Styana (Dullness) – the Second Obstacle to Spiritual Practice

by Connie Habash | Mar 3, 2022 | Attention, Obstacles, Overwhelm, Practice, Yoga Philosophy

This post is the second of a 9-part series on the obstacles to spiritual practice, from verse 1:30 of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras:

vyādhistyānasanśaya pramādālasyāvirati bhrāntidarśanālabdha bhūmikatvānavasthitatvāni cittavikṣēpāstē̕ntarāyāḥ | 

Disease, dullness, doubt, carelessness, laziness, worldliness, delusion, non-achievement of a yogic state, and instability are the distractions of the mind, and they are obstacles [in yoga].

We’ve all encountered obstacles in the path of spiritual growth – the sage Patanjali names 9 of them in the Yoga Sutras. Styana is the second, and this one may be the biggest challenge during our time in history.