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IronGega
2nd June 2012, 09:03 PM
I'm practicing learning to be focused. Ever since I read the power of now, and have acually felt what it was like to be present I've been looking to discover how to do this.

I've come across many books and article that say "Mindfullness (Being present) is not a hour or 2 hour a day process, but a 24/7 process" This makes sense especially if you want to reprogram your mental habits to positive.

however, is it posslbe to over practice? I mean I know we have a "meditation/mindfull Muscle". Can it be over worked?

CFTraveler
2nd June 2012, 09:24 PM
It depends on who you ask. There are monks that practice mindfulness 24-7, but I wouldn't try it while driving a car. Or something that requires mindlessness, and yes, in life, sometimes it can backfire.

IronGega
3rd June 2012, 03:51 AM
've done this while driving, no problem. I don't have my eyes closed obviously

Korpo
4th June 2012, 12:33 PM
Mindfulness and concentration are two different skills, different enough to be listed as two separate components of the Noble Eightfold Path in Buddhism.

Concentration/focus is practiced by bringing your attention to one thing and staying with it - be it the breath, be it another meditation object. When you stray from it, you bring it back. This is an activity that can be practiced on the cushion.

Mindfulness is built on top of concentration, but is different from it. Mindfulness is being present to your experience in general, and that is not limited to sitting.

One could say building concentration is exclusive, in that it peals away distractions till the focus of meditation remains. One could also say mindfulness is inclusive, in that it tries to extend that quality developed in concentration training to more and more things in life. While this may sound like these are opposites, they are in a way two sides of the same coin and build on each other. A mind that effortlessly abides in concentration can be much more mindful than one who does not.

Another analogy is this: Concentration means building the tool for observation. Mindfulness means putting this tool for observation into use. By developing your concentration, the accuracy of your observations can be increased. But the act of observing is different from the training that builds the foundation for observing.

IronGega
4th June 2012, 05:17 PM
as far as I can tell, to Concentrate/focus is to focus on the present. I might be wrong but everytime I am focused as present. I suppose anyway I want to develop my ability to stay present.

I got a book called inner game to tennis. The author states that " The mental peak of performance from self 2 (The greater conciousness) The Mind must be let go. However, The Mind can't simply be let go passively. It must be kept still by the means of focusing it upon something in the here and now."
. I'
Ever since I felt the power of being present, that is being fearless and happy I've been devoted to developing it more.

I assume, developing concentration be a catalyst for mindfullness. I use my breath mainly any sugesting on what I can do to really improve my concentration, I do deal with ADHD >>.

jamboh
4th June 2012, 06:10 PM
I assume, developing concentration be a catalyst for mindfullness. I use my breath mainly any sugesting on what I can do to really improve my concentration, I do deal with ADHD >>.

I would second Korpo's explanation of concentration being apart from mindfulness.. as he said concentration is a tool, which can be used for many different purposes. The best and most compreshensive guide to concentration imo is mouni sadhu's "concentration: a guide to mental mastery", which is a wonderful book. I think you can get a pdf online somewhere as it's quite an old book. The exercises are pretty tough, but they are the real deal if you're serious about developing concentration.

IronGega
4th June 2012, 07:22 PM
LAWL

I acually have that book, I have to be honest it's a bit hard to read considering it seems alittle too wordy for me, but then again reading awordy book would be a good practice of concentration :P

farewell2arms
4th June 2012, 09:36 PM
LAWL

I acually have that book, I have to be honest it's a bit hard to read considering it seems alittle too wordy for me, but then again reading awordy book would be a good practice of concentration :P

The best way is probably to stay with the breath. Your breath is always in the present moment. It's also a good idea to really relax as much as possible. It actually helps to expand awareness which can help you focus more.

IronGega
4th June 2012, 11:54 PM
thATS what I do, but there are times I keep getting distracted

ButterflyWoman
5th June 2012, 02:54 AM
there are times I keep getting distracted
Everyone has this. It just takes practice, like many other things. The more you practice and exercise your power of concentration/focus, the more you'll be able to do it at will. It's just like doing sit-ups. The more you do, the more you CAN do. ;)

dreaming90
9th June 2012, 01:27 AM
I've been meditating on and off for over a year and I still have moments where my mind wanders, especially at the beginning of the session. It doesn't wander nearly as much as it used to, though. I've also gained the ability to trace my thoughts back to the stimulus that caused the wandering. It's a very interesting thing to do-- I feel like I've gained a lot of insight into how my mind works.

