The First Hindrance: Wanting. Craving. Desiring.
Dear Friend,
Both yoga and Buddhist teachings offer detailed descriptions of the obstacles that can compromise our progress in practice. They aren't meant as warnings so much as reminders: if we learn to recognize these tendencies of the mind, we can notice them when they arise rather than allowing them to operate unnoticed in the background, where they can become particularly potent.
In the Buddhist tradition, these are presented as the five "hindrances" (pañca nīvaraṇāni), which are highlighted throughout the Pali Canon, one of the main collections of ancient Buddhist teachings. In the yoga tradition, there is another framework for understanding the forces that disturb and condition the mind: the five kleśas, or afflictions. The two frameworks are somewhat different, but they also overlap in interesting ways. More on that in future posts.
The reason these teachings place such emphasis on these patterns is quite simple. Without learning to recognize the patterns that give rise to distress, tension, and suffering, it is very difficult to begin freeing ourselves from them. One of the main aims of yoga, as well as the Buddha's teachings, is liberation from suffering, particularly the suffering generated in the mind.
It's important to emphasize that the message of these teachings isn't about getting rid of these tendencies, but rather about becoming increasingly aware of them when they are present. This awareness gives us the possibility of consciously choosing how to think and act, instead of being trapped in impulsive, reactionary patterns.
Recently, during my daily meditation sessions, I have been paying particularly close attention to the five hindrances. I find it very helpful to notice them in real time. Awareness without judgement is a powerful tool. It is one of the main resources we can develop through meditation.
When we consistently and genuinely integrate this way of directing awareness into our practice—particularly the non-judgement part ("can't fake it until we make it")—it gradually weakens the effects of habitual unconscious tendencies. Then the deeper transformative potential of yoga and meditation begins to manifest. It starts to affect ordinary daily life, not just our formal practice.
In the next few emails, I will share some of my thoughts and experiences of working with these hindrances, with the hope that you might find them useful and perhaps apply them to your own formal practice or day-to-day life.
A little side note: I am allowing myself some leeway in interpreting these teachings. I may use words and terms in a broader sense, or mix and mash different concepts together in a way that I find more relatable and practical. Apologies in advance to any avid Buddhist who may have some objections regarding my take.
The First Hindrance: Wanting. Craving. Desiring.
It seems that we are programmed to constantly seek out pleasure and gravitate towards experiences that give us sensual gratification. We want to hear, see, smell, taste, feel, touch, and possess things that bring us an immediate sense of pleasure and satisfaction.
We also want things that do not feel good to go away, which is essentially the same pattern in the opposite direction: seeking pleasant experiences and removing unpleasant ones.
In many ways, this is a very useful tendency. From an evolutionary perspective, it is plausible that our tendency to seek pleasant experiences and avoid unpleasant ones is partly rooted in mechanisms that helped our ancestors navigate danger, scarcity, and other challenges to survival and reproduction.
The problem is not that this tendency exists, but that it tends to continue to be a force that drives us even when the circumstances no longer require it. Many of us operate in this mode, usually unconsciously, going to great lengths to make life as enjoyable as possible and making substantial efforts to eliminate as many unpleasant experiences as we can. Following this formula is how most of us believe we should live our lives.
However, this can put us in a bind.
The problem with wanting is twofold:
1. Wanting puts us in conflict with the nature of life.
Life is never—absolutely never—made only of pleasant experiences. It is also never made of only unpleasant experiences.
If we take a sincere inventory of our own lives and those of people we know well, we may clearly recognize that life contains both pleasant and unpleasant experiences, in varying proportions.
In fact, there are also many experiences that can be categorized as neutral, meaning neither particularly pleasant nor unpleasant. These are often treated much like unpleasant experiences, with disdain and an urge for a quick hit of pleasant stimulation.
And so, being in this continuous mode of rejecting the unpleasant or neutral while longing for the pleasant puts us, by default, in continual friction with life itself. There are very few moments when our desires are fully met, and most of the time some degree of unsatisfactoriness pervades, whether in a dominant or a more subtle form.
This means that we are rarely completely at peace and are often in some degree of friction with our inner and outer conditions. That friction creates an underlying state of tension and contraction.
2. Wanting distorts our perception of what is actually happening.
Being caught in a cycle of craving and rejection leads to a kind of distortion in our perception. Instead of clearly seeing what is affecting us at any given moment and choosing an appropriate response, we tend to project our longings and resentments onto almost every experience we encounter.
