Sutra Studies Week 24: The 9 Main Distractions That Can Turn Into Obstacles To Samadhi On Your Eightfold Path [And How To Avoid/Overcome Them] (Sutra 30)

Sutra (Thread) or Lesson 30: Vyadhi Styana Samsaya Pramadalasyavirati Bhrantidarsanalabdhabhumikatvanasthitatvani Chittaviksepaste’ntarayah

Vyadhi: disease | Styana: dullness | Samsaya: doubt | Pramada: carelessness | Alasya: laziness | Avirati: sensuality, intemperance | Bhranti: false | Darsana: perception | Alabdhabhumikatva: failure to reach firm ground | Anavasthitatva: slipping down from ground gained | Ani (an ending to the nine words that groups them together) | Citta: mind-stuff | Viksepah (Viksepas): distraction | Te: these | Antarayah (‘Ntarayah): obstacles

According to Patanjali, there are 9 main hurdles/distractions that Yogis encounter, and may, therefore, have to overcome on their journey towards Samadhi and Asamprajnata Samadhi.

These 9 hindrances include 1) disease-illness that leads to pain and/or suffering (of the mind, body, and spirit), 2) dullness-boredom or lack of enthusiasm and/or ignorance, 3) doubt-lack of confidence in the Truth and/or oneself, 4) carelessness-indifference/lack of mindfulness or negligence in thoughts, words, or actions, 5) laziness-failure to take action or to sufficiently practice/disregard for the Truth, 6) sensuality-overindulgence in the senses, 7) false perception-incorrect thinking/views, 8) failure to reach firm ground- failure to understand, make inner progress or to gain security in maintaining your practice/goals, etc and 9) slipping from any firm ground gained-losing sight of your practice/goals and dismissing any learnings that you have gained along the way/failing to adequately apply or integrate them are all distractions/mental confusion that may turn you away from your practice, goals, and learning altogether, or significantly delay your inner progress.

This list serves as both a warning, and somewhat of a guideline (since, for the most part, these distractions are inevitable), in any Yogi’s practice before he/she becomes fully secure in Yoga and has safely and successfully transcended over-identification with form and the ego.

Obviously, being inflicted by one or more of these 9 issues can become problematic for practicing individuals, but, having awareness of these issues also helps those on the Eightfold Path to be better prepared on their voyage, and, thus, more capable of overcoming any challenges along the way.

Delaying Or Stopping Progress…Or Creating Clarity And Motivation To Make Progress?

Each distraction on Patanjali’s list can naturally take any practicing Yogi away from his/her progress toward achiving Self-Realization by delaying positive movement forward in one way or another, but the 9 distractions, if they become solidified obstacles, also have the potential to completely take a practitioner off the path toward their goal entirely (in worst case scenarios) if left unchecked, which makes these distractions even more potentially serious and problematic.

Knowing that these distractions exist as potential obstacles on your path, however, will help you to better identify when they appear, and will further support you with course-correcting and getting back on track when necessary without too much self-deprecation when you slip up. Awareness that normalizes the prevalence of these 9 distractions (because they are “normal” for anyone who has not fully integrated higher connection–which is practically everyone on Earth and certainly includes anyone who is not even on a higher spiritual journey with any sincerity), helps you to be kind and gentle with yourself as you navigate on your Yogic path, since you will know, without getting too attached or fearful, that, once in a while, there can be possible detours that appear along the way to inner purification and higher seeing, and this will help you to mentally prepare for any potential issues by recognizing these disturbances as only temporary in their ability to distract you or get you completely off track on your way to Self-Realization (if, even with awareness, these issues still end up impacting you at all instead of simply facilitating deeper understanding based on neutral observation).

Below, you will find a detailed overview of the main distractions that you may face on your Yogic journey, and a few tips (although you will ultimately have to customize your solutions to your unique expression) on how to course-correct in each instance if you happen to encounter any distractions that threaten to cause you to stray away from, or abandon, your higher path (whether it is Eight-Limbed or otherwise) at any point on your inner journey.

