Meditation

Meditation: What It Really Is, Why Its Awesome & How To Get Started

Meditation: What It Really Is, Why Its Awesome & How To Get Started

Before I moved to Australia, If youd told me one day Id be writing an article about meditation, I would probably have started laughing.

I had never meditated and its not something Id even thought about doing.

Yet here I am, crafting the first lines of a blogpost about meditation And guess what: Im pumped about it!

Why? Because meditation has been hands down my #1 life discovery over the last year.

Out of all the crazy/healthy stuff I do on a daily basis, its my meditation that helps me most show up in the world they way I want to, and become a slightly better version of myself everyday.

And thats why, my friends, Im happy to say that I havent missed a day of meditation in 9 months. And to be honest, I dont plan on ever missing a day again. Yes, meditation is that awesome.

If youre skeptical, I dont blame you. How could sitting down, eyes closed, doing nothing for a few minutes really help us, let alone provide Jedi Mind Tricks?

Let me tell you a little story.

How I Started MeditatingOne day around this time last year, I was lost in the depth of the Youtube sphere, browsing around aimlessly, before I found an interesting video. It was Jon Kabat-Zinn, a pioneer of meditation in the Western World, introducing Meditation to a room full of Google employees.

I had nothing planned for the next hour, and I figured if those guys had the time to watch this presentation, I should watch it too. So I did. And what a good idea it turned out to be.

Before the video was even over, I knew I to try this thing. Ive always had a really active mind, always thinking about a million and one things, and it seemed like meditation was exactly what I needed to harness the full power of my mind by taming it down a little.

So I committed to 5 minutes every morning, for the next month. See what happens, you know. If anything, the chances of getting injured from this experiment were rather slim.

The next morning, as soon as I got up, I sat up in my bed, closed my eyes and thus began my meditation career.

The next 5 minutes were slightly uncomfortable, relatively uneventful, and certainly not life-altering. But I got up happy, because I had taken that critical first step in my meditation project. And you know what? I was already looking forward to my next 5 minute session, to see if I would be able to control my mind a bit better.

Over the next few weeks, I traveled far and wide around the internet, doing research about meditation, trying to shed some light on this concept that is still so obscure to us Westerners. But the more I learned about meditation and its benefits to the human brain, the stronger my feeling grew that I had embarked on an adventure unlike any other. An adventure inside my own mind. Woah.

***

And now, for those of you who arent familiar with meditation, Im about to take you on a guided tour inside this amazing activity. And if youre already a meditator, Ill be sharing a few unconventional meditation tricks that could greatly enhance your practice.

So take deep breath, smile, and get ready because this is gonna be good. If the following information can enhance your life half as much as it has mine, youre in for a ride.

(Thats me meditating at the Kalbarri Canyon in Western Australia a few months ago)

What is Meditation?When we speak of meditation, it is important for you to know that this is not some weird cryptic activity, as our popular culture might have it. It does not involve becoming some kind of zombie, vegetable, self-absorbed narcissist, navel gazer, space cadet, cultist, devotee, mystic, or Eastern philosopher.Meditation is simply about being yourself and knowing something about who that is. It is about coming to realize that you are on a path whether you like it or not, namely, the path that is your life. Meditation may help us see that this path we call our life has direction; that it is always unfolding, moment by moment; and that what happens now, in this moment, influences what happens next.~ Jon Kabat-Zinn inWherever You Go, There You AreWho better than the master himself to start us off? :)

Kabat-Zinn makes it quite clear, but I want to make this real clear: meditation is not some weird mystic activity, its an effective, relaxing, and pleasant way to to tune in with ourself.

When I meditate, I dont see crazy stuff, I dont communicate with aliens, and I dont time-travel. No, I just chill out and meditate. Thats it.

Meditation is the process of slowing down our mind, and controlling our stream of thoughts. Its achieved mainly by controlling our breath. Breathing, when we focus on it, acts as the connection between our mind and our body. By taking slow, soft, rhytmic breaths, we calm down both our body and our mind, and before long, were meditating. We achieve a state of deep relaxation.

Everything slows down, the outside world ceases to exist, and we connect with whats going on inside us.

What happens when we meditate?As we do that, the brainwave patterns in our brain begin to change. From a beta state

where our mind is busy even a beginner meditator can quickly go into an alpha state which already feels quite nice.

Then, with some practice, we start calming our mind enough to produce Theta brainwaves, which is when the real fun begins. This state of relaxation is unlike anything a non-meditator has ever experienced, and is also the source of a lot of insights.

Finally, the Zen Buddhist masters have been shown in EEGs to produce Delta brainwaves, which is the same as normal people in deep restorative sleep.

From our perspective, we just feel progressively more relaxed, light, and eventually (in my case at least), I feel like Im floating, like my body doesnt exist anymore. And in deep meditation, I feel this glow in my head.

Why is it important to slow down our brainwave patterns?Well for one, we live more busy/hectic/mentally draining lives than any generation of humans before us. The amount of information our brain processes, the constant stimulation its provided, puts a severe drain on our cognitive abilities. Eventually, we become drained, and thats when that urge to lay on the couch or to have another coffee appears.

By venturing down into Alpha, Theta, and Delta states, we calm down our brain, allowing it to refuel our neurochemical tanks. Thats why after meditation we enjoy greater mental clarity, focus, and serenity.

The Benefits of MeditationOver the course of the last ten years, I have also participated in several research programs intended to document the long-term effects of meditation practice on the brain and on behavior. This research has shown that it is possible to make significant progress in developing qualities such as attention, emotional balance, altruism, and inner peace.Other studies have also demonstrated the benefits of meditating for 20 minutes a day for a period of six to eight weeks. These benefits include a decrease in anxiety, in vulnerability from pain, and in the tendency toward depression and anger, as well as strengthening the power of attention, boosting the immune system, and increasing ones general well-being. Thus,no matter what point of view you approach it fromwhether that of personal transformation, the development of altruistic love, or physical healthmeditation emerges as a factor essential for leading a balanced life, rich in meaning.~ Matthieu Ricard in Why Meditate?Mathieu Ricard is an interesting fellow. 37 years ago, he left a promising career as a cellular geneticist in France, moved to the Himalayas, and decided to become a Buddhist monk.

After about 30 years isolated in the mountains of Nepal, he came back to the Western world to take part in some studies on the human brain. Through extensive testing, it became obvious that all his years of daily meditation had totally transformed his brain. He was now capable of lighting the parts of his brain linked to kindness, compassion, attention on demand, and to generate much more activity in those regions than normal people.Thus began a series of studies that now show without a doubt that meditation benefits us in many ways. You can read a good overview of all the scientifically proven benefits of meditation on this site.

In his great book Relaxation Revolution, Herbert Benson even tells us that eliciting the relaxation response through any of a wide variety of techniques will actually change the bodys gene activity or expression. Im not sure I fully grasp the implications of this, but it goes to show that meditation can really change us on a very fundamental level: our genes expression.

At this point in time, were past the debate of whether this stuff works or not. Its been proven time & time again, meditation is legit. And beyond all the studies & research take it from me. Im not here to sell you anything, just trying to share a bit of wisdom with you.

The benefits Ive experienced from my 250+ consecutive days of meditationThere are probably more, but on top of my head:

-I have a greater ability to focus when Im working, reading, trying to learn a new skill, or having a conversation with someone.

-I have a lot more good ideas popping out seemingly out of nowhere.

-Im much more relaxed, and I very rarely get stressed anymore.

-My mind feels a lot less cluttered, my thoughts more organised and less chaotic.

-I have a greater ability for whole-brain thinking. This means I can use both hemispheres of my brain simultaneously, looking at things creatively & analytically at once. For a naturally-analytical person like me, getting in touch with my creative has been awesome and has really opened up a whole new world of possibilities.-I stay much calmer and composed under pressure.

-I have a much greater ability to put myself between a stimulus and my response to it. This allows me to live my life a pro-active way, instead of being reactive to all the stuff that happens around me.

-Im more confident and willing to go for it in because I know whatever life throws at me Ill be able handle it.

-I need less sleep to feel good. I now sleep about 6 hours/night, and take a 45 minute nap-itation (30 minutes of meditation followed by a 15 minute nap) in the afternoon. I feel more energised than I did sleeping 8-9 hours a night last year.

