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This one is for the lay meditators.
Although i think there is a component of sloth and torpor involved in the situation. There are other factors too. At times for me breakage of a sila makes it hard for me to sit. And if this cycle is not broken it can take days to come to mindset to start sitting again and to convince myself it's ok to start from scratch.
Does anyone else encounter this problem and how do you deal with it?
This is a common problem. When you are week in Sila you get "Storms" in your meditation due to the bad Karma generated from breaking your Sila surfacing.
Also when meditating you have to keep your balance through the 5 faculties and 5 Strengths.
The effects of meditation are similar to the effects of brushing your teeth: If you don't brush your teeth for one day nothing will happen but if you do for one week... you will suffer the consequences in the dentist, so what I'm saying is that what you lose for not meditating will have a price in the future specially when you face a bad situation, stress and aversion will come stronger, you are losing a precious opportunity of improving awareness and becoming a better and stronger human being.
Make it a priority, meditate for 10 minutes if you don't have much time, but do not let lazyness wins this battle, do it for yourself and your own well being!
Your problems with sitting are due to your body-and-mind not being stable enough; irritability makes even regular activities difficult, let alone sitting meditation.
At this time, I suggest you to approach your problem two ways: from physical perspective and from psychological perspective.
Physically, you need to train your body by learning deep breathing through the following exercise. Walk very-very slowly, making one inbreath for about 4 steps / 10 seconds, and one outbreath for the next 4 steps / another 10 seconds.
Psychologically, forcing yourself to sit is not a good idea. Instead, try to develop a habit to sit every day, but not for a long time. Start sitting for only 20 seconds, and slowly add a few seconds every day, so you only sit as long as you really can. Again, the most important is to do this regularly. You must be determined to give up any other activity in favor of your daily sitting.
You know what? Habits, habits, it's all about forming a habit. Start small, exercise for six months until it becomes a habit, then practice for 10 years, one life, next life -- and you will have a different temperament.
Whatever requires conscious control in the beginning, becomes natural and effortless once the habit has formed. Eventually, you will be able to set your mind in a natural state -- and you become a Buddha!
