something around that time in the day, and didn't go. That week I found I meditatied less often, and this increased until I'd not meditated for over 2 months. I'd remember and practice some mindfulness during the day here and there, but haven't brought myself to sit until a couple days ago. Now I've done 3 10 minute sits, and it hasn't been too bad, but I am afraid anything and everything else is too seductive to my attention, and I will give up again, but it's one of those things I want to do, and don't want to do at the same time. When I have this sort of situation, laziness and impulsivity almost always win. I would like to get back into it again though. Does anyone have any advice that has had issues with becoming bored or losing interest in the practice even though you don't want to? One possible conclusion I've come to is maybe sila comes first, and until I clean house, I will be unable to make much progress?

[PeterB]

There is in the end no tricks or inside wrinkles salty J.
Start and then continue.
When bored. be bored. Boredom is ok and anyway will pass...

[bodom]

While it is true you wont make much progress without sila, you wont be able to cultivate sila without cultivating the mind. The two must be developed together.

[effort]

i read somewhere that when your sitting time comes and you feel dont like to sit, that moments are the very good to sit, and i believe that.

there is always feeling of wanting or disliking of sitting, sometimes even you can not convince yourself to sit a moment, but everybody knows improvements are due to sit in those moments.


ps: i know i sent same thing last night in personal experience!

[Kenshou]

Whenever I feel lazy or for whatever reason just don't particularly feel like it, I tell myself that I'll just sit for 5 minutes, no pressure.

But after a few minutes have passed and I've settled in, it's easy to go for another few minutes, and then another few, and then eventually awhile has passed. When you break it into smaller bits, it really isn't so hard.

I'm kind of an impulsive person, but like this I can trick my own impulsiveness and get more done.

[Guy]

Hi Salty-J,

I just replied to another topic with a similar theme, I think much of what I wrote applies to your situation too:

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=3908&view=unread#p57537

With Metta,

Guy

[salty-J]

Whenever I feel lazy or for whatever reason just don't particularly feel like it, I tell myself that I'll just sit for 5 minutes, no pressure.

But after a few minutes have passed and I've settled in, it's easy to go for another few minutes, and then another few, and then eventually awhile has passed. When you break it into smaller bits, it really isn't so hard.

I'm kind of an impulsive person, but like this I can trick my own impulsiveness and get more done.

I think that's sort of what I've been doing with the little 10 minute sits the past few nights, and I it's worked so far, as far as I have sat the last few nights, so I guess I'll continue in that vein.....

[salty-J]

Hi Salty-J,

I just replied to another topic with a similar theme, I think much of what I wrote applies to your situation too:

http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... ead#p57537

With Metta,

Guy

I think that's good advice, if I could only pick a way to have for a normal way of doing it!