Can you imagine if there was a pill that offered all this? How much would you be willing to pay for it?How much better would your life be if you could feel more relaxed, be able to concentrate better, have more good ideas, and feel more confident while needing less sleep?

No pill does that yet. But doing meditation every day does.

Its free, its simple, you can do it anywhere, and theres no reason not to try it.How to get started on your Meditation PracticeFirst off, the posture: the most important thing is to be comfortable. I meditate right after I wake up, so I just sit up, put my pillow against the wall, and sit in a butterfly position. Find aspot where you have space, where it feels right. When you sit, try to sit with dignity. Not too upright and rigid, or too slouched over. Just right.

Ok as far as the actual meditation process goes, there are 2 path you can embark on: the Traditional path, or the Technological path (which I recommend).

The Traditional Path:1) Start with 5 minutes/day, ideally first thing in the morning (its easier on an empty stomach).

2) Once youre sited comfortably, close your eyes and focus on your breathing: taking small, soft, calm breathes.

4) With each exhale, relax your body & your mind a little bit more.

3) When thoughts arise, dont worry about them. Let them pass through.

5) Whenever your mind goes astray, simply come back to your breathing.

This path is very much the path of the training the mind through diligent, constant practice. It is certainly effective and has been used for centuries, but its a relatively slow process. Sure, after each meditation you will feel peaceful & relaxed, but it will take at least a few monthsbut start feeling deep changes within yourself.

The most important thing if you choose the Traditional Path is to make meditation a part of your daily routine. The key is consistence. If you do it long enough, meditation will become just another thing you do, like sleeping, eating, and brushing your teeth. When I wake up, I do 15 minutes of traditional meditation and I

The Technological PathAlong the way, I discovered a technology that totally supercharged my meditation practice. Its called the Brain Evolution System. Its a soundtrack containing sound frequencies that directly alter the brain wave our brain produces.

Over a 30 minute period, the soundtrack takes us to aDelta state, which had previously been reserved to Buddhist Monks. Now, even the most novice meditator can just sit there, and achieve that state, enjoy all of its benefits, without having to focus.

Listening to the soundtrack is all thats necessary. This is fucking revolutionary, and believe me it works.

The Dalai Lama, who meditates about 4 hours a day, once said that if there was a technology that provided the same benefits as meditation without the time investment, he would be willing to try it. I really wonder if hes heard about it? Maybe I should send him a Tweet just in case

Heres the bottom line: Brain Evolution Systemis in my opinion one of the best technologies available to us in 2011, and I cant recommend it strongly enough. You can purchase it, or order a free trialright here.

Theres no meditation pill yet, but Brain Evolution is as close as it gets. Ive just been doing it for 30 minutes/day for the last 12 weeks and it rocks.

Its been wonderful, the meditation sessions are enjoyable and truly restorative, and the changes Ive noticed within myself have been nothing short of spectacular.Why YOU should start meditatingThe ultimate reason for meditating is to transform ourselves in order to be better able to transform the world. To put it another way, we transform ourselves so that we can become better human beings and serve others in a wiser and more effective way. Meditation thus gives our life the noblest possible meaning. -Mathieu Ricard

This might sound bold, but I honestly believe that its impossible to live life to the fullest without meditating every day. Knowing what you know now, you wouldnt be true to the best version of yourself if you at least give meditation a shot.

When I watched that speech by Kabat-Zinn at the Google Headquarters, theres one thing he said that really stuck with me: If you were a concert violinist, you would never go on stage and offer your performance without first tuning your instrument. In life, your mind is your instrument. Why not tune it with meditation before going out into the world and offering your performance?

As I wrote in my description of The Feel Good Lifestyle, its based on the idea that each day should be treated like a gift, because it has the potential to be extraordinary. And by making the most of each day, we start living life to the fullest.

So take a leap, even if youve always thought meditation was weird. Only fools never change their minds

Whether you decide to supercharge your meditation with Brain Evolution, or to kick it old-school with traditional meditation, do yourself a favour and just give it a try.If you stick with it, it will open up a whole new part of your mind, ofyour life,and let you tap into talents you dont even know you have. Promise

If you have any questions, or want to share your experience with meditation, please leave a comment!

All the best in your meditation journey. Its gonna be a fun trip.

Cheers!

Phil

The Art of Meditation / Stop Being a Zombie!

A person who thinks all the time has nothing to think about except thoughts. So he loses touch with reality, and lives in a world of illusion Alan WattsHave you ever driven your car or bicycle and suddenly you wake up somewhere down the road and cant remember how you got there? What happened in those few minutes? When you put some effort into it, you probably remember some of the thoughts you had. And when you are honest about it, it was probably a fantasy. You either remembered the past, stuff you should have done but didnt. Or you were fantasizing about the future, stuff that might never happen. And when I say that most of our waking life we spend in our private dream world, not really aware of what is happening to us or within us, probably everyone who has not tried meditation will disagree with me.

And so did I when I first started meditating. Now Im completely convinced that its true. I now need my meditation more than I need my coffee in the morning. Because with meditation, I finally start to notice whats really important. Many books are written about it, but its actually pretty simple. Now is really important. Why now? Because there is no other moment. If you only think about future goals all the time you wont even notice when you finally reached them. Because in that future youre also thinking about the future and thus, you will never get there. And you might start to believe that the goal is the goal and not the journey itself. It seems to me that dying is not the goal of life, but living is.

So before I continue, Id like everyone to experience this to understand what Im talking about. Please join me in this little experiment and close your eyes, sit up straight, relax (probably your back and neck are tense) and try to be really aware of everything that happens, inside and outside, for just two minutes. Try not to get caught up by the storyteller inside your head that always has a comment on literally everything, but just be aware of the sensation of your breath, your computer humming, cars outside, your heart beating and everything else that goes on of itself.

Did you do the two minutes? How was it? How many times did you get caught up in another story?Theres a lotwritten on meditation, and, to be honest; I do not have anything new or groundbreaking to tell. However, I do feel that it could benefit so many people in so many ways that it just has to be said over and over again.

What is Meditation?

Meditation is the act of training the mind. It works in the same way you train your body. With your mind, habits will form and with your body, muscles will form. One of the things you need for a healthy body is exercise; the same goes for your mind. You need good habits instead of bad habits. The more agitated your mind is, the less clear your thoughts will be. We think the time when we are awake should matter, and I agree, but in this age of information almost all of us are philosophical zombies some of the time, not really aware of what we are doing. Dr. Daniel J. Siegel, the inventor of Mindsight, defines the mind as that which regulates the flow of energy and information. With meditation, we increase the control we have over this regulation and so the control over our lives.

Why Meditate?

The Buddha said: dont blindly believe what others say, see for yourself what brings serenity, clarity of thought and inner peace. But some people, like me, need more to be convinced. Of course, there is a rich culture that has been doing this for thousands of years, and they all say the same and nowadays science is getting more and more interested to find out if their claims are true. I hope that meditation can form a bridge between western science and eastern spirituality but the human brain is one of the most complex phenomenons we have in this universe and I feel like we are just scratching the tip of the iceberg. Numerous studies have shown that meditation, because of neuroplasticity, literally changes your brain. Neuroplasticity is the brains ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout your life. These new connections that form with meditation seem to increase well-being and improve the quality of your life. Scientists also found changes in gray matter, the part of the brain that is associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress. The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) clinic uses meditation to reduce stress in patients so that they recover faster. So far, the outcome is positive, decreasing anxiety and depression.

I find it hard to explain what meditation has done to me. Its like explaining colors to a blind man. I just wouldnt ever want to miss it. In general, it taught me to get out of my head and into my life. It is my primary tool to eliminate any destructive emotions I encounter.

How to Meditate?

There are different forms of meditation and its beyond the scope of this article to treat them all. I will explain Shamatha (one-pointed concentration) and Vipassana (insight). You can do these meditations walking, sitting or lying down. My favorite is the traditional way of sitting on a cushion with your back straight. Make sure you have a quiet environment where you are undisturbed for the duration of your meditation and relax your whole body as much as you can. You can do either of these two meditations. In general the advice is to start with Shamatha because without concentration your mind will wander so many times that any other meditation will be less productive.

