Meditation is a challenge for most people. If you’re struggling to reach even seven minutes before your mind starts racing, you’re not alone.

While each person’s meditation journey is unique, many practitioners face common obstacles that can disrupt their practice and stall progress. What begins as mere distractions can quickly turn into roadblocks—unless we identify and remedy them.

Here are nine common obstacles in meditation and their solutions.

1. Illness

Illness affects physical stability, making meditation difficult. If the body is unwell, it can be challenging to focus, no matter how strong the mind is. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t meditate when you’re sick—meditation can aid healing—but physical discomfort often limits the depth of practice.

Remedy: Prioritize a balanced diet, regular movement, and quality sleep to maintain physical health and support your meditation practice.

2. Dullness

Dullness is a lack of mental energy—a sluggishness that makes focus difficult. It results in inefficiency, slow comprehension, and reduced clarity. Meditation requires a sharp and alert mind, and dullness can make progress feel impossible.

Remedy: Similar to physical illness, dullness can often be improved with proper sleep, nutrition, and movement. Spending time in fresh air and natural light can also help re-energize the mind.

3. Doubt

Doubt creeps in when you question the process or its benefits. In a results-driven society, it’s easy to lose faith when you don’t see immediate rewards. This skepticism can lead to inconsistency or abandoning practice altogether.

Remedy: Cultivate faith through direct experience. Instead of blind faith, focus on effort without attachment to results. Trust the process, and with time, the benefits will naturally unfold.

4. Negligence

Negligence arises when we fail to give meditation our full attention. Without care and mindfulness, the practice remains shallow, and distractions take over. Effective meditation requires deliberate and focused effort.

Remedy: Develop diligence—a commitment to staying present. Set an intention before each session and gently guide yourself back when attention wavers.

5. Laziness

Laziness is a lack of enthusiasm and discipline. Meditation, like any other skill, requires dedication. Without motivation, it’s easy to postpone practice or cut sessions short.

Remedy: Strengthen your determination by setting a realistic schedule and sticking to it. Even on difficult days, sit for a few minutes—it’s consistency that builds progress.

6. Craving

Craving is the constant desire for something more—whether material, sensory, or experiential. During meditation, the mind can become preoccupied with longing for pleasure or distracting thoughts.

Remedy: Cultivate contentment. Remind yourself that fulfillment comes from within, and practice accepting the present moment as it is.

7. Misperception

Misperception is the tendency to believe false narratives—the stories and judgments we tell ourselves. These illusions can cloud awareness and pull us away from direct experience.

Remedy: Develop clarity and discernment. Observe thoughts as they arise, but don’t attach to them. Question whether they are real or just conditioned patterns.

8. Inattention

Inattention is the failure to maintain awareness. It leads to a scattered mind, preventing deeper states of meditation from unfolding.

Remedy: Strengthen concentration by gently returning to your focus point—whether it’s the breath, a mantra, or a visualization. Over time, this builds mental discipline.

9. Instability

Instability occurs when meditative clarity is fleeting. You may briefly enter a deep state of focus, only to lose it moments later. This inconsistency can be frustrating.

Remedy: Cultivate one-pointedness—a steady, unwavering focus. The more consistently you practice, the more stable your concentration will become.

Final Thoughts

Meditation is a journey with inevitable challenges. Recognizing these nine obstacles and applying their remedies can help deepen your practice and bring greater ease to your meditation sessions. Stay patient, stay consistent, and remember—the very act of working through these challenges is part of the practice itself.