An exercise to boost your concentration span
Wed, 08/15/2007 - 21:02 — Shane Magee
As life gets busier and busier, and the world becomes filled with more things to distract and scatter our attention, it can become harder to focus one one thing. However developing your concentration power can reap tremendous rewards in terms of clarity, productivity and efficiency in your life, and it can be done with just a few minutes practise every day.
Candles and flowers are very common objects of concentration. In this simple exercise, we will talk about the candle; similar principles apply for the flower. Sit with your back straight, and place the burning candle at eye level. Gradually bring your attention to a tiny part of the candle flame, for example, the very tip of the flame.
Many people get a headache when they try to concentrate because they mistakenly use their tension-filled minds. A much easier way to concentrate is to use the heart, in the middle of the chest. When you breath in, feel that your breath, like a golden thread, is coming from the candle and entering into your heart. And when you breath out, feel that your breath, feel that the light is leaving the heart, passing through your third eye (a powerful concentration point in the middle of your forehead just above your two eyebrows), and then entering into the object of concentration. Try to feel that nothing else exists except you and the object you are focusing on.
You can also use your power of concentration to identify with the object's existence: try to feel on the inbreath that the existence of the flame, and the qualities it embodies such as radiance and aspiration, are entering into you and becoming part of your own existence. On the outbreath, feel that your existence is coming out from the centre of the chest and entering into the candle. In this way, you concentrate on the object to such an extent that you feel no separation between you and the object.
When you do this exercise, thoughts will invariably get in the way. When this happens, don't be annoyed or upset, just bring your attention back to the exercise. Rome wasn't built in a day, and similarly it will take time to rein in your mind. However, you should begin to notice some progress after only a couple of weeks of doing this exercise - it might be something has simple as being deluged with a hundred thoughts the week before, but only having seventy now! This progress inspires us to keep going and reduce the amount of interruption even further. Sometimes we first notice the progress not in our concentration practice but in our outer life - better ability to cope with tasks, less stress, more serenity - with practice, a simple exercise like this can have a powerful effect on your daily life.
Concentration smilingly and blessingfully asks me: "O seeker, do you want to accomplish ten most significant things in the short span of ten minutes, or do you want to accomplish only one thing?" I tell concentration that I would like to accomplish ten most significant things in the short span of ten minutes. Concentration blessingfully and proudly tells me: "Then come and be in my boat. I am your only boatman."
(excerpt from "My Hearts Peace-Offering" by Sri Chinmoy)
Photo taken by Prabhakar Street from his recent trip to Mongolia
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