#52 - Concentration

It is often that the minds of people keep wandering here and there while doing something important.

When you have to run in circles and try to accomplish your goal, but the chaos is so intense that your eyes do not see clearly. And it is a fact that when vision is blurred, it doesn’t lead to any successful outcome.

In effect, things are not completed and possibly the mind is filled with dissatisfaction or maybe even blame.

There are so many problems that could be solved if there were only time and the ability to sit and dig deep while being fully concentrated on the important matter.

Master the concentration and you will be able to master "anything".

(However, some "mind wandering" might be positive as it can bring new ideas, but it's undesirable if we are not able to focus while we need it, but more about in the future months.)

There are really many different scenarios to touch this topic. But, as always we are going to focus on the practical part. We have talked about 8 limbs of yoga and concentration is number 6 on the list.

This week you are going to focus on developing the Concentration in reference to the path towards Samadhi. But, improving concentration will also influence many other parts of your life.

BTW. What do you think about this?

Each day thousands of different electromagnetic impulses (thoughts) 'happen' to occur. Each one of them is the energy and a cost certain amount of it in order to exist. Imagine calming down all this chaos. That could theoretically create an energy surplus, that might be used in a desirable way. We might deduct that in this scenario every single thought would have a power of "thousand".

You might have not heard about this method for concentration, but the information below might be handy for you or those you share your knowledge with.

The Tratak Kriya is considered by many Yogis to be one of the best ways to increase concentration and calm the mind.

This increases the power to focus on anything. Along with this, the body and muscles also get relaxed. Tratak is a method used for increasing concentration for centuries, also supposedly is good for the eyes. It also strengthens eye muscles and improves vision. It also is believed to help in keeping insomnia away.

Here are some potential benefits of Tratak Kriya that you might gain. Observe and see which one experience.

• Relieved mental stress;

• Relieved headache or migraine;

• Decreased insomnia or sleeping difficulties;

• Freedom from negative thoughts;

• Increased concentration;

• Decreased anger issues;

• Sharpened eyesight;

Obviously, the benefits list above is when applying this technique in daily routine for at least a couple of weeks. Nothing happens after only one trial, it should be done for some period of time where you would be able to observe and actually notice the changes. Also, have some own experience on the positive impact of this method as the wise saying “you don’t know until you try”. Remember to make sure you do all and any exercises safely, and listen to your body.

Precautions to be taken during Tratak Kriya:

• Choose a dark and quiet room;

• Never do it if you have eye problems;

• The lamp's light must be constant and at eye level;

Step by step instructions:

• Choose a quiet dark space.

• Sit straight but comfortably in any meditative posture.

• Relax, but keep your spine straight, remain awake and vigilant. Keep your head, neck, back straight.

• Get a source of light like a lamp, candle, or any lit point which is 1 meter away, the flame is at the same level with eyes. Meaning you have to look with your pupils straight forward at the light source.

• When eyes start to water, close them slowly and focus on the after image.

• When the image starts to disappear, open your eyes and keep the focus.

You can start with 5 minutes and increase to 30 - 40 min. After exercise wash your eyes with cold water. Practice it every day, or at least three times a week. It is important to step up to climb on the stairs to dive deeper within.

By mastering this technique you could increase your mindfulness and develop the ability to fully engage in tasks. Not only, but you might even become a noticeably attentive person and surely it’s a positive attribute to you when it comes to interpersonal relationships, communication and understanding others.

OM… Peace… Amen…

Mantra Meditation, one of many ways to get to point of calmness and peace of mind. It’s about tuning into certain sounds, as you repeat them many times.

The goal is to also celebrate the space between sounds. You can use different sounds and words, but people believe that each mantra sound has some frequency and healing power.

I won’t talk about all the great benefits, as they are very similar to all meditative practices.

Do I think it is powerful? Very subtle changes accumulate over time. It gets interesting when done in large groups.

Pick up a mantra intuitively for yourself, and try to work with it for the whole week. It should be composed of only a few words or a syllabus. The mantra may be imbued with meaning. Repeat steadily as a way to engage your mind rather than think about meaning.

Celebrate space between the words, by paying attention to them. It’s recommended to prepare your body before start. Like always before meditation, do some Asanas (stretching) then Pranayama (calming breath), and sit in a meditative position.

You can use a recording to start with. If you feel that it's good for you. Look for recording on Youtube which contains harmonizing sounds (LAM - VAM - RAM - YAM - HAM- OM - AUM) connected to 7 centers of energy (more about it in future months). Or any other one that will be connected to your belief.

Try to repeat it out loud while always concentrating as much as you can. Another time try to only repeat it in your mind, which means without moving your lips. As thoughts arise, simply return to the mantra, knowing this is a natural part of the process. Gently bring your attention back to the mantra, again and again, experiencing the internal sound as fully as possible.

Another step is to try without recording, use MALA instead. Or if you are Christian look for a rosary or other types of beads connected to your belief.

The step afterward is to try to do it without beads, in silence repeating the mantra in mind.

This week we learned about two methods to improve your focus. Practice regularly and see how it turned out for you. Or even invent your own concentration method which will become your habit that you apply in your daily life.

To be able to focus on one thing at a time is a crucial capability both in spiritual practice, as well as in everyday life. Like any other skill, it can be developed with time. As a side effect, you will be granted great self-awareness, therefore you won't waste life force on things that are not wholesome.

More you practice one exercise over and over it will become a regularity, and regularity is a key to developing habits. Therefore developing good habits will direct you to your sacred path to reach your full potential and become your own guru.

Good luck!