Beat Distractions and Master Focus
You are here, you have the desire to concentrate. This itself is good, you are already focused. You are aware that you want to be focused and you are aware you are getting distracted, that means you are focused.
Concentration is – trying to focus the mind on one point against its nature. You are trying to focus your mind to stay in one place, which is not its nature. The mind jumps from one thing to another and it goes from something which is charming to something which is even more charming.
So we are forcing our minds. Children get under so much stress and tension because their mind is forced into something which is not to their natural taste. They are forced to study such topics for which they have the least inclination. Then, it causes so much strain.
Distractions : The Uninvited Guests
You know, with our eyes closed, we get lost in our own thoughts, in our dreams. Eyes open, we are lost outside here. Eyes open, you’re lost in this dimension. Eyes closed, you just drift away and you are lost in another dimension.
Distractions happen because the mind jumps from one thing to another. The mind always flows towards something that is even more charming. When you are having very good food then you are attentive to the food. However, when something on television comes or beautiful scenery comes, you forget about the food and watch the scenery. Your mind goes from this to that. Your mind always goes from one thing to another and it always goes to something that is more enjoyable. At least, it perceives that something is more joyful. It may not really be the source of joy. In fact, it is not.
Understand Them
Observe what is distracting you. Continuous bombardment of senses by stimuli can cause inertia. For example, If you are watching too many movies. When you watch too many movies, the mind is bombarded with so many impressions and so the mind feels so confused. It has become a habit to watch movies. So cut down on movies for one week.
See that you cannot directly control the mind. It’s not possible. Through practice and experience the mind will settle down.
Invited Distractions are Good!
Drop whatever you are doing and do something completely irrelevant, e.g. while decorating your house, take a moment off to cut grass, or go shopping! When you are doing something very important, take a moment off to do something irrelevant and insignificant. This enhances your creativity. Relevant action keeps you bound to the action. Irrelevant action makes life a game!
Friends of Concentration
Love :
If you love something you don’t need to focus. The focus is already there. Love brings focus along with it. Suppose you like a dish, or you like a movie, then for two or three hours you are really focused. Your focus stays on the television, on the screen because you like something. The mind gets focused when there is a liking for it.
Greed & Fear :
Greed may help you focus in a place you don’t love. So, one can be greedy to get the desired result, but not at any cost. For example, a little bit of greed for knowledge is okay, but when you want to know more, you want to learn, you want to quickly attain the highest, that propels you (helps focus) but if it is too much then you know you are spoiling it.
But when there is greed, automatically fear takes the focus along with it. Fear of failure makes you more keen and dynamic. Fear keeps you on the path. Because fear is love standing upside down, everything that can be interpreted with love can also be interpreted with fear. For example, a child has a pinch of fear, so s/he is careful and alert (focused) while walking
Dispassion :
Dispassion can bring focus. It is not something that you force yourself to practice and say, ‘I am going to be dispassionate’. The mind says, ‘You want to do this’ and you say, ‘No, I need to be dispassionate’. It is not an intellectual exercise but a phenomenon.
The cravings of the mind can stop you from being in the present moment. Dispassion connects you to the present moment so totally that you can be 100% in all that you do. It gives joy, contentment & strength.
Breath :
Breathing can focus your mind. The breath has an effect on your brain and your mind. Have you noticed how you breathe when you are angry, or excited, or sad or very relaxed? As you are reading, just observe how you are breathing. There is a certain rhythm to our breath. And if one cannot handle the mind directly, one can do that through the breath. Yoga, Pranayama and Sudarshan Kriya make it so easy and fun!
If you can control your breath then know that you can control your mind.
~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Have you ever wondered why we have two nostrils? We could have had one big hole! There is a reason! When you breathe through your left nostril, it affects the right side of your brain, and when you breathe through the right nostril, it affects the left side of the brain. Scientists have recently found that when you breathe through the right nostril, the metabolism in your body is twice as much as when you breathe through the left nostril.
BFF of Concentration: Meditation
Concentration involves a lot of effort. Meditation is effortless!
Concentration is the result of meditation – it is not meditation itself. How?
When the mind takes the deepest rest, it becomes so fresh and alive. And after that deep rest, your concentration is spontaneous. It’s natural. Concentration becomes effortless, without strain.
Meditation unfortunately is understood to be another concentration or contemplation in many parts of the world. But it is not. Meditation is the art of doing nothing. It’s the skill by which you make your mind become quiet and do nothing and experience the vastness of space deep within. So, effortlessness is the key to meditation. And if we can do a few minutes of meditation, you will find that concentration has improved and your intellectual abilities are boosted.
Meditation sharpens the mind through focus and expands the mind through relaxation.
~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
While you sit for meditation you have to let the world be the way it is. The repetition of meditation is to habituate our system to be able to stop and start activity at will. The ability to do this consciously is a very precious skill.
However, the previous generation had more time so they could sit and do guided meditation and all other long-time meditations, long hours of meditation. But in the current generation, where there are so many stimuli, you need to work more with the breath and it is more effective.
Concentration is a byproduct of meditation. You can’t directly achieve concentration, but if you meditate for a few minutes, your mind will be very focused, and concentration happens to you.
Master your distractions with increased focus by learning Pranayamas and the most dynamic breathing technique – Sudarshan KriyaTM.
