Improving Concentration

How to Improve Your Concentration Power

Do you have trouble staying focused on the task at hand? Is your attention span only slightly better than that of a two year old? Do you find it hard to battle distractions? If yes, then what you need are some exercises that can help you put a rein on your wandering mind!

Exercises to Improve Your Concentration Power

Mind-Clearing Exercise This exercise is useful for people who have never mediated and have extremely low attention spans. The mind clearing exercise is a form of guided meditation that allows you to literally clear your mind of all stray thoughts and anxiety. It is a good idea to record the following steps (apart from the first two) in your own voice on tape with a two-minute gap of silence between each step and play it in the morning before heading off for work.

Step 1 Lie down or sit in a comfortable position.

Step 2 Close your eyes.

Step 3 Focus on your breathing and begin taking deep even breaths.

Step 4 Imagine you are taking in light and energy with every in-breath and exhaling all your stress and anxiety with every out-breath.

Step 5

Step 6 Feel your scalp relax as the beam of light penetrates into it.

Step 7 Let this beam of light circulate in your head.

Step 8 Imagine all your thoughts are dissolving away into this white light.

Step 9 Now imagine four windows have opened up in your head, allowing the white light to leave your mind and taking away with it all your thoughts, stress and anxiety.

Step 10 Relax.

Step 11 Slowly open your eyes.

Meditation Meditation can help you train your mind to focus on a certain task without falling for any tempting distractions. The root of being able to meditate involves focusing on a mundane task like your breathing or a chant for a certain period of time. In the beginning you may have trouble controlling your rebellious mind, but with regular practice and persistence you will be able to build your concentration powers. As you improve your ability to focus, you will soon learn to adapt your meditative state into regular activities such as cleaning, showering, cutting the grass – the possibilities are endless!

Deep Breathing in Regular Breaks All work and no play makes both you and Jack dull and distracted people! If you try to work too hard or focus on something for long periods of time without taking little breaks, you are bound to lose interest and get distracted after a while. It is therefore important to take mini-breaks to relax your mind from time to time. At what intervals, you may ask? Well, that is completely up to you. If you have a short attention span you may need to take a two-minute break to do the following exercise after every hour, while others can take a break every two or three hours.

Step 1 Close your eyes and sit down in a comfortable position.

Step 2 Take a few deep breaths.

Step 3 Imagine yourself in a beautiful place: a garden, beach, valley -- take your pick.

Step 4 Fill your senses with the fresh air of your beautiful paradise.

Step 5 Spend a minute or two reveling in the relaxing sensations reverberating through your body.

Step 6 Relax.

Step 7 Open your eyes.

Concentration essentially is about mind control, and while the technique suggested in these exercise may be different, the aim of each of them is to teach you how to rein in your wandering mind. These skills are easily transferrable when we find ourselves in situations where we really need to focus on the task at hand. Relieving stress and anxiety is a great way to keep your physical body in a balanced state of wellness.

Until next time, embrace your inner wisdom.

Namaste,
Karen