I lead a hectic life, and I routinely need to devote my attention to many diverse tasks simultaneously, which loses my focus and concentration. Meditation is a solution to this scatteredness: if you practice, if you train your mind to become aware of one thing at a time. This leads to the capability of increasing your focus and concentration.
Can meditation help improve my focus? Yes! Meditation has the power to improve your focus, help you concentrate, and you can use this as a way to boost procrastination- when, of course, practiced consistently.
It may be hard to believe that sitting on the ground, closing the eye for a couple of minutes, and breathing deeply could positively affect the brain. During an interview with Dr. Sal Raichbach, Ambrosia Treatment Center’s PsyF LCSW explains why mindfulness works very efficiently.
He said that meditation is a superb method for increasing happiness and reducing stress. It also helps the capability of the person to concentrate. Many people consider meditation a trance-like condition where the mind is totally at rest; however, that is not necessarily the reality.
How Meditation Can Help Improve Your Focus and Concentration?
Your mind is lost in thought 47% of the time; this is according to Harvard University researchers. For students, this thinking regularly stems from worrying about the future and dwelling on the past. Worrying about the future can lead to depression and sadness, and dwelling on the past can generate anxiety and stress. If taken for granted, the feeling can grow overwhelming.
Meditation can assist pull a person away from the boundless “what ifs” and “what could have been.”
Experts at the Columbia University Medical Center assert meditation is able to change the framework or structure and function of your brain through relaxation that can:
- Reduce depression, anxiety, and stress
- Improve learning concentration and focus
- Improve attention and memory span
- Develop stronger immune system as well as greater psychological and physical resilience
- Allow better sleep
Even if all types of meditation aim for the same goal, specific types are more reliable and productive for different individuals. Some take account of:
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is one of the most effective and renowned ways to boost focus and concentration. Can you think of any duty that can be done without giving your full attention? A lot of activities, including playing music, sports, reading, driving, etc., need a high level of focus. What is more, you tend to derive fulfillment from homing in on and completing one chosen duty than from trying to cope with many at one go. If you train your mind to keep present and focused solely on one thing, a physical sensation or the breathing process, for instance, you are able to learn how to let go of other thoughts as well as distractions.
There is a lot of freedom in figuring out that you do not need to pay attention to each small thing that comes into your brain. If you are able to be aware and alert at will, your capability to focus naturally improves.
Zen Meditation
Guiseppe Pagnoni, a neuroscientist from Italy, conducted a research where he evaluated the functions of the brain of a dozen long-term practitioners of Zen Meditations and many individuals of the same profiles who weren’t used to meditation. Research shows that he discovered that the meditator’s mind was more stable than other groups, and their capability to concentrate was terrific. This is not surprising, provided that the rigorous ways which are central to Zen Meditation practice.
Counting Breath Cycles
According to recent research, deep breathing has a constructive effect on human beings’ bodies since it assists in dealing more expertly with pressure and stress. A lot of advanced industries have rooms for meditations and motivate workers to take a break, relax as well as concentrate on their breathing.
Counting breathing cycles is one method of meditation that is useful for people who find it hard to focus. This method takes mindfulness a step further by providing you a vibrant undertaking: count inhale, exhale, one, inhale-exhale, two, and so forth. Remaining totally aware during this course is a dominant training in focus- a lot of people perceive that their minds have wandered before they are able to count to three. And with patience and time, their capability to concentrate improves.
Attention and Meditation
Continued attention researches show that those who practice or follow guided meditation for concentration on one specific undertaking are able to finish it successfully than non-meditators. Also, they perform well when the job assigned was totally unexpected, a sign that vigilance and preparedness boos with consistent meditation.
Executive Control Attentions: This kind of attention slows down the tendency of the brain to deliberately process hindering information, which includes thoughts that relate to past or future occurrences. Frequent mindfulness meditators were found to do well in executive control attentions as opposed to non-meditators.
Selective Attention: Meditators have an edge with regards to choosing the most pertinent stimuli to concentrate on. People who practice time and again can restrict how much attention they pay to unrelated sensory input and, as a result, do well in duties needing selective attention.
Is Guided Meditation Help Improve Focus and Concentration?
Some people find meditation to be challenging; if you experience the same thing, try a guided meditation. Here, the instructor will guide you in your meditation class. The session can be at your residence or with friends or other students. Practicing this kind of meditation seems easier; however, you need to be vigilant as the comfort of being guided as well as following orders is very soothing, which your mind will wish to wander. As a meditator, your job is to perceive when that takes place to go back to the session.
You can practice concentration meditation anytime you want. You can teach yourself to live in the moment and be aware of thought as it comes and goes. Think of doing your daily chores mindfully. Like for instance, when eating, try to feel the flavor and texture of the food as you grind and make a note of the diverse feelings in your body. There is a dire lot happening there; your mouth is involved, many muscles are working, salivary glands are working in chewing as well as swallowing. Avoid doing anything else! Avoid listening to music, creating a shopping list, reading the news, checking your phone. Just eat and figure out that you are eating. Utilize this act of eating or connecting in another task to build up your focus by keeping one-pointedly concentrated on the undertaking at hand.
Proper Meditation Technique to Improve Focus and Concentration
Meditation is considered a common and popular way for relieving stress which considerably improves your capability to focus and concentrate. Focus is the capability to pay close attention to a single thing at the cost of all others, which is hard in a society that emphasizes success and multitasking. Improving the capability to concentrate is able to foster creativity, reduce the stress related to handling many tasks altogether and promote skills in solving issues.
Step One: Pay Attention to Breathing
When meditating, the object is to concentrate on one object and free up other thoughts. If you have difficulty paying attention to one thing, this can be hard and overwhelming. A simple way to start is to just pay attention to your breathing.
Sit on the ground in a comfortable position, so you are not abstracted by body pain, close your eyes, and then pay attention to your breathing. Inhale and exhale, don’t try to manage the depth or rate of your breath
When thoughts try to enter your mind, let them die away as you refocus on paying attention to your breathing. Feel the air flowing down your throat and feel your stomach expand. Stay in that position if you can.
Step Two: Stop Moving
Some of us are restless. Sitting rightly or faultlessly is still a relatively foreign practice; however, it can assist you to concentrate by means of putting you in the power of your body rather than being handled by the comfort. Sit comfortably. Close your eyes; try not to move. You will find yourself attacked by itches, joints, and muscles protesting, hairs prickling your face, etc. Unless you are experiencing too much pain aside from regular uneasiness, do not yield to anything. The concentration needed to disregard your body and sit rightly will calm your brain and improve your capability to focus in due course.
Step Three: Using a Mantra
The moment you get at ease with your position, and you are able to pay attention to your breathing for a long period without any issues, your next step is to bring in a mantra. Mantra refers to a repeated word, phrase, or syllable which helps you concentrate. During the process of meditation, repeat your mantra again and again. This will improve your capability to focus on one thing continually.
Is Meditation Worth a Try?
Meditation isn’t a panacea; however, there are a lot of proofs and evidence that this practice might do some good for people who practice it on a regular basis, which includes improving focus and concentration.
Sources:
https://www.gaiam.com/blogs/discover/how-to-increase-your-focus-through-meditation#
