Meditation Techniques for Concentration

There are so many times our mind refuses to concentrate on something. So many times you are just physically present somewhere and your mind strays away somewhere else. At times, you want to concentrate but you just cannot do it. It happens at work place, school, during lectures, sometimes even while cooking or watching TV. Many times you just cannot control the wandering mind which does not allow you to concentrate. But now you can learn to control your mind by following some simple meditation techniques for concentration.

Meditation techniques for concentration not only help you sharpen your brain but they are also helpful for your physical well-being. Meditation helps you improve and revitalize your overall health. In ancient times, saints and sages used to practice yoga meditation to have the total control over mind, body, and soul. But meditation has nothing to do with culture or religion. Any body can practice meditation, following different types of meditation techniques for concentration. Meditation is all about combining body and mind together to change the brain chemistry, which helps you attain the psychological and emotional balance. According to doctors and psychologists, meditation is a scientific technique that alters the function and format of the brain. It is the scientific way of channelizing your inert energies towards a target in a focused manner. Regular practice of various methods of meditation, improves the process of thinking, learning, and other cognitive abilities.

Meditative Breathing Technique
This is the counting in breaths meditation techniques for concentration. All you have to do in this technique is close your eyes and breath in a particular rhythm. It is one of the great meditation techniques to learning. You can perform the breathing meditation by following the further mentioned steps.

• Before starting breathing meditation, you need to calm down your self and wear some comfortable clothes.
• Once you are relaxed, sit comfortably on the floor or a mat. Do not sit with a hunched back, keep your spine upright, as it helps you take in more oxygen.
• Fold your legs and place your hands comfortably on your lap.
• Now start deep breathing and when you take in the air hold it for some time (count till four) and then release.
• Do this continuously and feel the whole process of breathing. Recognize when the oxygen travels from nose to lungs and then spreads to the entire body revitalizing them.
• In the same manner, pay attention when you exhale out the air.
• Maintain the same rhythm throughout, and do this for minimum 10 minutes.

Object Focus Technique
As the name suggests, in this technique, a person needs to focus his or her attention on a particular object. This is one of the effective meditation techniques for concentration. It is also one of the effective meditation techniques for studying.

• First you need to sit comfortably and wear comfortable clothes. Choose the location where there is silence.
• Then choose the object for concentration. You may choose a piece of paper, a glass, a painting, or any other object.
• Once you choose the object, start staring at the object. Try to notice all its details and ignore everything apart from that object.
• Now notice one specific thing on that object and focus your attention to that point. For example, if you are staring at a flower painting, then focus on one of its petals. This helps you zero in your mind and attention.
• While concentrating, continue deep breathing and feel the breaths. Follow this process for minimum 10-15 minutes.

Meditative Counting Technique
This technique involves simultaneous breathing and counting. You can practice this technique by following the below given process.

• Like other meditation techniques for concentration, first you need to relax your body by sitting in a comfortable position and by wearing comfortable clothes.
• Once you are ready, start deep breathing in a rhythmic flow.
• Now close your eyes and start counting from one to a particular number, say 100. then repeat this. You can also start counting backward, that is from 100 to 1. This gives more exercise to your brain.
• While counting, you can count with the same speed for some time and then slowly increase the speed. Again come back to the normal speed. Try different speed variations in this technique. You can also take different set of numbers for counting.
• You can also combine this technique with object focus technique for better results.

Apart from this, you can also try Buddhist meditation, Vipassana meditation, and Zen to get the peace of mind and relaxation. These techniques help you relieve mental as well as physical stress. Meditation is one of the best exercises for brain. Not only adults, but children can also follow these meditation techniques for memory. Children with low attention span can use these meditation techniques. Children with various psychological and mental disorders can also follow the above meditation techniques as meditation exercises. Children generally are very hyperactive and over imaginative. These meditation techniques for children will help them calm down and think logically and will channelize their ideas in a constructive manner.