The 9 Distractions To Self-Realization And How To Overcome Them

1. Disease– Sickness, as unpleasant as this truth may be, is a natural part of life. No matter how healthy you may be (or become) throughout the larger span of your life, there will inevitably be instances where you will be afflicted with imbalances and disturbances of the mind, body, and/or spirit. Whether it is a virus, bacteria, or even a deep emotional wound, you must always remember that simply because illness appears in your life, body, or mind at any point, it does not mean that you are destined to be diseased, or sick, forever, or that you immediately become completely unhealthy if you become ill. Health is not simply the absence of disease, and no matter what you do to prevent yourself from ever getting sick in your life, your body-mind will, at some point inevitable get off balance (and your body will eventually get old, decay, and die at some point). If you experience illness at any point throughout your journey, whether mental, emotional, physical, or all of these things at the same time, simply work on getting back into balance by seeking the appropriate treatment for your illness. See a therapist or a spiritual counselor if your emotional wounds are too much to bear, see a physician or naturopath (as appropriate) if you have a physical ailment that is causing you pain, or discomfort, or is decreasing your quality of life, and never adopt a mentality that has you feeling helpless and stuck in any way since most illnesses are not permanent. Always know that healing is possible (and likely) for all illnesses (or manageable for those that are chronic) and simply work to regain homeostasis no matter how long your healing process will take. Trust that you can, and will, get better with time and appropriate care if you are ever faced with an illness while navigating on your Yogic journey. And if your disease is incurable, keep going anyway, do not let anything stop you.
2. Dullness– Due to lack of awareness and/or ignorance, it is easy for some people to become bored after some time when engaging in any activity. To avoid boredom/dullness, which can lead to complacency, be sure to find new ways to keep your practice vibrant, fresh, and interesting. Integrate new information, activities, and/or skillsets into your practice, seek out deeper and more nuanced knowledge, vary your routine when necessary, and avoid getting stuck in a monotonous practice that causes you to “tune out” and/or to lose motivation to continue forward with your goal. Creating an enriched (and enriching) Yoga practice filled with a variety of activities and things that you like, for example, an interesting Japa meditation routine (that you can change up the symbolic ritual practices around, for example), integrating dancing, adding artistic expression, and so forth, and just generally personalizing your routine to match your “style,” and to cultivate a rich inner landscape, will make it so that you never get tired of continuing on your journey. Create new challenges that incorporate your strengths into your Yoga practice, challenges that support you to grow and to create greater inner clarity and insight. And, as needed, be sure to switch up old routines when they get stale and boring after a while. To firm yourself up against boredom/dullness, you need to regularly “sharpen” your mind and to strengthen it through useful challenge and variation. At your core, you only become bored when you are not effectively learning or growing. Sustained boredom, with no action taken to either mindfully observe the boredom itself as a learning opportunity, or to create a necessary change, leads to dullness that sets the stage for ignorance and backwardness, which will eventually delay your progress, if sustained.
3. Doubt– You have probably heard the saying that doubt kills more goals than anything else in life. Lack of confidence in the Truth of this path, or in yourself, can deaden your spirit, and dampen your will to progress, and it can even deter you from even setting out on your journey to begin with. It is essential that when you begin “walking” the Yogic path, that you take some time to reinforce your “why,” (which also helps with overcoming dullness as well) and simply have faith (not by blindly believing, but through verification of inner experiences along the way) that you will get to your goal by staying motivated and confident in what you are doing. Remember that, with continued effort, Self-Realization is a given, you simply have to possess unwavering confidence in yourself and your own unique journey (or just the higher Truth) no matter what things looks like on the surface (since appearances are ever only just that: appearances). Never compare your path to any others’. Like you, your Yoga journey is unique, and everyone has the capacity within them, with applied effort and devotion, to reach Samadhi and Asamprajnata Samadhi/Liberation in any given lifetime. The Yoga Sutras would not be written, or preserved, if it was not useful as a guide. Your True Self is already who you are; you simply need to clear away the distortions that get in the way of seeing, knowing, and settling into this Truth.
4. Carelessness– General recklessness in life and doing things like slacking off in your Yoga practice may seem tempting (after all, there are infinite shiny useless things to waste your time/energy on), but it is never worth it. Running into/toward dangerous, frivolous, and unhealthy directions/situations (or not leaving/walking away from danger when you recognize that moving away from what is harming you is the best course of action) is obviously counterproductive to your progress on your journey/in life. This is why slacking off in your practice and neglecting to do the things that you know that you should do is so detrimental. Slacking off in your Yoga practice is such a reckless and dangerous action that it is practically akin to walking straight into the destructive grips of Maya, ready to be taken into bondage, and asking for unnecessary suffering. This type of behavior only delays your progress and weakens your motivation to continue forward. Love yourself and have enough Self-respect and appreciation to make consistent, intentional, and meaningful efforts toward your goal of Liberation each day, which includes diligently working to avoid careless behaviors that can create problems (like worldliness, media over-consumption, too much