The Ultimate Beginners Guide To MeditationShamatha is the meditation of one-pointed concentration. This means that you try to keep a focus on one object. The number one recommended object is the sensation of your breath because of a couple of reasons; you can breath either consciously and unconsciously, you have your breath always with you, it is a natural biofeedback system which means that it gets more and more subtle the more you focus on it. You first start to take three deep breath while really focusing how the cold air comes into the nostrils, through your nose and throat and into your lungs and belly. Then warm air comes the same way back out again. Slowly start focusing on just the nostrils and discover the subtle sensation you might never felt before. Accept the fact that the mind has its own will and wanders every time you lose focus a bit. Slowly bring your focus back to the nostril. When you start with meditation, it might be easy to count from one to ten every time you finished an out breath (or the in breath, doesnt matter). This way it is easier to become more mindful (to notice that you lost your focus on the sensation of your breath). Sometimes you realize you are already at number 20! Another handy thing is to label each thought as thought or this is a thought. Keep in mind that there is no good or bad meditation so dont worry if at first you dont get it. Just try to accept everything that arises in your mind and body and keep bringing your focus back to the sensation of your breath.

If you have achieved a stable level of concentration you can move to Vipassana or insight meditation. The goal of this meditation is to be aware of every single sensation that makes up your reality. Dont reject anything but accept life as it is. Focus on how all your sensations in your body change all the time. Not one moment is the same, its exactly as the Greek philosopher Heraclitus said it is impossible to step in the same river twice. Keep your focus on the arising and passing away again.

Start with twice five minutes a day and once you feel youd like to sit longer, slowly increase to ten minutes. Have fun, it might be the most exciting and rewarding practice youve ever done!

Please ask in the forum if you have any questions regarding this article. If you want to know something more about meditation I would recommend Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana and How to Meditate: A Practical Guide by Kathleen McDonald.

Cliffnotes: Sit still, concentrate like you would play a video game, relax like you would be sleeping and notice that everything changes all the time.

A Primer on Meditation

Editors Note: This is a guestcollaboration with my friend and long-time meditator, Jason Marshall. Check out Jasons blog, Living in the Nowwhere youll find practical info on self-development.When you hear the word meditation, you may think of Buddhist monks or Hindu swamis sitting with legs crossed and eyes closed, a New Age pony-tail guy communing with nature in the woods, or wealthy folks sitting in a meditation center in San Francisco.

You likely didnt think manly. And you may not think that meditation has a place in your practical, workaday, red-blooded American life.

But you might change your mind if you give meditation a try. Its truly a practice that can be useful for any kind of man, whether youre a granola-loving hippie, a straight-arrow lawyer, or a rough-around-the-edges firefighter. Wherever you are in life, meditation can help bring you closer to becoming the man you want to be.

The Manly History of Meditation

Meditation has a long and storied manly history, and it has been utilized by men from many different walks of life for thousands of years. It has of course famously been a tool used by adherents of many religions, from Buddhist monks to Jesuit priests. But philosophers of all stripes have always seen its value as well; the Stoics used meditation as a tool to develop their fortitude and self-control, for example. And warrior classes across cultures used meditation to instill in their soldiers a keen mind and a fearless heart. The ancientSamurai are perhaps the most famous warrior/meditator class. They meditated upon death daily so that they could fight without fear.

Many of historys greatest thinkers also happened to be meditators. For example, Charles Darwin and Immanuel Kant unknowingly practiced what is called active mediation. They would take a daily walk where they would ponder some idea theyd been working on. Oftentimes it was during these walks that they had their biggest insights.

Fast-forwardto today and youll find corporate leaders and star athletes using meditation to reach their full potential. Executives from companies such as Google, Target, and General Mills practice meditation. Many people in high-stress (and often testosterone-fueled) jobs such as stockbrokers and attorneys are starting to pick up the practice in order to find peace and calm, as well as regain focus.

Champion boxer Vijender Singh uses meditation as part of his pre-fight training regimen. He explained, Mental conditioning is very important as it keeps you focused during the bout. When you have a large crowd watching you, the pressure starts building on you, and its meditation that helps you at that time. I usually invest 15 to 20 minutes on it every day and it has helped me a lot.

Phil Jackson, one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time, with 11 NBA titles to his name, is also a longtime meditator. Jackson not only practices meditation in his personal life, he also taught meditation techniques to his players to help them stay calm and collected under pressure, as well as more focused during games.

Even the U.S. Marine Corps is testing meditation as a way to increase soldiers mental performance and clarity under high stress conditions. Also, many groups and agencies are employing meditation techniques to help soldiers with PTSD and other psychological issues when they return home.

We could go on, but you get the picture. The takeaway here is that meditation isnt just something for dudes who use crystal deodorant instead of Speed Stick. Its a practice that is not only compatible with manliness, but can be a vital tool in developing it.

Why Meditate?

Everybody meditates for different reasons. It is a practice often undertaken by those seeking to develop their spirituality or trying to work through emotional problems. But even if those reasons dont call to you personally, you can still benefit from meditation for several reasons.

First, meditation serves as a defense between our fast-paced, technological world and our psyches. Were surrounded by a multitude of distractions from smart phones to 24-hour news channels. You probably surfed through at least half a dozen different websites before you started reading this article. The onslaught of input we receive each day can do a number on us emotionally andpsychologically. Meditation allows a man to take a much needed mental rest from the hustle and bustle of modern life. It restores our brains balance and our sense of overall calm and well-being.

Second, and related to the point above, is that meditation can help increase your attention span and focus. You exercise your body at the gym, but what do you do for your brain? If you find it difficult to concentrate on your work, your studies, or even your interactions with other people, you need to meditate. Its a workout for your brain and can give you the strength to focus better and longer on your daily tasks.

Third, meditation can help a man be his own man and feel comfortable in his own skin. That constant stream of input we face each day often carries messages of what were supposed to think or feel. Talking headsspout off opinions as if they were facts. Advertisers try to convince us that buying such-and-such product will make us feel more virile and manly. Meditation allows us to be alone with our own thoughts and discover what we really think about the world and ourselves.

Meditation is mental training that enables you to control your own thoughts, instead of letting others control them. It creates a deep inner discipline, which is incredibly manly.

If those arent enough reasons for you to start meditating, scientists are learning that meditation can actually change your brain and body in very positive ways, such as lowering your blood pressure, strengthening your empathy, and boosting your memory.

Bottom line: Meditation can make you a healthier, smarter man!

Getting Started With Meditation

Meditation is a fascinating subject, but it can be difficult to explain or summarize because youre sure to offend someone, and youre sure to run across someone who disagrees with you no matter what you say (usually a self-styled expert). While I disclaim any expertise, I have been a practitioner of various forms of meditation for almost a decade, and I believe that a simple, practical approach to meditation is essential for the modern man.

Meditation isnt difficult; generally its gurus who can make it sound needlessly arduous or dogmatic. To get the benefits of meditation, all you need is a bit of time and the dedication to stick with the practice. You can literally do it anywhere, without any fancy supplies or gadgets. While meditation pillows, bells, incense, etc. can be effective tools (I own them), theyre not necessary. In fact, some of my most intense meditation experiences have been spur-of-the-moment meditations in the woods, on my back porch, or even during lunch in my office.

There are really five principle types of meditation, which go by various names in the various spiritual traditions.

1. MindfulnessThe goal of mindfulness meditation is to relax and calm your monkey mind. Whats the monkey mind? Its the constant and restless shifting of thoughts that goes on in your head all day. Mindfulness meditation seeks to quiet the thoughts clamoring for your attention and to direct your attention to one thought or sound that serves as your anchor. Your anchor could be the sound of water flowing, therepetitionof a word, or even your own breath.

This is normally done in 15-30 minute sets. Its a wonderful tool for relaxation, or to act as a primer for spiritual work or another form of meditation.When thoughts come into your mind (and I promise they will) simply try to dismiss them. You may find that a single and pressing thought keeps reoccurring. If thats the case, take the time to ponder why that thought is so important right now. Ask things like Why is it important? How does it affect me? How can I effectively deal with it?

Of course, if your reoccurring thought is something trivial like a funny YouTube video you saw earlier that morning, dismiss it and and try to get back to focusing on your anchor.

One useful mindfulness meditation technique is the Buddhist breath meditation, vipassanna. In vipassanna you simply observe your breath or use a breath set to anchor your thoughts. For a breath set, inhale and count (1, 2, 3, etc.), and once you reach your set, exhale and count (1, 2, 3, etc.). Repeat.

