Approaching The 5 Hinderances

In this episode, we dive into the Five Hindrances — the classic Buddhist teachings on what gets in the way of a calm and focused mind. We explore how desire, ill-will, dullness, restlessness, and doubt show up in everyday life, not just on the meditation cushion. I break each one down in a simple way and share practical tools for working with them.

If you’ve ever wondered why your mind feels scattered or stuck, this episode will give you real clarity and compassion.

Transcript

Hi everybody,

Welcome back.

Paul here,

I hope you're doing really well today.

Maybe you're out on a walk,

Maybe you're driving,

Maybe you're just chilling with a cup of tea or a cup of coffee,

But wherever you are,

Thank you for spending this little bit of time with me today.

Today I want to chat about something really central to meditation and to Buddhism,

But also it's incredibly down to earth and relatable.

It's called the five hindrances.

Basically,

The five things that get in the way of us feeling calm,

Steady and clear.

Don't worry,

It's not going to be too heavy going today or overly technical.

Think of it more like we're all sitting together on the sofa talking about the messy,

Noisy,

Very human mind and how we can make friends with it.

So the five hindrances,

They're basically the five patterns that pop up in the mind and make meditation harder.

But honestly,

They're just as relevant when you're trying to focus at work,

Have a calm day with the kids,

That's probably never,

Or not overreact to that person who cuts you off on the motorway.

We've all been there.

And the one thing I want to emphasise up front is everyone has them.

They're not a sign that you're doing anything wrong.

They're just the weather of the mind.

And the five are sensory desire,

Ill will,

Sloth and torpor,

Restlessness and worry,

And finally doubt.

So let's take them one by one.

Let's really unpack what they feel like and how we can work with them.

Okay,

First up,

Sensory desire.

Wanting something pleasant,

Could be food,

Netflix,

Scrolling,

A big latte,

New gadget,

That Instagram dopamine hit.

During meditation,

Sometimes we get the planning dinner,

Imagining these conversations,

Dreaming up your next holiday.

Now the thing is with desire,

It narrows the mind.

It says I want that thing,

Because that thing will fix everything.

And when we're caught in desire,

We don't see clearly,

The mind just latches on.

So what do we do with it?

Well,

Step one is simply noticing.

Ah,

A pleasant feeling just showed up.

Because what we usually find with desire,

It starts with that spark of pleasure,

Something that feels good.

And the mind goes,

More of that,

Please.

Once you see that,

Once you notice that,

The spell breaks a little.

Another trick is to remember that desire never truly delivers.

You get the thing,

And then you want the next thing.

Now it's not bad.

It's just how the brain works.

Sometimes the mind is actually saying,

I want ease,

I want comfort.

So instead of chasing stimulation,

We can offer it ease through,

Breathing,

Grounding,

Relaxing the shoulders.

Often that's what we're really craving,

The comfort and ease.

Next up is ill will.

Irritation,

Anger,

Resentment,

That low level,

Ugh feeling.

We've all been there,

It can be traffic,

Emails,

Supermarket queues,

Partners,

Colleagues,

Even ourselves.

And ill will is basically resistance in the mind.

I don't want this.

I don't like this.

Sometimes known as aversion.

In meditation,

This can show up as being annoyed at noises,

Annoyed at yourself,

Or annoyed that your mind won't stay still.

Now,

How do we soften this?

First,

Remember that those feelings of perhaps anger,

Usually hide hurt,

Fear or frustration.

Under every I hate this is usually an I'm hurting,

Or this is too much.

Second,

The antidote is kindness.

And it doesn't have to be in any way fake or forced.

Just a simple shift of attitude can really help ease those feelings of frustration and anger.

May I be at ease.

May the people I'm angry at be at ease.

Everyone is struggling,

Including me.

Introducing those simple words can really help alleviate those feelings of frustration and anger.

And it helps to remember that everyone feels ill will.

It's not personal.

It's just part of being human.

All right,

Third,

Sloth and torpor.

Basically tiredness,

Heaviness,

And that mental fog.

Sometimes you sit down and the mind is like,

Nope,

This ain't happening today.

Or after lunch,

When all you want is a nap.

All those meditation sessions where you drift off into dreamland and wake yourself up with that all classic head nod.

