Resistance to Practice: Doubt

Doubt, of all the resistances to practice, can be the most difficult to overcome, because it often comes from inside, where perspective is often skewed. When doubt is allowed to grow and get stronger, it can cause you to completely walk away from practicing altogether. 

How does doubt take root? 
One of the fertile grounds for doubt is being too goal-oriented. When the focus is too much on the goal, there is a tendency to rush toward achieving something. As a result, the process of growth and learning is under-valued. In this situation, doubt can take root, because your expectations exceed the real experience that is taking place moment to moment. The path to the goal has been forgotten.

When doubt has taken hold, it prevents you from truly practicing and strengthening meditation skills by causing you to question your practice too early.  Such questions, fueled by doubt, might be: Can I really do this?  Am I doing it right? How well am I doing?  These questions interfere with the ability to see your own progress, as it shifts awareness away from the moment, and toward a future goal and a self comparison in relation toward that future goal. This in turn can begin to shake your self-confidence, causing you to doubt your own abilities. You may begin to ask yourself if you can really do meditation.  Or you may wonder if you are doing it right or question how well you are doing.  

These questions, when fueled by doubt, build walls, blocking you from present moment awareness and clarity, because they are asked too early. 

How do you deal with doubt when it arises?

• Set it aside. If it comes up during meditation practice, do your best to set it aside. Just like any other thought that enters the mind during meditation, allow it to float by, like clouds in the sky. Do your best to not let it interfere with your meditation.  Then, after your meditation practice is over, try to explore the source of this doubt.

• Try utilizing the RAIN technique. See if you can get deeper insight into where the doubt is coming from.

• Consult a meditation teacher. A teacher can help make sure that you are clear about the meditation practice. Sometimes, in our earnestness, we misunderstand the instructions or teaching.  A teacher can help you get back on track if you have wandered of into the weeds and gotten lost.  A teacher can also offer you support in your meditation practice. It doesn't have to be, nor should it, always be practiced alone. Through guidance from a teacher, you may learn that others have struggled in similar ways that you have. This can be a big help in undermining any power that doubt may begin to exert, as you come to understand that your particular situation is not unique and actually quite common.  A teacher can help you to explore your resistance to practice by giving you meditation techniques and practices to further support and help you.  A teacher can guide you to texts or areas of study that might aid you in letting go of doubt before it undermines your meditation practice. A meditation teacher is a resource to be utilized. Take advantage of his or her experience and knowledge, don't let shyness, fear of embarrassment or pride prevent you from seeking advice.  This is what a meditation teacher has trained and practiced many thousands of hours for. 

If you can pinch off the first sprouting of doubt before it really takes root, you will have prevented a very challenging resistance to meditation practice from interfering with your ability to meditate or possibly stopping you from practicing all together. 

---

photo credit: should i? via photopin (license)