How to Meditate for Focus and Concentration
A calming and relaxing experience can be obtained from meditation focus exercises. Concentration allows you to reduce emotions and mental activity and become still. If you develop strong concentration or focus meditation, the stress and problems of the day while meditating may disappear and peace and happiness may grow strong.
You will need twenty minutes or longer for this exercise. Closing your eyes is helpful, and the room needs to be as quiet as possible. Place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth behind your front teeth. It is easiest to do while sitting, but you can lie down. Allow yourself to be comfortable. If you like sitting on the floor cross legged, this is the best posture. It allows your spine to be straight and the breath to flow evenly. Sitting in a chair is a better option if sitting on the floor is uncomfortable. It is helpful to use a chair that will allow you to sit up straight, but it is important to be comfortable and stay that way through the entire exercise. If you need a chair like a recliner to be comfortable, do so, but try not to fall asleep.
Focus on the movement of your breath. Breathe naturally and do not influence the breath. Feel the breath moving outside your nostrils. Try not to focus on the breath moving inside the nose, but on the breath itself moving anywhere between the tip of your nose and your upper lip. It can be felt at the tip of your nose, the nostril area, or the upper lip. If this is not possible, go back to the area that you feel the breath the strongest, but always keep the focus to only one area each time you do the exercise.
The focus needs to be about the breath moving and not about the breath touching the skin around the nose. Use the nose to feel the breath, but it is all about the movement of the breath. The nose is just to help feel the breath. This may not be possible in the beginning. Just do your best and don’t give up.
Feel each and every in-breath and out-breath. When your mind pulls your focus away, bring it back to the breath. This exercise is different from most breathing exercises in that it is all about keeping your attention on the breath and letting go as quickly as possible any thoughts, emotions, or sensations. In the beginning, your mind will be busy and will pull you away from the breath often. Bring the focus back to the breath as quickly as possible. Over time your mind will calm, and you will have fewer and fewer thoughts pulling you away. Your focus on the breath will become stronger and more comforting. If thoughts come, that is natural; let them go and come back to the breath. After doing it for some time, you will find your breath becoming slower and quieter. Thoughts will slow to a trickle or stop. You may find your focus merging with the breath. With the increase in focus, happiness, balance, and peace will become stronger.
This meditation, from what I have read, has been practiced in one way or another for five thousand years, maybe longer. If it works, it produces a great feeling of joy, happiness, contentment, and peace. It is simple and highly recommended, but it requires dedicated time and is difficult to practice in the beginning. If it works, great. If it does not, do not give up as there are many other helpful exercises available.