Sloth is the mental heaviness.

Torpor is the physical one.

So what helps?

One thing is literally brightening the mind.

So when you notice yourself slouching or becoming tired,

Sitting up a little straighter,

Taking a few deep breaths,

And refreshing your interest in what you're doing.

Another one is curiosity.

Instead of thinking,

I'm really tired.

Try what does tiredness actually feel like in the body?

Where is it?

What temperature is it?

A little bit of curiosity brings energy.

And sometimes,

In all honesty,

You might just need a nap.

We don't need to be heroes.

Tiredness is sometimes just that,

Tiredness.

Restlessness and worry.

If there was a hindrance that summed up modern life,

It's this one.

It's the buzzing,

Fidgety,

Busy mind.

What about tomorrow?

What about that meeting?

Did I send that message?

What am I having for dinner?

Should I be doing more with my life?

During meditation,

This is the one where your mind is planning three conversations ahead.

Restlessness isn't really a thought.

It's more like an energy.

It's the nervous system which is revving too high.

How do we handle it?

First,

Don't fight it.

Just acknowledge it.

A lot of energy here.

I've got a really busy mind today.

That alone can start to calm things.

Then,

Real powerful one,

Ground the body.

Feel your feet,

Feel your hands,

Your belly.

Restlessness lives in the body.

So the body is the way out.

Another really helpful thing is zooming out.

Instead of being caught in the story,

The to-do list,

The worries,

Step back and see.

Ah,

Thinking is happening.

Worry is happening.

It's like shifting from being in the storm to watching it from the window.

And in all honesty,

Patience is huge.

Sometimes the mind is restless because you're stressed and overwhelmed.

And that's okay.

You don't have to fix it just then.

You just have to ride it out gently.

And finally,

Doubt.

Now this one is sneaky.

Feels like you're being wise and evaluating things carefully.

But actually,

It's just uncertainty wearing a clever mask.

There are two main versions.

Self-doubt.

I can't meditate.

I'm not spiritual enough.

And practice doubt.

Is this even working?

Why am I doing this?

What's the point?

Doubt drains your motivation.

It's like trying to drive with the handbrake on.

And how do we work with it?

First,

Recognize that doubt is just a mood.

It's not truth.

It just passes,

Just like everything else.

When doubt shows up,

Come back to something simple and real.

The breath,

The feet,

The sounds in the room.

No debating,

No analyzing.

Another trick is to remind yourself of any past moment where meditation may have helped you,

Even a tiny bit.

Doubt can argue with your own experience.

And if you feel really stuck,

Talk to someone,

Read something inspiring,

Or listen to a teacher.

Doubt loves isolation.

It dissolves very quickly in community.

So we've given an overview as to each one of the hindrances and how they show up.

One thing I find really interesting is that the hindrances don't appear alone.

They form little chains.

So for example,

You chase stimulation,

You get restless,

You get tired,

You get frustrated,

And then you doubt yourself.

Or example number two,

You're restless,

You can't focus,

You get annoyed,

And then you lose confidence.

And spotting one hindrance often reveals the whole chain and gives you a way out.

So what's a simple way for us to meet with the hindrances?

There's a simple five step approach that I like to take.

First one,

Notice what's going on in the mind right now.

Next one,

Name the hindrance.

Ah,

This is desire.

This is restlessness.

This is doubt.

And then normalize it.

This is human.

This is normal.

There is nothing wrong here.

And then nourish the hindrance.

Use the antidote,

Kindness,

Grounding,

Energy,

Patience.

And then keep this away from who you are.

Non-identify with the hindrance.

This isn't who I am.

It's just a passing state.

This approach has saved so many of my meditation sessions,

And I hope it can help you too.

So in closing,

That's the five hindrances,

The five ways our minds try and trip us up,

And the five opportunities we have to understand ourselves more deeply.

You don't need to get rid of the hindrances.

They're not our enemies.

They're our teachers.

Each one tells you something about your state,

About your needs,

About your habits.

And every time you recognize one with kindness,

You grow a little bit freer.

Thank you so much for listening today.

I hope that was helpful.

Please leave a comment or any questions in the comments boxes at the end.

I look forward to catching up with you all next time.

And take care.

Be gentle with yourself.

May your mind be steady and our heart be soft.