The first rule of focus is “Wherever you are, be there”. – Source Unknown

Photo Courtesy of Harshad Sharma

There is no doubt that increased levels of focus and concentration can do wonders to our lives. Being able to focus on current task without distractions, without interrupting thoughts would make our productivity levels jump. While removing external distractions and getting organized do help staying focussed and be more productive, they do not help in raising our focus levels.

Staying focussed is a practice. And like anything else, the more we practice, the better we get at it. How to get razor sharp focus? Following is one of the several techniques one can use to raise levels of focus and concentration:

Focussed Meditation Technique:

Choose a location
Choose a place where you can meditate without distractions – no phones, no people, less noise etc. The idea is to avoid as many distractions as possible. Over a period of time however, with enough practice you will be able to meditate whenever and wherever you want.

Choose your sitting position
While crossed legged position is the most commonly used sitting position, it is not compulsory. Sit in a position you are comfortable in. In which you can relax and not fidget too much.

You can also try standing and sleeping positions if you want to. Standing for long period of time is very uncomfortable. And in sleeping position, the risk is of actually falling asleep.

Choose any object
Choose any object you would like to focus upon. A candle flame, a rose, an idol are commonly used. But you need not be limited to these. A pen, a ball, a tree, a plant, a book, a bottle, a picture … anything that catches your fancy will do. Only conditions are:

• a. The object should be at eye level – now you don’t want to strain your neck, do you?
• b. The object should be of adequate size – not so small that you have to squint and not as large as a cupboard or wall. The idea is to focus on something specific.

Using eyes – visual sense is very common. Feel free to try out auditory, tactile and olfactory senses as well. I find focussing with eyes on a concrete object easier. It is very difficult to focus with help of other senses on scent of incense, touch of wind, music etc.

Focus the object
Focus the object. Observe it. And keep observing it. Concentrate on it with everything that you have got. Concentrate with your entire mind. Don’t think about anything. Let your mind be thought free. Just see the object.

Keep focussing
It is all right to lose focus. If you find getting lost in thoughts or getting distracted, don’t beat yourself up. Simply acknowledge you lost focus and re-focus. Thinking about how you lost focus or can’t focus is also not focussing and is getting distracted.

That’s it. This might sound easy but it’s not. If you would like to see how much have you progressed, focus for same amount of time everyday. Everytime you lose focus, make a mark on a piece of paper. Your goal is to be mark free