Simply observe the sensation of the breath entering your nose/mouth, entering and filling your lungs, and then being released through your nose/mouth. As thoughts come into your mind, try to dismiss them and get back to focusing and observing your breath.

2. Active MeditationThis type of meditation involves physical activity to allow your body and mind to get into sync, which allows you to experience peace, calm, and clarity. Many people practice/experience this without even knowing it. Ever feel in the zone while playing a sport? Perhaps youve heard of people losing themselves in the beat while dancing. Or maybe youve experienced the runners high. All these are examples of people taking part in active meditation in some degree or another.

This type of meditation can be as simple as going for a walk, practicing yoga (which is not just for chicks its a heck of a workout if done properly), dancing, or simply working out. Just as in mindfulness meditation, the key is to clear your mind and use the workout or physical movement as an anchor to clear your mind of mental garbage. Simply focus on the movement of your body, and the activity immediately in front of you. And if thoughts keep popping up, dismiss or explore them based on their importance. You can also repeat a mantra or positive affirmation in the activity to provide another anchor or stimulation.

3. Mantra/AffirmationThis type of meditation involves repeating a phrase or word repeatedly. The phrase acts as an anchor to clear your mind. The Transcendental Meditation (TM) movement has made mantra/affirmation meditation a popular form of meditation. In TM, adherents repeat a mantra (word or saying) over and over again. This is what many people think of when they think of meditation. A bunch of people sitting around on pillows chanting Aum! Aum! Aum! or something similar. Basically the vibrations of the word or phrase are supposed to act as an anchor, as well as a stimulant to allow for a clear mind and spiritual progression to take place.

One of my favorite things to do is to repeat the Lords Prayer one word at a time. Start with our and say our in your mind. Try to visualize it in your minds eye and just focus on our for 10-15 seconds (dont worry about being exact because that defeats the purpose). Then clear your mind and either mentally or audibly repeat Aum! deeply and slowly three or four times, then move onto Father. Continue through the prayer until you get to the end.

You can also repeat a positive affirmation or phrase (Tony Robbins style) such as: I am great, I am a good person, I am a strong person, etc.. Or meditate on any particularly motivational or inspirational quote that will force you to focus on positive aspects and dismiss negative aspects.

What you use as your mantra or affirmation is completely up to you. Just use what works for you and what youre comfortable with.

4. InsightInsight meditation is designed to explore and focus on one thought or feeling. Before starting an insight meditation, its important to have a very calm mind. It might be useful to begin with a breath (mindfulness) meditation to quiet your monkey mind. Once you feel calm and relaxed, youre ready to move into your insight meditation.

Pick a topic. Any topic. It could be love or anger or justice or even death. Once you have your topic, allow your mind to just run. Dont try to control what thoughts come to you. For example, if you pick love, you may think about your family, wife, child, romance, Mother Theresa, your grandpa, an old couple holding hands, etc. Just let these thoughts pass. Dont judge them or try to self-edit them. Just explore what love is and what it means to you.

Sometimes it is helpful to think of a negative topic like hate and let your mind run. You might be surprised by what pops up in your mind, but dont judge. Just let your mind do its thing. Sometimes its helpful to explore why you associate the images popping up into your head with the word hate, and then try to release that negativity.

If you are going to do an insight meditation with a negative topic, its important to end your session focusing on something positive. You dont want to leave your meditation on a sour note. Plus, ending on the positive may give you a better picture of how you really feel about a topic. You may discover that a thought you associated with a negative topic ends up returning as a positive association.

Insight meditation is extremely useful in clearing your mental garbage. It forces you to explore and make connections you may have longforgottenabout, but that are still affecting you on a subconscious level.

5. GuidedThese meditations are guided by someone (in person or via audio) who takes you through a certain scenario, or even an archetypal dream-type world. You can create your own guided meditation by developing a plan for your meditation. Where will you go? What people will you talk to? How will you react to challenges along the way?

Guided meditations allow your imagination to run wild and to really explore mental associations in a very active way. Think of guided meditation as watching an amazing movie where youre the writer, director, and star.

For example, in your guided meditation you can imagine visiting your younger self to work though issues, have a conversation with a deceased loved one to finish some unsettled business, or even ask advice from some great man that you admire.The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

We could write a whole series of articles on meditation, but hopefully this one provided you with enough information to pique your interest and get you started on meditating today.

Have any meditation tips? Whats your preferred way of meditating? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.Your Concentration Training Program: 11 Exercises That Will Strengthen Your Attention

In this series on mastering your attention, we have emphasized the fact that attention is not just the ability to focus on a single task without being distracted, but in fact is comprised of several different elements that must be effectively managed.

But this doesnt mean that single-minded focus is not of paramount importance. Yesterday we compared managing your different kinds of attention to being the supreme commander of your mind you must be able to deftly maneuver and deploy your units to various battles. But good management can only get you so far; to win the war on distraction, the absolute strength of your voluntary attention your focus foot soldiers greatly matters.

Research has shown that individuals who can sustain their attention for long periods of time perform better on all sorts of cognitive challenges than those who cannot. A man with a scatter-shot attention span will only be able to experience one plane of existence; he can skim across the surface of the worlds vast knowledge and wisdom, but is unable to dive deeper and discover the treasures below. The man with an iron-clad focus can do both; he is the boat captain and the pearl diver and the world is truly his oyster.

If you have a goal to learn and understand as much about the world as you possibly can before you die, strengthening your power of concentration is not an option, its a necessity.

Think of Your Mind as a Muscle

Last time we used the analogy of being supreme commander of your mind to explain attention management; when it comes to attention strengthening, wed encourage you to think of your mind as a muscle. The parallels between strengthening your body and strengthening your mind are in fact so close that its really not so much an analogy as a description of reality.

Your physical muscles and your attention muscles both have a limited amount of strength at any given time, their stamina and power can either atrophy from inactivity or strengthen from vigorous, purposeful exercise, and they require rest and recovery after theyve been intensely exerted.

You get the same feeling of internal dread/doubt right before you begin an intense workout the one that says Im not sure I want to do this as you do right before you decide whether or not youre going to read a long article, and in both cases you have to set your mind, bite down, and get going with it.

Just as you can hit a wall in a tough workout where you think you cant do one more rep, in the middle of reading a long article your mind will want to quit and surf to another tab. In both cases, if you tell yourself to dig deeper, youll be surprised how much more strength and focus you actually have left in the tank.

And while everyones looking for cool new secrets for how to build both their body and mind shortcuts and hacks heretofore undiscovered the truth is that strengthening our physical and mental muscles comes down to plain, good old fashioned, highly unsexy work. Gaining strength in either area is ultimately about eating right, getting ample sleep, and engaging in challenging daily exercise.

So put on your lifting belt and chalk up your cranium. Were going to hit the mental gym and turn your focus into a beast. Below, youll find your brains workout plan.

Your Concentration Training Program: 11 Exercises That Will Strengthen Your Attention

Youll never get big muscles from sitting on the couch all day, and youll never develop amazing powers of concentration from exclusively reading Buzzfeed and watching Tosh.O. Your mind muscles, just like your physical muscles, need resistance; they need challenges that stretch their limits and in so doing, grow their focus fibers. Below we outline exercises that will beef up your focus so that you can start lifting heavier and heavier cognitive loads.

1. Increase the strength of your focus gradually. If you decide you want to physically get in shape, but are starting at ground zero, the worst thing you can do is to throw yourself into an extreme training program youll end up injured, discouraged, or both, and youll quit before you even really get started.

Likewise, if your attention span is currently quite flabby, its best to slowly build up the weight you ask it to lift. In this series weve mentioned trying the Pomodoro Method in which you work for, say, 45 minutes straight and then allow yourself a 15-minute break. But for many of us, 45 minutes might as well be a mind marathon!

So start out with a pretty easy goal and work your way up from there. Set a timer for 5 minutes and focus completely on your work/reading for that time period. Then take a 2-minute break before going at it again for another 5 minutes. Each day, add another 5 minutes to your focused work time, along with an additional 2 minutes to your break time. In 9 days, you should be able to work for 45 minutes straight before you allow yourself an 18-minute break. Once you get comfortable with that set-up, you can work to lengthen your focus sessions a little, while shortening your break times.

