How can I deal with boredom when I meditate?

Rest assured that feeling bored during meditation is very common. Over time your mind will go through periods of interest and boredom with meditating. While you're building curiosity in the present moment, you're also building the persistence and endurance it takes to hang in there with whatever's happening in your life, even if it's boredom or restlessness.

As far as working with boredom, see if you can get curious about the mind state that's underlying the experience. For example, you might ask some questions about the boredom. What does boredom feel in the body? What thoughts accompany it? Is there aversion present? If you start to explore what boredom feels like, you won't be bored any more!

Using questions to inquire and investigate into what is happening for you each moment, and looking into the nature of awareness itself, is a great way to make meditation interesting and inspiring over the long-term.

Lastly, recognizing boredom when you practice meditation can actually be a very powerful moment. When you see boredom arising you can start to glimpse the habit of your mind that tends to look towards the future, expecting some future moment to be "better" or "more interesting" than the moment you're in. So when you notice boredom, it can be an opportunity to gently remind yourself that the only moment in which you can engage is the present moment. Then you can move toward greater interest and intimacy with whatever you're experiencing right now. This helps you explore your own mind which can bring you strength, clarity and happiness.