Falling Asleep in Meditation?

I often hear people saying they find themselves nodding off in meditation. We think of meditation as being a clear alert state of consciousness, so if i am getting sleepy there must be something wrong.

It happens to most of us at some time or another. I know it does to me, and I've seen other teachers nodding off at times. It's not sign that you've gone wrong. Quite the opposite in fact. it usually is a sign that you are relaxing deeply.

Most of us have some form of background fatigue. Or we may have had a tiring day. As we relax into meditation then it is as if the body says, "Hurray, at last I have a chance to catch up with a quick snooze." So take it as a sign you are relaxing well.

When you find you've nodded off, or even been asleep for a bit, just come back to the practice. Even if you nod off again, just keep coming back. And don't try to force yourself to stay awake—that would just interfere with the relaxation.

Always finish with a few minutes of meditation. That way, even if the meditation has been sleepy, you will return to activity feeling more refreshed.

Why does meditation seem so hard?

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