2. Create a distraction to-do list. Because the internet has made any bit of information instantly accessible, we tend to want to look something up the moment it crosses our mind. I wonder what the weather will be like tomorrow? What year did that movie come out? I wonder whats new in my Facebook feed? Consequently, well toggle away from what were working on the instant these questions or thoughts pop into our minds. Problem is, once we get distracted, it takes on average 25(!) minutes to return to our original task. Plus, shifting our attention back and forth drains its strength.

So to stay on task, whenever something you want to check out pops into your head, just write it down on a piece of paper next to you (or perhaps in Evernote for you tech types), and promise yourself youll be able to look it up once your focusing session is over and your break time has arrived.

3. Build your willpower. Voluntary attention and willpower are intimately entwined. Our willpower allows us to deliberately ignore distractions while staying focused on the task at hand. It would serve your attention span well to review our in-depth article on strengthening your willpower.4. Meditate. Not only does meditation help keep you cool, calm, and collected, research has also shown again and again that mindfulness meditation can boost your attention span significantly.

In one study, 140 volunteers took part in an eight-week course in meditation training. After the eight weeks, all the volunteers showed measurable improvements in attention span, as well as other executive mental functions.

You dont have to spend your days meditating in a monastery to take advantage of its attention-boosting power. Research has shown that just 10 to 20 minutes of meditation a day will do the trick. Whats more, youll even see improvements in your attention after just four days.

So if you want the power to focus on your studies for hours at a time, start your mornings off just focusing on your breath for a few minutes.

5. Practice mindfulness throughout the day. In addition to dedicating 10 to 20 minutes a day to mindfulness meditation, attention experts recommend finding opportunities to practice mindfulness throughout your day. Mindfulness is simply focusing completely on what youre doing, slowing down, and observing all of the physical and emotional sensations you are experiencing in that moment.

You can practice mindfulness when you eat as you take time to really chew your food and concentrate on its flavors and texture. You can practice mindfulness when you shave; as you smell your shaving cream, note the pleasure of applying a warm lather to your face, and slowly drag the razor across your stubble.

Incorporating short sessions of mindfulness throughout your day will strengthen and expand your attention span for the times when you really need it.

Mindfulness can also help you push back against distractions as they arise. If youre working on a task and feel that restless itch to go do something else, think to yourself, Be here now. In that moment, bring your awareness to your body and your breath. After a few seconds of focusing on your breath, youll notice that the distraction is no longer present and that youre ready to get back to work.

6. Exercise (your body). Not only can you compare exercising your mind to exercising your body, doing the latter actually directly benefits the former. Researchershave found that students who engaged in moderate physical exercise before taking a test that measured attention spans performed better than students who didnt exercise. The researchers found that exercise primarily helps our brains ability to ignore distractions, although they arent exactly sure why. I would venture to say that the discipline it takes to push through the pain of a workout strengthens the same supply of willpower that we use to ignore the itch of distractions in order to keep working/focusing.

7. Memorize stuff. Weve talked about memorization on the site before. Besides being a cool bar trick and providing you a fount of poems to recite at the drop of a hat, memorizing stuff is an excellent way to exercise your mind muscles. Make it a goal to memorize a poem or a verse of scripture each week.

What About Attention Training Games?Brain training games have received a lot of press in recent years. Youve probably seen commercials for Lumosity or Brain Age on Nintendo DS. The games creators claim that spending just a few minutes a day playing can improve your attention, memory, and mental agility. However, the research on the veracity of these claims is divided.

Some studies indicate that brain training games can help improve attention in children with ADHD or in the elderly, but that they dont benefit young, healthy adults.

Other studies show that while certain brain training games can boost attention levels, those gains dont crossover to other areas of life. In other words, brain training games can help people pay better attention and do better at brain training games, but they wont help people pay better attention in class or while studying.

A recent study showed a certain type of brain training game called n-back can improve working memory (an important aspect of attention) and that improvement can crossover to other cognitive challenges.

So what does this all mean? The verdict is still out on whether these brain games will definitively increase attention spans and further research needs to be done. It wont hurt to try them out as part of your attention training program, but include the other suggestions outlined here as well.

8. Read long stuff slowly. Fight the TL;DR culture. With the rise of tablets, e-readers, and smartphones, some studies indicate that reading of e-content in general has gone up nearly 40%. This is a good thing, right? Youd think so, except that Slate recently did some research with the help of website analytics company Chartbeart that determined that only a paltry 5% of readers who start an article online will actually finish it. Whats more, 38% of readers never scroll beyond the first few paragraphs. So to say that reading in general has gone up would be misleading. What were actually doing is more scrolling, and less engaging.

At the same time, were reading less books; a recent study showed that 25% of Americans didnt read a single book last year.

This is truly a shame. While long definitely does not automatically equal better, there are certain complex ideas that are impossible to condense into short list posts and require an entire book (or several books) to flesh out. To skip something simply because it is long is to miss out on a whole world of knowledge available only to those willing to dive deeper. Theres definitely a place for skimming online, and learning a little about a lot. But you should also make room for plunging into a few subjects whole hog.

If you havent read a book in awhile, I challenge you to pick one up tonight. Really try to dig into it. L

HYPERLINK "http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/06/17/how-to-read-a-book/" earn how to read a book properly; itll change your life.

Besides books, make an effort to read one or two long articles a week. Longform journalism, as its called, is experiencing a renaissance of sorts, and the amount of quality, in-depth content available is at an all-time high. A few of my favorite sources of longform articles:

Longreads.com Longform.org Arts and Letters Daily

The Economist

The New Yorker

The Art of Manliness (Always strives to publish comprehensive posts that are as useful as possible. Also, I hear its founder has a glorious mustache.)

9. Stay curious. The more curious you are about the world, the greater the stamina of your concentration will be when it comes to any endeavor. William James suggests a simple experiment to test how staying curious about the object of your attention can prolong your ability to stay focused on it:

Try to attend steadfastly to a dot on the paper or on the wall. You presently find that one or the other of two things has happened: either your field of vision has become blurred, so that you now see nothing distinct at all, or else you have involuntarily ceased to look at the dot in question, and are looking at something else. But, if you ask yourself successive questions about the dot,how big it is, how far, of what shape, what shade of color, etc.; in other words, if you turn it over, if you think of it in various ways, and along with various kinds of associates,you can keep your mind on it for a comparatively long time. This is what the genius does, in whose hands a given topic coruscates and grows.

Charles Darwin was a master of this concept. His contemporaries marveled at his ability to spend an entire day just staring at animals and plants. Darwins secret was his unflagging curiosity he could discover more and more about a single object by homing in on various details, examining it in different ways, asking new questions. Bit by bit he would peel back its layers.

10. Practice attentive listening. Focus isnt just useful for intellectual endeavors. Its also an essential interpersonal skill. The ability to be fully present with a loved one or friend builds your rapport, intimacy, and trust and with them. At the same time, making an effort to focus all your energy on someone else strengthens your concentration muscles overall. Its win-win. So next time youre talking with your main squeeze, put away your phone and listen as attentively as possible.11. Perform concentration exercises. The above exercises not only boost your focus, but offer other benefits as well. Every once in a while, however, its good to do some exercises that are aimed purely at boosting your concentration. Here are twelve to try.

Series Conclusion

Modernity has given us a lot of comforts and conveniences, but it has also unleashed a torrent of stimuli competing for our attention. To live a truly flourishing life amidst this cacophony of distractions, mastering your attention is key. At the end of your life, who youve become, what youve learned and accomplished, and whos there at the end with you will be the sum total of what you chose to pay attention to each year, day, and hour of your life. Will a series of cat videos flash before your eyes? Or will you look back on the deep conversations you had with your family and friends, the books that changed your life, and the little details you discovered in all the places you visited?

We hope our series on attention has gotten you to think about this increasingly precious commodity in a new light, as well as inspired you to take steps to improve it. Youll be amazed how much your life can improve just by paying attention to your attention.

Become the Supreme Commander of Your Mind: How to Effectively Manage Your Attention

In our last post we provided a big picture overview of what attention is and how it works. We explored the fact that while many people only think of attention in terms of the ability to focus on a single task, there are in fact several different types, each with their distinctive benefits and drawbacks.

Attention mastery, then, is actually all about attention management. Attention is a precious resource. We only have so much. To get the most out of life we must learn to utilize and allocate our attention effectively.