The inability to recognize what we are actually experiencing can trap us in all sorts of problematic patterns. In both Buddhist teachings and several yoga traditions, misperception or delusion is understood as an important source of distress, while the capacity to see things as they are is a prerequisite for contentment and peace.
Sometimes we have no control over our circumstances, in which case the most useful response may be surrender. Fighting against what cannot be changed simply creates more inner tension and distress.
At other times, we may have some control. In that case, appropriate measures can be taken to resolve the problem or improve the situation. We should absolutely take the appropriate action.
The important point is that being in tune with what is happening, particularly within us, enables us to recognize the situation clearly. This allows us to act when action is needed without becoming consumed by the feeling that things must immediately be different from how they are.
I remember quite vividly a very small apartment I lived in many years ago. It was located in a rough neighborhood that was not only dodgy but also very noisy. A busy bus line ran right underneath the only window I had.
The first few weeks of living there were quite a shock. I could barely relax, let alone sleep. But after some time, I got used to it and somehow tuned it out. Eventually, I was able to relax and sleep well.
Then I realized something strange: the apartment hadn't become quieter. I had simply stopped hearing the noise. It was still there, but it had moved out of the foreground of my awareness.
However, every time I consciously reminded myself of the noise, it was suddenly there again: loud, dominant, and overwhelming.
Our habitual patterns of wanting can work in much the same way.
The mind tends to compartmentalize things, often keeping chronic tension or distress in the background, to the point where we no longer notice them. But this doesn't necessarily mean that they have disappeared. We may simply have diverted our attention elsewhere.
The way out is not to automatically try to get rid of the tension, but rather to first bring it into awareness.
In the case of the noisy apartment, an appropriate solution was to move out, which I eventually did. In the case of being caught in wanting, there is no clear-cut solution.
Unlike the noise in the apartment, the solution isn't necessarily to make the unpleasant thing disappear. The practice is to recognize the wanting itself without automatically acting on it or pushing it away.
What we can do is bring it into the foreground of awareness: notice it as it is, become familiar with it, and learn to be in tune with it without reacting in ways that reinforce it.
Over time, as the mind becomes increasingly aware of the harmful effects of this state, letting go can begin to happen more naturally. Through direct experience, we begin to recognize what actually benefits us and what doesn't.
When we step onto the mat and do our practice, we are very likely to encounter situations that present some physical or mental challenge, often both.
Wanting might show up as the urge to go deeper into a pose because we want to achieve a particular shape, or as the impulse to back out of a challenging posture because we don't like the sensations it creates. It might appear as self-judgement, comparison, or frustration. Or it may be more subtle: a pleasant feeling that comes from an accomplishment, or a calm, clear, and light state, followed by the expectation that the same experience should be there every time we practice.
It can be particularly helpful to notice any pattern of desiring a certain outcome or feeling, or avoiding a particular one. We direct awareness towards this inner push and pull with curiosity, looking closely at the nature of our mind and what drives us.
There is an important distinction here. Being driven by craving is not the same as taking action to improve our lives or remove undesirable situations. The two may look similar from the outside, but internally they can come from very different places.
We can act out of kindness or genuine care. We can do things we are good at in order to fulfill our potential and contribute to society. We can act simply because we have responsibilities and commitments. None of these actions requires us to be driven by craving.
The practice, therefore, isn't about becoming passive or giving up on our goals. It is about learning to distinguish between craving and sincere intention.
Craving says: "I need instant gratification."
Sincere intention says: "I see clearly what needs to be done, and I take wise action to carry it out."
When we are unconsciously trapped in a state of wanting, it tends to lead to one of two common responses: acting on it impulsively, which reinforces it, or suppressing it, which creates additional tension.
With practice, we can turn that state of wanting itself into an object of awareness. Whenever we notice its presence, in whatever form it takes, we can simply pay attention to it—how it manifests in the body and mind.
At the same time, we may choose to make real efforts, when necessary, to deepen our practice of asana, pranayama, and meditation, and to make changes in our lives. We can do all of that without relying on a strong impulse that generates so much tension. Instead, our actions can become a means of expressing sincere intention.
After all, being happy is a wonderful thing to aspire to. The question is whether what we think will make us happy actually does.
According to these teachings, until we begin to look closely at what drives us, we are very likely to be driven by patterns that ultimately create more suffering. Perhaps the question isn't how to get everything we want, but whether we can learn to be at peace with what is here while still taking wise action when action is needed.
If you find yourself curious about these kinds of topics - join a workshop, a retreat, or any other event on offer.
Looking forward to sharing yoga with you!
Wishing everyone peace and happiness,
♡ Oren
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