I can't seem to settle on any one object of concentration. Sometimes it's the breath, sometimes it's the image of a flower. I tend to like the flower because I can start with the image alone, then add the smell after a few minutes, then the texture, and so on until I'm immersed. But the breath seems to impart more of a calm, centered feeling.

atsguy
22nd June 2012, 05:17 AM
If you want to build your concentration and focus, you should start looking at it in a different way. Basically you are developing your brain. Think of the brain as like a muscle, and your level of concentration and focus determines your strength and how much you can "lift".

An olympic weight lifter or gymnast will train their body and develop certain aspects of it; strength, speed, stamina, flexibility, endurence, timing/reflexes... The brain also has a counterpart if you will to the body, but it goes more along the lines of:

Visualization ability, Concentration & focus, attention, thinking speed, silencing mental chatter...etc

Look up trataka, inner and outer gazing. Get to the point of being able to look at an object, or mental image for about 10 minuets. When you can do this turn on the radio or tv and practice looking at the object for 20 minuets. This will make it difficult because sounds from the radio will create images in your head and cause you to become distracted. Just work through the distraction.

I think i read that 1 hour of pure and intense mental focus on a single image or thought should be enough to reach the first level of samadhi (your brain releases various neurotransmitters and enzymes that speed up all brain function and shift your brain into a different operational mode)

Golden
25th July 2012, 12:51 PM
I have been meditating on specific objects. I am finding that I can focus better. My goal is to meditate for 1 hour with an image in mind.

atsguy
24th September 2012, 04:13 AM
I have read that yogis in the past would do trataka for 3 hours and had tremendous psychic power. Makes sense, focusing all your intent and concentration on a single point is incredibly invaluable for energy work, and all spiritual practices.

Trataka is amazing! Such a simple and extraordinary powerful exercise for developing focus and concentration. I have done allot of research on it and i think it should be the excercise to practice before going into other areas of spiritual/metaphysical training.

For one thing Trataka helps relax both the mind and body, by controlling the movements of the eyes. Throughout the day our eyes are constantly looking and moving around, and making micro movements to the faintest object that enters our attention. The stillness of our eyes could have direct relation to the stillness of our minds. Its a good idea to first practice trataka on an external image. Be it a dot on the wall, or a picture/object a few feet from you, or even the tip of your nose (holding your eyes to see the tip of your nose can be hard but it trains the eyes to hold their gaze in place).

Once you are proficient at looking at a external object with complete focus, then make it harder by adding distractions (turning on a radio or tv). Once this is mastered then it should be no problem to move to focusing and viewing internal images. Visualizing the third eye chakra for example or a specific intent onto a mental image, and slowly building up the time and using a distraction (radio is the best) to help you in training.

Then its just a process of increasing the time of training with trataka. The raw mental power a individual must have to sit down for an hour or more and have complete inner silence while focusing all their intent and concentration on an image or object with distractions must be insane!

ButterflyWoman
24th September 2012, 05:09 PM
It just takes dedicated practice. It's like building up stamina in a sport. Keep doing it, and you find you get stronger and have deeper capacity, etc.

Logan
19th October 2012, 02:20 AM
I'm practicing learning to be focused. Ever since I read the power of now, and have acually felt what it was like to be present I've been looking to discover how to do this.

I've come across many books and article that say "Mindfullness (Being present) is not a hour or 2 hour a day process, but a 24/7 process" This makes sense especially if you want to reprogram your mental habits to positive.

however, is it posslbe to over practice? I mean I know we have a "meditation/mindfull Muscle". Can it be over worked?

I think Mindfulness, is not anything to-do with concentration, it's simply the directing of your awareness to the here and now. Many years ago,I practiced such methods, and spent whole parts of the day trying to be in this state. In the end there were times, it was pleasant, it kept you in a neutral mood, but the problem was it wasn't practical to modern day living, and to be honest it was kinda pointless, it never helped me on any road. I think its a good method if you go into a deserted environment where its only you, otherwise in the modern world, such a method causes many problems. I;m sure some will disagree swearing by it. I just gave up, and in the end, I'm back to rediscover the development of will through concentration, learning to focus and command Intent. That's my big interest now.

Concentration is the key really to anything in life, it like the boat that has been upgraded to an engine. With concentration we can have a certain amount of smooth sailing. Have you ever tried, traditional methods for concentration?

Logan
19th October 2012, 02:22 AM
How do you trace your thought's back?