Thus mastering your powers of concentration requires becoming the supreme commander of your minds armed forces budgeting your resources, knowing your divisions strengths and weaknesses, placing a particular unit at the battlefront at certain times, and moving it to the rear for rest at others.

Are you ready to win the war on distraction? Heres your battle plan.

Your Focus is Your Reality: How to Manage the Big PictureAttention is more than just focusing on completing a task. We use our attention to shape and frame lifes big picture as well. You can tell what a man truly values by observing what he pays attention to the most. And as countless spiritual teachers have warned, what a man pays attention to ends up molding his soul and character.

Your focus truly is your reality. For that reason, attention mastery must begin at the most macro level, with directing your attention away from that which distracts from your lifes purpose and towards whats really important. As supreme commander of your mind, you need to know why youre fighting this war and have an overarching plan for how youre going to attain victory. Heres how you draw up a strategy and stick with it:

Make sure your principles and goals are crystal-clear. When a man lacks guiding principles, his attention mindlessly pivots to whatever the world tells him is important, and typically what the world tells him is important is corrosive to a truly flourishing life. Knowing your core values and having a blueprint for your goals creates focusing lenses that help direct your attention to what matters most, while cropping out the superfluous and distracting.

Use the Eisenhower Decision Matrix to get your priorities in line. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and unfortunately, seemingly urgent tasks make the most noisy grabs for our attention, even though they may not actually be important. Assigning your tasks to the different quadrants of the Eisenhower Decision Matrix can help you concentrate on what really needs to get done, instead of using up your attention in putting out little fires.

Plan out your day and week. While we typically think of planning as time management, at its core, planning is attention management. Every time you sit down to plan out your day youre essentially deciding what youre going to pay attention to that day. Without planning, you end up spending your attention on whatever unforeseen distractions pop up and make a play for it.

Conduct an audit to see how you currently spend your time. Even if you say you know whats important to you, do you really put your money where your mouth is? Paying attention takes time figure out how you spend the latter, and youll know how youre directing the former.

Generously embed moral reminders into your life. Moral reminders are things like posters or personal manifestos that contain or symbolize your values and goals. Whenever you see these prompts, your drifting attention will be brought to heel.

How to Manage Your Voluntary and Involuntary AttentionOur involuntary attention is unconsciously activated by stimuli in our environment it comes online when we hear a dog bark or see an email land in our inbox.

Voluntary attention is consciously controlled we use it when we deliberately try to ignore these competing stimuli in order to concentrate on a single task.

Distractions are like guerilla warriors that attack your voluntary attention units on the way to the battlefront, weakening the troops and diverting resources before they can be put to work where theyre really needed. The trick then, is learning to protect your voluntary attention so its at full strength and ready to fight, as well as giving these troops ample rest once theyve seen combat, so they can be returned to the frontlines ready for action.

Know your attentions circadian rhythms. Attention like its closely related brother, willpower ebbs and flows throughout the day in ways that are unique to each individual. I tend to have a more focused, sustained attention level at the beginning of the day. Thats why I try to do my narrow-focused attention work (like writing) first thing in the morning.

As the day progresses, my ability for narrow-focused attention wanes so I shift my attention to tasks that require a more open focus like research, podcasting, brainstorming ideas, or answering email.

Everyones attentional circadian rhythm is different. Find yours and plan your day around it.

Take attention breaks. Your voluntary attention is much like a muscle. It needs breaks every now and then after a sustained focus session. How often should you take an attention break? Well, thats hard to say. Several lifehack and productivity blogs say that its best to work in 45-minute focused sessions and then take a 15-minute break, but I wasnt able to find any research that backs up those specific numbers. Experiment and see what works for you.

Get out into nature for an attention reset. Sometimes just taking a break to goof off on the internet or chat by the water cooler isnt enough to completely refresh our attention. Instead, we need to get in touch with our inner wild man by getting out into nature.

In a 2008 study, participants were divided into two groups and both performed a 35-minute task that fatigued their focus. The two groups then went for a 50-minute walk one group in a park, another in a busy city. When they returned, the participants had the strength of their voluntary attention tested. The group who took a walk in the park performed much better than the group who took a walk in an urban environment.

The city-walkers involuntary attention was bombarded by stimuli (honking cars, billboards, people talking), and this in turn taxed their voluntary attention, which had to decide which of the stimuli to pay attention to and which to ignore. The involuntary attention of those who took a stroll in the woods, on the other hand, encountered only very mild stimulation (Oh look, a squirrel.), and this gave their voluntary attention a real rest, so that it was ready for another round of cognitive challenges back at the lab.

Mildly activating your involuntary attention with soothing stimuli while giving your voluntary attention a breather allows us to enter a state of soft fascination that truly feels great. I find it interesting that giving your voluntary attention a little something to feed on works better for refreshing your mind than, say, just sitting in a completely empty and quiet room. I think you can compare it to the idea of taking an active rest day after a hard workout thats left you sore; lying on the couch all day to recover leaves you tight, while doing a little light activity like walking or swimming actually loosens you up.

Remove distractions. Unlike the mild stimulation of nature, noises in our everyday life television, smartphone pings, crying babies make a more violent grab at our involuntary attention; if youre passing a flashing billboard along the road, youre much more likely to instinctively turn to look at it than you are a stately oak.

Working to ignore these plays for your involuntary attention in order to focus on the task at hand fatigues your voluntary attention, leaving you feeling scatter-brained, frazzled, and distracted.

Instead of forcing your voluntary attention to battle an onslaught of distracting invaders, beat them back with minimal effort by building a fort around your involuntary attention. Remove distractions from your environment: work in a quiet setting, dont leave the TV on in the background, and turn off your smartphone notifications. If the limitless possibilities of the internet are ever attempting to scale your attentions walls, dump pots of hot oil on them by implementing the distraction-destroying tips in this post.What About Background Music and White Noise?If the mild stimulation of nature can be beneficial to our attention, but many everyday distractions can be detrimental to it, what about forms of stimulation that fall somewhere in-between, like background music?

Many folks (myself included) use background music while they work to help them focus. But the research is split on whether it actually helps your attention span or hinders it.

Researchers in Taiwan found that when we listen to music while working, the music drains our attention. In the study, volunteers who performed a reading comprehension test in complete silence scored better than those listening to background music. The researchers concluded that the music listeners performed worse because they had to ignore the music to focus on the test. The researchers suggest that working in silence is best for focus, but that if youre going to listen to music anyway, choose something thats not intense or distracting like hip-hop or rock music.

Other research suggests that listening to certain kinds of music can prime the brain for sustained focus and that complete silence can actually be distracting. What kind of music boosts your attention? Lyric-free and soothing music that plays at 60 beats per minute seems to be the sweet spot. The web app company focus@will has developed an ambient music and sound app that uses this research to create playlists that supposedly put you in an attentive state. Ive used focus@will a few times and think it helps about the same as listening to classical music.

To find out what works best for you, experiment with working in complete silence or while listening to something with a calm vibe.

As far as simple white noise goes, research suggests that when used in a moderately noisy environment like a coffee shop or student union building, it can help boost your concentration. If youre working in a quiet environment, it wont have an effect; ditto for using white noise in a really loud environment.

Quit multitasking. Related to removing distractions is to stop multi-tasking. When you multi-task, youre not actually doing several things at the same time. Youre just shifting your voluntary attention back and forth between different tasks. And every time you toggle your attention, you use up a tiny bit of your voluntary attentions finite fuel. If you spend your mornings juggling your attention between your Twitter feed, RSS feeds, email, and the work youre actually supposed to be doing, dont be surprised if your brain feels frazzled and you dont have enough attention juice to plough through an assignment in the afternoon.

Take a nap. One of the myriad of wonders and benefits of the nap is its ability to refresh our voluntary attention by giving our working memory a break.

Take technology fasts to reset your attention. Fast from your technology by taking a complete break from it for a day or more. No computer, smartphone, or television. I wasnt able to find scientific studies to back this idea up, but it certainly makes intuitive sense, and Ive personally had success with trying it. After a day or two without checking my computer or cell phone, I just feel more focused. I usually combine my tech fasts with getting out into nature, for a double dose of attention refreshment.

How to Manage Your Mind WanderingSometimes your voluntary and involuntary attentional modes need some R&R, and the cognitive equivalent of the USO is a good old-fashioned mind wandering session.

