Eknath Easwaran's Commentary
People often find that meditation is easy for the first few months; but then, just when they think things are going well, it becomes difficult. It is like digging in your garden. The surface level of consciousness is soft loam, easy digging for the first twelve inches or so. The blade of the shovel is turning over the soil so easily that you say, “This is great! Isn’t meditation wonderful?” Then you strike something hard and impenetrable. Your hands sting from the shock, and your arms ache. That is the first stratum of bedrock – a dense, rock-hard layer of sheer resistance. Congratulations! You are getting somewhere at last!
How do you know you have hit something? The most common sign is a wave of sleep during meditation. Your mind is saying, in effect, “My shovel is getting blunted, and my arms are tired. Why not stop digging and have a snooze?” It is extremely important not to yield to this inclination. Sit up straighter and draw away from your back support until the wave of sleep has passed. This problem of sleep may be with you for a long time. You have a lot of strata to dig through, and there is great joy in this digging.