It can be difficult to focus when you first start meditating...Over my years of teaching and coaching meditation this is the number one complaint that I receive from new meditators. "How do I stay focused? I can't focus!" The first point to understand is that focus is a like muscle. The more you use it the stronger it becomes. So in the beginning when you first start meditating your ability to focus is not so strong or refined. And that's ok! Because that is part of what you are trying to learn and develop in meditation. You want to cultivate your inner powers, and focus is one of them. With regular practice of meditation your focus will get stronger in no time. Focusing is a super power.
Focusing in your life works the same way. When you focus you are gathering all of your energy towards one point. That causes your energy to become more impactful and powerful. This act of focusing is what is called Dharana, in Sanskrit. It is one of the Eight Limbs of Yoga described by the Sage Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. In that ancient text the sage says that focusing or one-pointedness is what leads you into Dhyana or meditation. So when you learn to focus you can much more easily channel your attention, energy and effort into what you want in life AND you will be able to enter into meditation much more easily. So let's look at the 4 techniques that I want to share with you for building focus in meditation. What are the 4 techniques?These four techniques are some of what I use in my own meditation. These are what I teach my students and clients when they first start learning to meditate. It helps them to make the fastest progress in their spiritual process, and these techniques serve for a long time to come. 1. Using Your Breathing 2. Using Mantra & Affirmation 3. Using Your Subtle Energy 4. Using Your Ajna Chakra Let's look at each of these in detail. You can read on below and even watch the short video I have done on each technique.  Breathing is a key instrument for both the practice of meditation and many of yogic practices. That is because breathing is so intimately connected with your life force or energy. With each breath you are controlling that energy within your body and keeping it alive, mostly unconsciously. But with regular spiritual practices from an authentic tradition of yoga and meditation, you start becoming more aware of this subtle energy that is connected to your breathing. In the beginning it is important to learn as much as you can about your own breathing process. This can only happen by observation. So we start by giving attention to the flow of the breath and focusing on that. I can appreciate that it may seem unimportant, insignificant and even boring in the beginning. I felt like that in the beginning many years ago when meditation was a struggle for me. But there is actually so much more to see! Your breathing has this mysterious connection to the spiritual energy within you. And you just need to learn to see it by paying close attention to your breath. Here are some features of your breath that you can observe to build your focus: 1. The flow of the breath. Observe the feeling of the air moving through the air passageways, in and out of the lungs, filling and emptying. Notice the coolness, the warmth, the gentle feeling on the skin and surfaces of your body. 2. The muscles used for breathing. Notice the breathing apparatus, all the different muscles that are engaged with each inhale and exhale. In particular try to become more observant of the diaphragm, that all important muscle at the base of your lungs. It is the main mover of your breathing process. 3. The sound of the breath as it moves. As you breathe if you are really attentive and observant you may notice that you breathing creates a sound. Its the sound of the air flowing in and out. It is a similar sound to listening to a seashell or the waves washing on the shore. 4. The subtle energy sensations. This is much harder to observe. Only when you are becoming more spiritually conscious will this flow of energy reveal itself when you are breathing. But when it does, it becomes almost effortless to focus... because it is so fascinating to observe your own flow of energy the breath. Check out this short video where I guide you through the process of using your breathing to build focus. Keep reading for the next three techniques on building focus in meditation...  The next technique is very accessible but I would advise developing your skill with using your breathing first. When you feel comfortable with the breathing then you can introduce using mantra and affirmation to take you further. An affirmation is a simple positive and empowering word that you repeat in the mind. You can start off by using a word such as "peace" or "love." All you need to do in this technique is, after you have become a bit calmer by working with your breathing, introduce the affirmation in your mind. When you breathe in, repeat the word peace. When you breathe out repeat the word peace. The key is really to slow down as you do this. Slow down your breathing, so it is a nice steady rhythm. Slow down the repeating in the mind and just gently say the affirmation to yourself. As you do this