While mind wandering (or daydreaming) can boost creativity and help us untangle unresolved problems, it can also distract us at inopportune times and lead us to ruminate on negative thoughts and emotions. Thus while daydreaming may seem the ultimate in creative spontaneity, to maximize its benefits and minimize its drawbacks, its best to actively manage your mind wandering sessions:

Intentionally set a time to let your mind wander. Instead of limiting your daydreaming to those few abbreviated pockets between when your mind unintentionally drifts away from the task at hand and when you yank it back to work, find times throughout your day where you deliberately give your brain permission to wander at will. Some great thinkers and leaders have made it a habit to block out chunks in their day where they dont do anything except let their mind freely ramble.

Besides blocking off specific time in your schedule for mind wandering, give your brain permission to wander when youre doing low-cognition activities like cleaning, whittling, or showering. A bit of habitual stimulation really seems to free the mind up to receive inspiration. If you find yourself stuck on a problem, instead of sitting there trying to force the solution from your cranium, take a break and the answer may very well come to you in the shower.

Decide what kind of mind wandering session you want to have. When we daydream, our mind has a tendency to drift towards negative thoughts and emotions. It does this in order to direct our attention to unresolved problems in our lives. This can be beneficial, so its good to intentionally set aside times when you give yourself permission to be a worrywart. Make a list of everything that youre worried about. Next to each worry, write down a next step something tangible you can do, however small, to begin resolving that issue. If theres truly nothing you can do about something for the time being, make a conscious note of that and imagine tabling the issue for another session.

Sometimes though, we dont want our cognitive rambles to drift over to the dark side and be such a downer. Instead, were hoping our daydreams can generate a bit of inspiration or creativity. In that case, actively focus on positive thoughts as your mind wanders. If it starts to drift towards more negative things, nudge it back on course. It may help to keep a mental drawer of positive subject file folders you can leaf through fond childhood memories, things you love about your girlfriend, the last vacation you took, and so on.

How to Manage Your Narrow and Broad Focus AttentionAs we discussed in our previous post, our voluntary attention comes in two flavors: broad and narrow. Broad focus attention is great for getting your bearings, understanding the big picture, and comprehending complex systems and relationships. Narrow focus attention allows us to be efficient, productive, and meticulous.

To be effective supreme commanders of the mind, we need to know when to use one and when to use the other; sometimes you want to be holed up in your war room, poring over plans and maps, and sometimes you need to go out to the frontlines to see exactly what is going on on the ground.

Knowing when to use a broad or narrow focus attention is more art than science its something you have to learn from experience; however, theres actually a science to how you shift into those different attentional foci. Below we provide a few researched-backed tips:

Narrow Your FocusUse lists, outlines, and categories. When we categorize, use lists, or create outlines, our attention narrows in order to pinpoint any missing information. If youre working on a task in which getting details right is vital, write out all the steps or even use a checklist.

Focus on a goal. The fact that having a clear goal can narrow ones focus is perfectly displayed in the Invisible Gorilla Experiment. When the experiments participants were told to watch a video and given a goal to count how many times a basketball was passed around, they became so narrowly focused on the ball that they failed to see a man dressed in a gorilla suit stroll casually among the players and dance in the middle of the court.

While a goal is an effective attention narrower, theres a risk of suffering tunnel vision and missing out on more rewarding opportunities. Always employ your practical wisdom.Take it slow. When you think, read, or observe your surroundings slowly, your attention narrows. Youll spend more time homing in on and examining the objects in your environment that catch your involuntary attention and use your voluntary attention to ponder and analyze single words and sentences within a large piece of literature.

Broaden Your FocusStay optimistic. Research has shown that positive emotions give us a more open attention. When were optimistic, were relaxed and thus more likely to see new connections and opportunities. This is one reason why its so important that leaders remain upbeat; a sense of realistic optimism is essential in crafting and maintaining a strategic big-picture vision.

Focus on others. Another way to broaden your attention is to shift your focus from yourself and onto others. Studies show that being other directed or thinking in terms of we and not me opens up attention. The best way to make that shift is to simply help another person with a problem. You can also try doing some compassionate meditation.

Scan. When we quickly scan our environment (or even a book), our attention widens in order to take in as much information as possible, which in turn allows us to get a quick and dirty overview of the situation or text.

Gather contrary evidence. Once we decide that someone has an inherent flaw and we label them with it theyre stupid, crazy, useless, selfish, immature, bitchy, evil, lazy, etc. a narrow focus tends to set in. You experience the Velcro/Teflon effect: you notice everything the person does that confirms your conclusion, but overlook any conflicting evidence.

If you find yourself only being able to see a loved one through the lens of a negative label, it can help to actively look for things they do that run contrary to it, and even write those things down. While lists can narrow your focus in some cases, they can also be used to produce a broader, more balanced picture in others. Think for example of keeping a gratitude journal; if you find yourself narrowly attuned to whats wrong with your life, making a list of the good things can greatly broaden your perspective.

ConclusionIf you want to win the war on distraction and build an empire of personal progress, you need to be a wise supreme commander that knows how to best utilize his units. Sometimes you want to send one type of your attention to the frontlines, and sometimes you want to send another to the rear for rest. By deftly maneuvering your resources and effectively deploying your troops, you can make the most of your invaluable attention.

Of course the pure strength of your fighting force matters greatly too. Single-minded focus may be only one element of your attention, but its still vital one. But since this article has been so long and meaty, and your voluntary attention is now all tuckered out, its time to let it get a hot meal and a shower. For instructions on how to strengthen your powers of concentration, return to the briefing room tomorrow at 1900 hours.

12 Concentration Exercises from 1918

Does your mind flit from one thing to another? Do you have trouble focusing on something for more than a few minutes? Do you consequently have a bunch of half-finished projects lying around the house, and a dozen half-baked ideas still knocking around in your cranium, and thus a pile of regrets about where youre at with those things and in your life? If so, what should you do?Now if you went to the gym and tried to lift weights only to find your arms and legs were weak and flabby, youd start a program of weekly exercises to strengthen your muscles. Well, your mind is a kind of muscle too! And just like the muscles in your body, your brain needs weekly exercise to tone up the strength of its focus and concentration. Whats a good workout for your noodle? Well, I discovered some interesting concentration exercises in a great old book from 1918: The Power of Concentration by Theron Q. Dumont, and have shared some excerpts from the book below, along with some great illustrations from Mr. Ted Slampyak. While some of the exercises are a little goofy and you may look like a crazy person staring at an outstretched glass of water, youll have the last laugh as your concentration power increases to Professor X levels. Use this guide to beef up your brain, or as inspiration to invent your own concentration exercises. Now put your finger on the side of your nose and lets get started.Concentration Exercises from 1918The rays of the sun, when focused upon an object by means of a sun glass, produce a heat many times greater than the scattered rays of the same source of light and heat. This is true of attention. Scatter it and you get but ordinary results. But center it upon one thing and you secure much better results. When you focus your attention upon an object, your every action, voluntary and involuntary, is in the direction of attaining that object. If you will focus your energies upon a thing to the exclusion of everything else, you generate the force that can bring you what you want.

When you focus your thought, you increase its strength. The exercises that follow are tedious and monotonous, but useful. If you will persist in them you will find they are very valuable, as they increase your powers of concentration.

It will be necessary to first train the body to obey the commands of the mind. I want you to gain control of your muscular movements. The following exercise is especially good in assisting you to acquire perfect control of the muscles.

Exercise 1: Sitting Still in a ChairSit in a comfortable chair and see how still you can keep. This is not as easy as it seems. You will have to center your attention on sitting still. Watch and see that you are not making any involuntary muscular movements. By a little practice you will find you are able to sit still without a movement of the muscles for fifteen minutes. At first I advise sitting in a relaxed position for five minutes. After you are able to keep perfectly still, increase the time to ten minutes and then to fifteen. This is as long as it is necessary. But never strain yourself to keep still. You must be relaxed completely. You will find this habit of relaxing is very good.

Exercise 2: Fix Gaze on FingersSit in a chair with your head up and your chin out, shoulders back. Raise your right arm until it is on the level with your shoulder, pointing to your right. Look around, with head only, and fix your gaze on your fingers, and keep the arm perfectly still for one minute. Do the same exercise with your left arm. When you are able to keep the arm perfectly steady, increase the time until you are able to do this five minutes with each arm. Turn the palm of the hand downward when it is outstretched, as this is the easiest position. If you will keep your eyes fixed on the tips of the fingers you will be able to tell if you are keeping your arm perfectly still.