socializing, etc). Your freedom and peace matters (if not to anyone else, then, I hope, certainly to you)! Even if your efforts are “small,” ensure that you partake in practice (“efforts toward steadiness of mind” [Sutra 13]) activities with earnestness and a sense of reverence each day. Avoid getting involved in toxic situations and with toxic people and remember that you are connecting with the divine through your Yoga practice. Always make an effort to give your best effort as you journey forward, and never look down on even the most seemingly mundane activities as “nothing” as you move forward, because nothing that you do in Yoga (with full intention and earnestness) is ever in vain or ever “meaningless” or “useless” in any way. Every step that you take in the right direction on this journey has value…again, no matter how small…so, please keep this in mind at all times (or as much as you can)–especially when you are tempted to slack off or be reckless about your choices in life. Anything that is taking you away from your Yoga practice is a careless undertaking; don’t do it. Make everything for Yoga and avoid this problem.
5. Laziness– Do not just stop practicing or become compulsively sporadic in your practice. As mentioned before, please see your journey as the important undertaking that it is and set a strong internal resolve to, even when you are tired, keep moving forward. Remember that there are Eight Limbs of Yoga and infinite ways to practice. If one limb, or activity, is just not working out for you on any given day, or at any given point overall, please feel free to focus on another limb or activity that gives you more insight and/or energy to progress. Maintaining momentum, no matter what it looks like, is key to your consistently walking this important path without too many detrimental delays or pauses.
6. Sensuality– If you are tempted to recklessly overindulge in sex, food, drugs, fear/worry/disaster-focused thinking/observation (yes, many people enjoy/are addicted to the “relief” that comes after these feelings), gossiping (shared delusional fantasies), over-socializing/attention-seeking (people crave this as a form of “connection” due to feelings of emptiness/non-enough-ness), consumerism, or any other activity that is grounded in pure sense-enjoyment or material pleasure-seeking, things that distract you from your path, just remember that nothing compares to the pure peace, bliss, and fulfillment that you will obtain from, and at the end of, your Yogic journey. While Earthly pleasures are nice and you can certainly enjoy them in moderation/appropriately (if they are not just entirely destructive to begin with, which many sense-enjoyments that people seek out are), know that these things are pale comparisons to what you will gain from your attainment of the Self-Realization that you seek. Even a little glimpse of the Truth is enough to tame even the strongest sensual craving/impulse. Don’t be desperate for, or dependent on, external things for the bliss and fulfillment that you can find within and give to yourself through higher spiritual connection and clarity.
7. False Perception– Keep your mind and views about the things and people that you observe in life neutral and well-adjusted, and do not be tempted into either seductive delusions or Twisted Thinking that causes you excitement, disturbance, and/or distress and takes you off your path, or puts you on shaky ground while on it. It is easy to get distracted from clear seeing when you are not diligent in your balanced observation of life and the things that occur within it, have not developed the necessary skill of discernment to be able to truly tell Reality from unreality, and/or you are still stuck in pleasure-pursuit or pain avoidant behavior that causes you to chase after/follow teachers and teachings that keep you stuck in your ego body-mind overidentification. For example, hedonism. Simply work to see things as they are at all times as opposed to what you fear or hope them to be and you can avoid being dragged down a dead end of false perception that distort your views as you journey on, getting you entangled further within Maya and binding you Karmically to others. Work on unlearning as much nonsense as you can while seeking out undistorted Truth. Do not be disturbed by the appearance of anything at any point. And when things seem bleak on your journey, ask yourself: how can/is everything that I encounter and observe useful on my path or for my progress?
8. Failure To Reach Firm Ground– Keep your focus on your practice/goal (full inner clarity/purity from body-mind ego over-identification) and work diligently to learn more about your Self each day. You have to be honestly committed. Understand that having a solid foundation in your practice goals, and being clear about where you are headed, is a key component to your success in getting to your goal. If you feel that some concepts are simply not “clicking,” or you need additional clarification/practice in any area as you engage in Self-study, go deeper into your focus, concentration, and meditation, pay better attention, do what you need to do to purify your mind for clearer seeing/understanding, and, when necessary, please seek assistance from a teacher, or, if you are inclined to do so, join a group where you can get the support that you need to stand firmly in your understanding and goal as a Yogi.
9. Slipping From Firm Ground– Life is unpredictable, and there will always be the inevitable “Tower” experiences that will shake you to your core and have you questioning everything that you believe and stand for. These are great opportunities to restore your faith and resolve in your practice and to find new meaning, clarity, and value in your goals so that you can even more effectively move forward with success. Do not feel ashamed, or doomed, if you stray from your path at any point (since, do you realize how rare it is to even honestly be on/get on this path at all, no matter how may times you fall back into the distraction of the world?). Even if you got carried away by a “cute little bunny” that get you trapped in a hole for days, weeks, months, or even years, just get yourself out of your hole and keep going. Have faith that your path will still be there when you find your way out of any ignorance that you may have fallen into or gotten carried away by, and simply use your detour as a strengthening tool to “firm up” your resolve and to succeed even further.