the mind will become steadier and it will start to focus on the affirmation. Using a Mantra The next level of this technique is to use a mantra. A mantra is a special formula in the ancient language of Sanskrit. It holds greater power than just an affirmation. There is a lot to be explained about mantras and their spiritual power, but I will leave that for another time. An easy mantra to begin using is the sound "OM." You will use it in the same way as the affirmation. When you breathe in repeat the sound OM in your mind. When you breathe out repeat the sound. After a few repetitions you can notice the effect on your mind. But using a mantra can sometimes be more difficult. That is because it is not only focusing the mind, it is also having a subtle spiritual effect, trying to cleanse your energy body. For this reason it can sometimes bring up deeper restlessness in the mind, or even bring up suppressed emotions. But if you stay with the process, committed to repeating the mantra with your breath, you will experience its power. Check out this short video where I guide you through the process using mantra and affirmation to build focus. Keep reading to learn about how you can begin working with your subtle or spiritual energy...  This technique also depends on your skillfulness with the breathing. If you try it and find it difficult, that is because your energy awareness needs to grow a bit more before you can utilize this technique. It is much more advanced than the previous two. If you observe your breathing very carefully, the inhale and exhale; there is a moment that comes where there is a subtle impulse inside of you. It feels like it's coming just before you breathe in, and just before you breathe out. A sensation like its motivating or pushing or pulling the process of breathing. That subtle feeling is the flow of energy that is behind the physical breathing action. When you start feeling that you will realize that it flows along a particular path. It is flowing in what is called the Central Energy Channel. In Sanskrit it is called the Sushumna Nadi. What you want to do is begin paying attention to that subtle sensation of the energy flowing in that channel. When you inhale the energy is flowing upwards in the channel, and when you exhale its flowing downwards. Most people only feel this flow of energy in a very small part of the energy channel in the beginning. Or you may even feel it like a generalized sensation of something moving up and own inside your body. That is how it began for me. But as you pay attention to it, the awareness of it grows. This particular technique and the following one, really need to be learnt from a teacher directly. It is much more possible that way. Check out this short video where I guide you through the process beginning to access your subtle energy to build focus.Keep reading to learn the final technique, working with the Ajna Chakra.  This is the last technique that I will be sharing about building your focus. It is very much built on the previous three, but still can be learnt independently. I have seen that even persons trying meditation for the first time in their lives have been able to do it and can utilize it for amazing results. As you go deeper into your spiritual process, learning meditation and becoming even more energy aware, you will discover more of the power and possibility of this technique. It can take you from the very beginning of learning meditation all the way to the most advanced levels of practice. The technique is simple. When in meditation focus on that physical point between the eyebrows, the location of your Ajna Chakra. This is an energy center located in your subtle energy body. The energy center becomes stimulated when you focus at that point. Gently place your attention at the point between the eyebrows, keep your breathing steady and imagine that as you breathe, the breath is coming through that point. You may begin feeling some sensation there. Just notice that. If you are able to practice the mantra at the same time that is even more powerful - breathing, mantra and the focus on the point. As you keep the focus there even for just a minute you will begin feeling some effect. Whether it is a sensation of the energy building up, some physical sensations, perhaps a feeling of your mind become steady and clear... all of these may come, or even some other that I have not mentioned. Just try to stay with it for a few minutes and then relax and let go of the focus. Let go of the practice completely when you are finished. Do not make attempts to do it outside of your meditation practice. Better to keep this technique confined to your sitting meditation. Check out this short video where I guide you through the process of learning to work with your chakra to build focus. |
 | Start Meditating TodayI began writing this book in 2023 and finished/published in 2024. It is the product of my over 30 years of practicing Yoga, and 8 years of teaching Yoga and meditation. In it I share many practices, techniques and concepts to begin meditating deeply and experiencing the rewards of meditation. |
1 Comment
Archives
November 2024
October 2024
August 2024
July 2024
June 2023
Buy my book on Amazon.
RSS Feed