Exercise 3: Fix Eyes on Outstretched Glass

Fill a small glass full of water, and grasp it by the fingers; put the arm directly in front of you. Now fix the eyes upon the glass and try to keep the arm so steady that no movement will be noticeable. Do this first for one moment and then increase it to five. Do the exercise with first one arm and then the other.

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The purpose of the above exercises is to gain control over the involuntary muscular movement, making your actions entirely voluntary. The following exercise [is designed] to bring your voluntary muscles under the control of the will, so that your mental forces may control your muscular movements._____

Exercise 4: Concentrate on Opening and Closing FistsMove your chair up to a table, placing your hands upon it, clenching the fists, keeping the back of the hand on the table, the thumb doubled over the fingers. Now fix your gaze upon the fist for a while, then gradually extend the thumb, keeping your whole attention fixed upon the act, just as if it was a matter of great importance. Then gradually extend your first finger, then your second and so on until you open the rest. Then reverse the process, closing first the last one opened and then the rest, and finally you will have the fist again in the original position with the thumb closed over the finger. Do this exercise with the left hand. Keep up this exercise first with one hand and then the other until you have done it five times with each hand. In a few days you can increase it to ten times.

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The chances are that the above exercises will at first make you tired, but it is important for you to practice these monotonous exercises so you can train your attention. It also gives you control over your muscular movement. The attention, of course, must be kept closely on each movement of the hand; if it is not, you of course lose the value of the exercise.

You may think these exercises very simple and of no value, but I promise you in a short time you will notice that you have a much better control over your muscular movements, carriage and demeanor, and you will find that you have greatly improved your power of attention, and can center your thoughts on what you do, which of course will be very valuable.

No matter what you may be doing, imagine that it is your chief object in life. Imagine you are not interested in anything else in the world but what you are doing. Do not let your attention get away from the work you are at. Your attention will no doubt be rebellious, but control it and do not let it control you. When once you conquer the rebellious attention you have achieved a greater victory than you can realize at the time. Many times afterwards you will be thankful you have learned to concentrate your closest attention upon the object at hand.Let no day go by without practicing concentrating on some familiar object that is uninteresting. Never choose an interesting object, as it requires less attention. The less interesting it is the better exercise will it be. After a little practice you will find you can center your attention on uninteresting subjects at will. The person that can concentrate can gain full control over his body and mind and be the master of his inclinations; not their slave. When you can control yourself you can control others. You can develop a Will that will make you a giant compared with the man that lacks Will Power. Try out your Will Power in different ways until you have it under such control that just as soon as you decide to do a thing you go ahead and do it. Never be satisfied with the I did fairly well spirit, but put forward your best efforts. Be satisfied with nothing else. When you have gained this you are the man you were intended to be._____

Exercise 5: Concentration Increases the Sense of Smell

When you take a walk, or drive in the country, or pass a flower garden, concentrate on the odor of flowers and plants. See how many different kinds you can detect. Then choose one particular kind and try to sense only this. You will find that this strongly intensifies the sense of smell. This differentiation requires, however, a peculiarly attentive attitude. When sense of smell is being developed, you should not only shut out from the mind every thought but that of odor, but you should also shut out cognizance of every odor save that upon which your mind, for the time, is concentrated. You can find plenty of opportunity for exercises for developing the sense of smell. When you are out in the air, be on the alert for the different odors. You will find the air laden with all kinds, but let your concentration upon the one selected be such that a scent of its fragrance in after years will vividly recall the circumstances of this exercise.

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The object of these exercises is to develop concentrated attention, and you will find that you can, through their practice, control your mind and direct your thoughts just the same as you can your arm._____

Exercise 6: Concentration on the WithinLie down and thoroughly relax your muscles. Concentrate on the beating of your heart. Do not pay any attention to anything else. Think how this great organ is pumping the blood to every part of the body; try to actually picture the blood leaving the great reservoir and going in one stream right down to the toes. Picture another going down the arms to the tips of the fingers. After a little practice you can actually feel the blood passing through your system.

Exercise 7: Concentrating on SleepWhat is known as the water method is, although very simple, very effective in inducing sleep. Put a full glass of clear water on a table in your sleeping room. Sit in a chair beside the table and gaze into the glass of water and think how calm it is. Then picture yourself getting into just as calm a state. In a short time you will find the nerves becoming quiet and you will be able to go to sleep. Sometimes it is good to picture yourself becoming drowsy to induce sleep, and, again, the most persistent insomnia has been overcome by one thinking of himself as some inanimate objectfor instance, a hollow log in the depths of the cool, quiet forest.

Those who are troubled with insomnia will find these sleep exercises that quiet the nerves very effective. Just keep the idea in your mind that there is no difficulty in going to sleep; banish all fear of insomnia. Practice these exercises and you will sleep.

Exercise 8: Practice Talking Before a Glass

Make two marks on your mirror on a level with your eyes, and think of them as two human eyes looking into yours. Your eyes will probably blink a little at first. Do not move your head, but stand erect. Concentrate all your thoughts on keeping your head perfectly still. Do not let another thought come into your mind. Then, still keeping the head, eyes and body still, think that you look like a reliable man or woman should; like a person that anyone would have confidence in

While standing before the mirror practice deep breathing. See that there is plenty of fresh air in the room, and that you are literally feasting on it. You will find that, as it permeates every cell, your timidity will disappear. It has been replaced by a sense of peace and power.

The one that stands up like a man and has control over the muscles of his face and eyes always commands attention. In his conversation, he can better impress those with whom he comes in contact. He acquires a feeling of calmness and strength that causes opposition to melt away before it.

Three minutes a day is long enough for the practice of this exercise.

Exercise 9: The Eastern Way of Concentrating

Sit in a chair with a high back in an upright position. Press one finger against the right nostril. Now take a long, deep breath, drawing the breath in gently as you count to ten; then expel the breath through the right nostril as you count to ten. Repeat this exercise with the opposite nostril. This exercise should be done at least twenty times at each sitting.

Exercise 10: Controlling DesiresDesire, which is one of the hardest forces to control, will furnish you with excellent exercises in concentration. It seems natural to want to tell others what you know; but, by learning to control these desires, you can wonderfully strengthen your powers of concentration. Remember, you have all you can do to attend to your own business. Do not waste your time in thinking of others or in gossiping about them.

If, from your own observation, you learn something about another person that is detrimental, keep it to yourself. Your opinion may afterwards turn out to be wrong anyway, but whether right or wrong, you have strengthened your will by controlling your desire to communicate your views.

If you hear good news resist the desire to tell it to the first person you meet and you will be benefited thereby. It will require the concentration of all your powers of resistance to prohibit the desire to tell. After you feel that you have complete control over your desires you can then tell your news. But you must be able to suppress the desire to communicate the news until you are fully ready to tell it. Persons that do not possess this power of control over desires are apt to tell things that they should not, thereby often involving both themselves and others in needless trouble.

If you are in the habit of getting excited when you hear unpleasant news, just control yourself and receive it without any exclamation of surprise. Say to yourself, Nothing is going to cause me to lose my self-control. You will find from experience that this self-control will be worth much to you in business. You will be looked upon as a cool-headed business man, and this in time becomes a valuable business asset. Of course, circumstances alter cases. At times it is necessary to become enthused. But be ever on the lookout for opportunities for the practice of self-control. He that ruleth his spirit is greater than he that ruleth a city.

Exercise 11: When You ReadNo one can think without first concentrating his thoughts on the subject in hand. Every man and woman should train himself to think clearly. An excellent exercise is to read some short story and then write just an abridged statement. Read an article in a newspaper, and see in how few words you can express it. Reading an article to get only the essentials requires the closest concentration. If you are unable to write out what you read, you will know you are weak in concentration. Instead of writing it out you can express it orally if you wish. Go to your room and deliver it as if you were talking to some one. You will find exercises like this of the greatest value in developing concentration and learning to think.

After you have practiced a number of these simple exercises read a book for twenty minutes and then write down what you have read. The chances are that at first you will not remember very many details, but with a little practice you will be able to write a very good account of what you have read. The closer the concentration the more accurate the account will be.

It is a good idea when time is limited to read only a short sentence and then try to write it down word fo