How to Stay Awake in Meditation

(clicking) (calming music) Headspace Studios. Hey, it's Dora, you're listening to Radio Headspace, and if you had a full day or a full mind, you are in the right place. So the other day I sat down to meditate with the best of intentions. I had just lit a candle, turned off my phone, and even queued up a gentle ambient playlist to set the vibe. Five minutes in, I was fighting to stay awake. My head was bobbing like I was on a bus ride home after a long day. I remember thinking, "Wait, how am I this tired? I literally just sat down." That's when I remembered, this is one of the five hindrances in meditation, sloth and torpor, or fatigue and tiredness, which can often feel like tiredness, but goes a bit deeper. Sloth and torpor can feel like laziness or fatigue, but really they're forms of resistance. They're not just about needing a nap. They show up as a mental dullness, emotional heaviness, or disconnection from life. In meditation, they show up when the mind or body doesn't wanna be fully awake to what's here. It's not laziness, it's often a protective response. The mind's way of checking out when life feels like too much. Instead of facing discomfort, uncertainty, or stress, our system says, "Let's shut this down for a bit." The purpose of this hindrance isn't to sabotage us, but to show us where we're disconnected. The reminders that something in us might be depleted, overwhelmed, or afraid to feel. And the remedy, it's not coffee or self-judgment. Its presence, curiosity, and a little lightness. There was a season in my life when I was going through a tough transition. I had just left a big job, was living alone and in that strange space of what now. So naturally, I committed to a 30 day meditation challenge to help ground myself. Every morning I'd wake up, light my incense and sit. But almost every session turned into a battle. The second I close my eyes, it felt like someone dimmed the lights inside me. My posture would droop, my thoughts got fuzzy. Sometimes I'd even convince myself I was having a deep meditation, only to realize I had nodded off completely. I brought it up to one of my teachers, slightly embarrassed. "I think meditation is making me more tired," I joked. She smiled and said, "You're not lazy, your system might just be in repair mode." But the practice isn't to fight the tiredness, it's to wake up within it. And that shifted something for me. Instead of the fog, I got curious. I started meditating with my eyes open. I tried walking meditation in the mornings, listening to the sounds of the birds, letting the movement keep me alert. I even swapped my soft floor cushion for a firmer seat, just enough discomfort to keep me upright. Eventually, I realized this wasn't about laziness or sleepiness, it was about energy. I...