It doesn’t matter whether you’re just starting out in the practice of meditation or you’ve been practising for years. Clearing your mind is difficult. During these last couple of months since I’ve been practising meditation on a strictly daily basis when you’ve noticed your mind has wandered off, it’s hard not to judge yourself in a negative light. Anyone I speak to who has tried a session or practices regularly have complained about the same thing. To give anyone else out there a helping hand, here is a handful of tips to help you achieve a state of concentrated awareness.
Follow Your Breath
One of the first successful tips I found to work was by following your breathing. When you’re meditating, mentally follow your breathing from the very beginning of the inhale to the very end of the exhale. Notice each of the three points. These are; when your inhale starts, when your inhale becomes the exhale and the end of the exhale. By following your breath, you’re leaving minimal room for your mind to wander off.
Don’t Judge Yourself
When you finally realise that your mind has wandered off onto other thoughts of the day, it’s easy to get angry or irritated at yourself. This also results in another lapse of concentration, and you don’t want to increase stress by meditating. Instead, when you’ve realised your mind has wandered off, simply accept that it’s happened and carry on. You don’t have to judge yourself, and this wandering mind will become clearer the more you practice. As we’ve discussed in previous articles, the brain is a muscle that needs exercising.
Mentally Count Your Breathing
Another fantastic way I found to keep focused while meditating is by mentally counting your breaths. I first discovered this technique using the Calm app, and it helps no end. When you inhale, as you take in as much air as you can, in your head, count one. Then proceed to exhale. When you reach the very end of your exhale, count two. Breath in again and repeat the process. This is a great way of stopping your mind from wandering off.
Add a Focal Point
When meditating, if you’re finding it hard to concentrate, add a focal point to concentrate on. This could be the point you feel the air entering and exiting your nose. It could be the tip of your nose. It could be by really staring into the darkness of your closed eyes. This is a very simple yet effective technique to training your body to stay focus during a session.
Listen to Ambient Music
In the first few months where I started meditating, I found it much easier to listen to ambient background music than the silence or slight noise of day to day life. Listen to it out loud, or through headphones, it really doesn’t matter. It’s just a great way to block out any distractions that may be happening around you. Some personal favourites include jungle music, waves crashing on a beach, rainfall and even binaural audio.
Let Us Know Your Thoughts
Did any of these tips help you to concentrate? Maybe you’ve got some tips of your own that could help others? We’d love to hear from you! Let us know your opinions in the comment section below! Don’t forget to share this article with your friends and family to help them!
