Tell me if this sounds familiar: You sit down to meditate and suddenly remember the 27 things you forgot to do. Or you promise yourself you’ll be calm with your partner, but just five minutes into a conversation, you’re raising your voice and you forgot all about the lessons you learned in the 284 podcast episodes before this one;).
Welcome to the real proving grounds of our practice: the human mind. This week, we’re exploring what the Buddha referred to as the Five Hindrances, which are the natural tendencies of ALL human consciousness that can block our access to clarity, insight, and presence.
It’s important to emphasize that these aren’t personal flaws. They’re universal. You, me, the Buddha all experience them. Anyone with a brain experiences them.
And just like the weather, they come and go. We can’t stop the storms, no matter how hard we try, but we can learn how to navigate them without getting stuck in a flash flood, you know what I’m saying?
These hindrances show us exactly how we get in our own way, and more importantly, how to find freedom right in the middle of the messiness.
The first hindrance is called Sense Desire. This one is easy to spot – it’s the grasping, reaching, “If only I had” thoughts. Desire has many faces, and we usually know them pretty well. It’s when we’re craving things like attention, pleasure, comfort, or even a sense of certainty in our lives (“I wish I just knew this relationship/job/house/city was THE One).
In our meditation practice, this can look like “I really want to have sex with that person sitting over there…” VERY distracting;)
But underneath it all, there’s something very human: the wish to NOT feel like we have unfinished business; to not feel like we’re… incomplete.
The next hindrance is Aversion. Think, “Get me the hell out of here.” We can all probably relate to this one. When something feels off, we push away. Sure, it can look “hot” like rage, blame, snapping, but before people who refuse to yell during an argument get judgy, know there’s also “cold” types of aversion: shutting down, withdrawing, going numb.
In the meditation hall this could be something like, “I wish that person sitting next to me would freaking STOP MOVING,” or “I wish I had a different meditation cushion!” or
Usually, underneath aversion is pain, fear, and a sense of not being in control.
The third one is – get this – Sloth and Torpor. This one doesn’t get talked about much in the modern world, partly because it hides so well. It can look like depression, burnout, numbness, or just that sense of fogginess where everything feels like too much work.
But there’s a quieter version that looks more like emotional deadness. And we tune out not because we’re lazy, but because we’re overwhelmed by feeling too much.
It can also show up in meditation as heavy eyelids, zoning out, or losing track of time.
Now, the next one all of us with ADHD can easily relate to, but so can everyone else – Restlessness and Worry. This is probably the signature hindrance of our f*cking ERA. We live in the age of the “ping,” the dopamine loop, the algorithmic anxiety machine. Our attention has been hijacked, monetized, and even weaponized.
In our sitting practice, this is us fidgeting, ruminating, and doing anything BUT being present.
The last hindrance is Doubt. It can look like we’re being so discerningg with intellectual questioning, but beneath it often lies fear.
Doubt whispers:
“This probably won’t work.”
“Other people are more spiritual than me.”
“I’m too busy, too broken, too late, too old, too young.”
In psychology, doubt in ourselves and others (and let’s face it, in the Universe) often mirrors our attachment wounds where trust was broken, and we learned to protect ourselves by not believing or trusting in anything too much, even ourselves.
Be sure to check out the full pod to hear more about each Hindrance and what we can do to meet them and overcome them, but the secret to them all is that each hindrance contains its own alchemy:
Desire transforms into contentment.
Aversion into compassion.
Sloth into vitality.
Restlessness into calm.
Doubt into wisdom.
So we don’t “overcome” the hindrances. They’re natural! And expected. Instead, we integrate them.
That’s where the Brahmavihārās – the heart practices – come in. They are the true medicine for the hindrances.
They teach us how to stay open when the mind closes, how to care even when it’s hard, and how to rest in balance when the storm rolls through.
Because freedom isn’t about never having hindrances again.
It’s about remembering, even when they arise, that awareness, love, compassion, equanimity and joy are bigger than all of them.
So remember: we can’t control the weather. But we can learn to be with whatever comes our way.
And sometimes, that’s enlightenment enough.
You will learn:
// How to recognize the Five Hindrances as natural patterns of the mind, not personal failures.
// How to meet craving, anger, fatigue, restlessness, and doubt with mindfulness instead of resistance.
// How modern psychology mirrors these teachings as trauma responses and emotional defenses.
// How each hindrance transforms into its opposite strength when met with awareness.
// How to use mindfulness and compassion to balance energy, emotion, and focus in daily life.
// How the Brahmavihārās (loving-kindness, compassion, joy, equanimity) serve as our hearts’ response to difficulty.
Resources:
// Episode 13: How to Quit Buffering
// Episode 51: Self-Compassion
// Episode 90: The Antidote to Doubt
// Episode: 107: Equanimity in Everyday Life
// Episode 142: Your Wild Mind – The North + Protectors
// Episode 203: Cool Boredom – Why It’s Necessary for Our Practice
// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
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