Dealing with Boredom and the ‘Seeking Mind’

Yoga is moving meditation. One of the reasons why I started practicing yoga and Aikido more seriously was because I had started Zen meditation and was struggling with boredom and a chattering mind. I figured, if I could just move around more, I could overcome this. Or so I thought! That actually does work in the beginning and can go on this way for years, but soon enough you realize that this mindset-- the seeking mind---IS the issue. Sooner or later, you will experience this, and learn how to practice through it.

The seeking mind is that part of yourself that is always looking for the next thing. That thinks it is lacking, always wanting more, never satisfied, reacting, chattering, offering an everlasting stream of comments, and convinced that if it strives hard enough, it will achieve. It will do anything to avoid being in the moment as it is. To put it in modern terms, it is the part of yourself that is endlessly "scrolling" without ever arriving.

Some yoga teachers indulge the seeking mind by always having a brand new challenge, creative sequencing, or new music. I’m not saying any of these things are wrong in and of themselves---I do some of them myself in my class. But, it is important to understand that our practice is not there to entertain us. It’s not there to give us the next new thing for the mind to latch onto.

Our practice is an integration of all aspects of reality in the present moment. A union of opposites. This leads to an experience of harmony and balance, which naturally stills the seeking mind. We may experience glimmers of this in our practice. We feel complete, balanced and relaxed...but what is the next thing that usually happens? The mind says “this is nice, but I’m bored now…” This is normal, and it is not your teacher’s responsibility to entertain you, but rather to help you practice with it. This is the advanced yoga! Ask yourself...who is it that is bored? What happens if I just let the “I am bored” thought come and go? Where does it go? Where did it come from? What is it that is behind this thought stream?

Most importantly, talk to your yoga teacher about these issues in practice. They can help you practice with them so you can grow deeper. Don’t worry that a teacher will be offended because, I assure you, we understand.