Surfing the Inner Seasons.
Artist Neom-0suho on Unsplash
How I Stopped Fighting Sloth & Torpor and Started Riding My Cycles
By Dathane — November 27, 2025
For most of my life, I thought something was “wrong” with me because of how frequently my energy cycled. I would go through periods of being on fire — creative, focused, energized — and then suddenly drop into days or even weeks where everything felt heavy, dull, or slow. I used to label those moments as laziness, depression, or personal failure.
But over the past few months, something began to shift. I started watching my energy rather than arguing with it. And this week — through practice, insight, and a whole lot of curiosity — I finally understood what’s truly happening in me.
I’ve been moving through natural cycles of renewal.
And instead of being shoved by them… I’m learning to surf them.
Artist: Greg-Pappas on Unsplash
Sloth & Torpor: The Hindrance I Know All Too Well
In Buddhism, sloth and torpor (thīna–middha) is one of the Five Hindrances — not moral laziness, but a kind of energetic collapse:
the mind becomes cloudy,
the body becomes heavy,
motivation dissolves,
and everything feels dim.
The Buddha compared it to a bowl of water full of algae — you can’t see clearly, not because the water is “bad,” but because it’s unsettled.
When I heard that, it hit me: That’s exactly how my cycles feel.
And better yet — they’re not symptoms of failure.
They’re signs that energy is misaligned, not absent.
Artist: Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash
What Changed: Learning to Work With My Cycle Instead of Against It
This week, everything clicked.
On 11/26 and 11/27, I had some of the most powerful practices I’ve ever had: chanting with Krishna Das, yoga, Tai Chi, breath meditation, tapping, movement, and then settling into meditation on the five aggregates. My energy went from 6 → 9 → 10.
But the real breakthrough wasn’t the energy spike.
It was this:
I didn’t force it. I aligned with it.
When my computer system broke, I didn’t collapse into frustration. Instead, I practiced what I call the three doors of inquiry from Otto Scharmer:
Open Mind: What’s actually happening here?
Open Heart: Who can I ask for help with humility?
Open Will: Can I accept the 5–15 day delay without agitation?
I realized I was merging Critical Inquiry (investigation) and Mind Inquiry (presence) — and that combination kept my mind clear, my energy steady, and my equanimity intact.
Artist: Irvin Zhang on Unsplash
How the Buddha's Antidotes Merged With My Enlightened Lifestyle Practice
Sloth & torpor dissolve when energy brightens.
The Buddha recommended:
engaging the body,
brightening the mind,
sitting upright,
cultivating joy,
and calling forth purpose.
I noticed that my Enlightened Lifestyle (EL) practice already hits all of these at once:
1️⃣ Somatic Activation
Chanting → Ecstatic Dance Movement → Tai Chi → Yoga → Breath → Meditation.
This sequence literally wakes up the nervous system.
2️⃣ Emotional Elevation
Joy (pīti) arises naturally when the body moves and the heart opens.
This dissolves dullness instantly.
3️⃣ Meaning & Inquiry
Critical Inquiry + Mind Inquiry = bright awareness & clarity.
Sloth cannot survive clarity.
4️⃣ Character Strengths
My VIA strengths — Curiosity, Love of Learning, Judgment, Fairness, Spirituality — all counteract dullness and lethargy.
5️⃣ Cycle Awareness
Instead of fighting my cycle, I’m riding it.
Cocooning → Preparing → Expansion.
Today, I’m between Preparing and Expansion.
That alone dissolves 50% of the suffering.
Artist: Ramadhani Rafid on Unsplash
What’s Renewing in Me Right Now
Something emotional and spiritual is waking up in me.
A devotional energy.
But not tied to a God or dogma — tied to the Brahmavihārās:
loving-kindness,
compassion,
joy,
equanimity.
I realized:
I need an emotionally charged, transcendent practice — without needing a supernatural frame.
I need to feel the bigness of life while staying grounded in evidence, inquiry, and reason.It is the one thing the secular movement of flourishing practice needs to explore more!
This is exactly the union of my two paths:
Critical Inquiry + Mind Inquiry.
This is Enlightened Lifestyle.
Key Insight From This Week
Sloth and torpor were never my enemies — they were signals.
The antidote wasn’t discipline or guilt.
It was:movement,
joy,
devotion,
curiosity,
inquiry,
alignment,
and honoring my natural cycles.
I’m no longer collapsing after expansion.
I’m no longer judging myself when energy dips.
I’m no longer mistaking renewal for depression.
I’m learning to surf the inner seasons — with wisdom, compassion, and play.
And honestly?
It feels like freedom.
