Meditation has been around for hundreds of thousands of years, originating from Buddhist and Hindu traditions, and in today’s contemporary world, it is practiced by masses all over the world. There are many benefits of meditation, including reducing stress and anxiety, enhancing attentiveness, regulating emotions, and improving concentration.
We all know how challenging maintaining concentration is, with so many distractors around us. Practicing meditation can help you achieve a stable mind free of any clutter, so your concentration increases resulting in more productivity.
If you want to learn about some of the best techniques for meditation to boost your concentration, keep on reading.
Focused Meditation
One of the top meditation techniques for concentration is focused mediation, involving intense focus on something to stay in the present, calming your inner self, increasing concentration. It allows you to activate your senses, focusing on different stimuli such as sounds, tactile sensations, visions, tastes, and smells. Focused meditation helps improve attention and long-term focus. It works in such a way that your shift your full attention to one particular thing and ignore all the other external distractions.
Focus meditation is also beneficial for improving emotional regulation, where you learn how to stay in tune with your feelings without over-fixating on them.
How Can You Practice Focused Meditation?
Here’s what you need to do step-by-step for focused meditation. Initially, start with a five to ten minutes session and build it up as you go. Make sure you are in a quiet and calm space without any interruptions.
Step 1: You first need to choose a focus point. It can be a sound, an object, a sensation, or if you’re a beginner, you can also select your breathing as a target or moon gazing.
Step 2: Sit upright, but make sure you are in a comfortable position. You can sit on a chair or on the ground with crossed legs. And, then relax your body, loosening up your shoulders, chest, and belly while maintaining a straight posture.
Step 3: Start paying complete attention to the target —zero in on the focal point with all your senses. For instance, if you’ve chosen to focus on your breath, pay attention to all the sensations you feel as you are inhaling and exhaling each breath.
Step 4: Calm your inner dialogue. That’s the primary purpose of meditation. Try not to think about miscellaneous things such as the time of the day, tonight’s dinner, a dog barking in the distance, your favorite shirt you can’t find, or anything else.
Mindfulness Meditation
Another effective meditation that improves concentration is practicing mindfulness. It works in the same way as focused meditation; however, it solely focuses on breathing patterns. You train your mind to be present in a moment while letting go of external thoughts and distractions. It’s rewarding to know your mind doesn’t react to every emerging thought, giving you control and enhancing your capability to concentrate.
How Can You Practice Mindfulness Meditation?
Mindfulness can be practiced in the same way as focused meditation, which is to take some time out of your day, sit in an upright yet comfortable position, pay attention to your breathing and experience all the sensations as you inhale and exhale, observe your thoughts as they pop and let them pass.
Mantra Meditation
During mantra mediation, you focus on mantras, including words, syllables, or phrases – the most popular mantra being “om.” It works best when those overwhelming thoughts take over your mind. So, you shift your attention to something else, leaving you in a calmer and more positive state than before.
How Can You Practice Mantra Meditation?
Here’s a quick step by step on how you can practice mantra meditation:
Step 1: Find a quiet, peaceful place and set yourself in a relaxed and aligned position.
Step 2: Choose a resonating mantra such as I am worthy, I can do it or even om.
Step 3: Repeat the mantra for 5-10 minutes.
Step 4: Feel the vibration throughout your whole body. Please make sure you are aware of the mantra and not mindlessly chanting it. If a distraction occurs, focus on the mantra again.
Zen Meditation
Zen meditation, popularly known as Zazen, is a Buddhist mediation technique that helps regulate attention and concentration. It involves being aware of our physical surroundings without narrowing our focus on a specific stimulus. In easier words, it’s the practice where you think about not thinking. The goal is to experience reflexive awareness, keep the mind from wandering, and tap into your inner self.
How Can You Practice Zen Meditation?
Here’s a brief step by step guide on how you can practice ZaZen:
Step 1: Find a suitable space.
Step 2: Get in a comfortable position in front of a wall. Your eyes should fall to the wall’s bottom as you meditate.
Step 3: Gently breathe in and out with your tongue pressed towards the roof of your mouth and chin tucked forward.
Step 4: Keep your eyes slightly open, so you are cognizant of your environment.
Visualization Meditation
Visualization mediation is another effective meditation to boost attentiveness. It works in the same manner as other meditation techniques– directing your focus on one thing and ignoring the rest. In this meditation, the focus is on an imaginary visual, which could be anything or anyone.
How Can You Practice Visualization Meditation?
Here’s a quick step by step guide on how you can practice visualization meditation:
Step 1: Get in a comfy position with your back straight and close your eyes.
Step 2: Picture something or someone in your mind, for instance, something negative you want to let go of.
Step 3: Keep your focus on the chosen visual.
Step 4: Observe any sensations arising in your body. However, do not react to them.
Our Final Thoughts
Our lives are incredibly hectic, with our attention being all over the place. Meditation is an excellent way to tackle that by training our minds to stay aware of the present moment, increasing our ability to concentrate. Some of the top meditation techniques for concentration include focused meditation, mindfulness, Zazen, and visualization.
