Three barriers to meditation

Kia ora koutou katoa
I have many people tell me that they have never been any “good” at meditation which is a real barrier to continuing to practice or even starting to learn to meditate. If you are curious about my hybrid Meditation & Wellbeing course (mix of live zoom and self-paced learning), but have some doubts about whether it’s for you, let’s explore some of the barriers to meditation right now!

Barrier #1 I can’t sit in the “meditation position” or lotus pose
Oh I feel you here. People believe that in order to meditate, we need to sit in a particular position called lotus pose for hours on end and not move. You know the pose where you sit with your feet over the top of your knees? Yeah right in my case.

The reality is that most of us will never sit comfortably in the lotus pose in our lifetimes. I have a knee replacement so will never be able to sit in this pose. Ever. But it does not stop me meditating every day. Meditation does not have to be done in any particular pose. Sitting in lotus pose does not make you more enlightened!!!!. Meditation can be done walking, sitting on a bench in the park, by the beach, on a chair or on the couch. There is no “should” about how you need to sit.

And in the Meditation & Wellbeing course, you are encouraged to choose how you want to do the practices. Yoga nidra meditation is often done lying down - the best kind of meditation is when you don’t need to use your core to sit up!. But you can also choose to stand, sit in a chair or sit against a wall – the choices are endless as its your body and your practice.

Barrier #2 I can never focus – my mind is too busy
Would it surprise you to know that you are not alone? That many people struggle to meditate as their minds stay busy and don’t focus. And this is the reason many people actually choose to learn to meditate – to learn to calm that “monkey mind”.

And you are not a “bad meditator” if your mind is monkey like. That is what our minds do – they look for danger, predict the future, try and solve solutions for us. Our mind is a problem-solving machine and it is doing what it needs to do for survival!!!! And we need to know how to work with that. In yoga nidra meditation you are guided in the meditation for the whole practice. This gives the mind something to focus on, something to do and allows it to settle, which allows the body and breath to settle.

And we don’t want the thoughts to stop coming. One of the outcomes of meditation is that we notice the thoughts as they pass by, and we notice the stillness behind the thoughts and between the thoughts as well.

“Investigate the nature of mind and it will disappear. Thoughts change, but not you”.
Ramana Maharshi

Barrier #3 I don’t know if meditation will work for me

Yes, often in a meditation practice we are given a goal, something to aim for e.g. enlightenment or a clear mind. And we have doubts about whether we can achieve that goal. In contrast, yoga nidra meditation invites you to welcome your experience just as it is and not set any goals or expectations about how you want your experience to be. Sometimes we have a deliciously relaxing meditation. Welcome that. Sometimes our monkey mind gets the better of us. Welcome that.


The irony is that often what we are seeking is never not there. This grounded sense of Being and Wellbeing that is at the heart of the Meditation & Wellbeing practices is always there. It just fades into the background and all the things that are moving and grab our attention move to the foreground. And we bring it back into the foreground by practicing. But it is always there!