All Of These Are Distractions That Can Grow Into Obstacles– Life can get stressful, confusing, and busy, and there are many shiny objects and opportunities that can take you away from your practice, goal, or from your focus on the Truth of who you really are at any given point if you are not yet single-pointedly focused on Self-Realization and Liberation. This is the nature of Maya and the fluctuating body-mind that likes to pursue pleasure and avoid pain (even when intelligence clearly shows that none of these things are permanent).

So get focused, and stay focused, to avoid unnecessary problems and/or lower attachments that will only drag you down and/or back into misery!

Remember, please, that nothing is as important as your connection with your Self and divine expression. While you can certainly participate in all that you would like to engage in/with on your journey “outside of Yoga” (as if there is such a thing, since Yoga is life), do not become so distracted by the things and ways of the world/illusions of Maya that you forget that you are on your path home to your Self altogether, getting lost here in the misery, suffering, and nonsense instead. If you find yourself distracted by anything on your journey, be willing to sacrifice it in order to stay on your path. Whether you need to give yourself more time, more focus, or more commitment to your Eightfold Path (or any other inner path), remember that distractions mainly promise to delay your progress if you are not careful, and the worst thing that can happen is for you to abandon your birthright of Union altogether for a shiny temporary distraction, or due to getting caught up in wallowing, pleasure-seeking, apathy, ignorance, and delusion that only represents being swept away by illusions that will bind you to suffering.

Your Yogic journey/practice has a higher purpose and it gives meaning and order to your everyday life while creating stability and equanimity in your mind, body, and spirit. But even with all of the benefits that you gain from your practice and journey, it is inevitable that, from time-to-time, you may experience temptations and outright forgetful moments (whether voluntary or involuntary) that take you farther/further away from, as opposed to closer to, your goal/Self.

Do not be disheartened if you get distracted, and always know that you can simply choose to get back on the right track no matter how far you stray from your path/your Self. As long as you keep going (no matter how “slowly” or “imperfectly”), you are moving forward; it really is that simple. Small steps will take you to great places over time, and nothing cannot be solved in your practice with the right intention, a bit of effort, and your steadfast commitment.

Knowing that these distractions are a normal part of your journey (that can even be transformed into lessons or pains for your purification) will better assist you with understanding what to expect on your path and will further support you with course-correcting when necessary.

You will get to your goal if you continue moving forward, so be sure to keep going, and make appropriate adjustments when needed.

And, always remember that getting to Samadhi, though it is the final step on the Yogic Eightfold Path, is only the stepping stone for your full Liberation. This means that there is even more to Yoga than purification of the body-mind-ego for embodied Self-Realization. The Eightfold Path is, at its core, a process for developing Spiritual Fitness/Clarity (Purity). Once you are fit/clear enough to realize who you are, full integration and Union can then take place in Kaivalya, where you can become fully Liberated from suffering and false-identification with the ego body-mind and illusory world altogether, so just keep moving forward!

Thank you for reading.

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