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Tips for overcoming laziness

 



Tips for overcoming laziness


https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/45759/tips-for-overcoming-laziness/45777#45777


In my personal practice, I have found laziness to be my most clearly visible defilement. It plays a role in preventing me from getting out of bed, hindering my mindfulness throughout the day, and tempting me to abandon my daily meditation schedule. I am wondering if there are any tips beyond “just do it” regarding stuff like getting out of bed and meditating regularly, perhaps this is simply a kammic condition I must overcome. Thank you!


frankk response:


Here are my notes, a collection of sutta passages and some commentary on the hindrance of sloth and torpor. https://lucid24.org/sted/5niv/5niv3/index.html


But by far the most useful thing in my decades of meditation practice, in overcoming laziness, sloth and torpor, is doing exercises to strengthen the body, and eating healthily and correctly (not undereating, not overeating). Collection of notes on that here: https://lucid24.org/misc/qigor/index.html


The number one physical exercise I can recommend for laziness, sloth, is "shake and bake" (detailed in article above). Basically, it's the equivalent of doing slow jogging, or easy paced swimming, or doing jump rope without the rope (so one can fully relax and not tense up from fear of tripping). Do at least twenty minutes of that (shake and bake or equivalent cardio), and you'll feel energetic and not lazy, ready to rock (meditate). The benefits of that are amazing, expending only about 10% more energy than a casual walking exercise, it builds up your cardio conditioning (if you do 20-30min everyday) such that you'll then be able to do regular paced jogging easily without panting, stress, pain, or discomfort after a few months.


laziness will be no problem at this point. If you eat unhealthy and don't get enough physical exercise, even if you have the mind of a supermonk and no laziness, your body will still fail you and you'll just be forcing your way through bad meditations because of a malnourished unconditioned body.



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