Meditation Tips - 5 Factors of Focus

It is important for all students of meditation to get on the path of ever deepening focus! 

This allows you to constantly work on long term growth, no matter what activity you use to practice focus. It is also useful to know the different ways the term 'focus' is used. It is very valuable to have something to hold your awareness on (sometimes referred to as 'focusing'). 

Where you choose to hold your awareness is called the object of meditation (but it is also sometimes called the 'focus' of meditation). When you practice meditating and get good at holding more and more of your attention on a single object for greater and greater periods of time, it is referred to as concentration or mindfulness (but it is often sometimes said that you have developed 'focus'). 

Focus (v): the activity of holding your awareness on something. Focus (n): the object (physical or otherwise) your awareness is directed to during a meditation (where you hold your awareness). Focus (n): the developed ability of directing more and more of your awareness over time. These are simplified, but functional definitions. Clearly, the term 'focus' can be used in several different ways. Keep this in mind when you study and practice meditation. The following tips and techniques are the primary factors to keep in mind when developing focus through meditation or any other activity: 

Focus Factor 1 - Pick a focus, and stick with it: This is particularly important in the beginning. It can sometimes be challenging to stick with a single focus. Our society seems to be built around the ever shortening span of attention. 

When you practice meditation, it is critical that you give a single focus/object enough time to really begin to develop the momentum of concentrated awareness. Once you start to develop this... you can branch out and play with variety as much as you like as long as you are satisfied with the continued building of momentum in your ability to focus.

Focus Factor 2 - Narrow your focus down to a single, specific aspect: Find the most specific element you can focus on, and hold it there. When it drifts, bring it back. This is the ultimate way to eliminate distractions. This is an incredibly easy way to focus in scope, but it can be rather challenging in practice. If it is an image, bring it down to a single aspect of the image. If it is a sensation, focus on one small spot or area of the sensation. Play with sharp focus. Once your focus develops here, it will be much easier to move on to other meditations. 

Focus Factor 3 - Once your focus develops, branch out: Now that you have started to develop the momentum of your focus, it is useful to learn to become focused on anything you want at anytime. Practice building your focus everywhere during your day-to-day life. While going about chores, paying bills, interacting with a loved one, etc. start to bring a little bit more focus into a specific aspect of the activity. 

Focus Factor 4 - Returning your awareness is the point of the exercise: If you choose to meditate for any length of time, then at some point your awareness will drift. If your focus never drifts, then you are not challenging yourself. The point is, when your awareness drifts, bring it back to your focus (whatever your object of meditation is). Most people live in a world of constantly drifting focus, and most of the time, they are not even aware of it. When you are aware of your focus drifting, you can direct it back to the object of meditation... and this is the very skill you are developing. 

Focus Factor 5 - Work towards Samadhi: Depending on what tradition you practice, Samadhi could mean "any state of high concentration"... or it could mean "absolute absorption in the object of meditation". I tend to use it both ways. You will first start to notice your Samadhi arising when it becomes easier to hold more of your awareness on the focus for longer periods of time. Eventually, you will notice that your awareness no longer drifts at all, it flows in a continuous stream of focus into whatever object you direct it toward. The goal of these exercises is a highly concentrated mind, whether you go for just a little bit more concentration, or you decide to go for complete concentration. With a little playful practice, you might surprise yourself with how quickly you achieve some level of Samadhi... it will usually take more practice to develop complete Samadhi... but I encourage you to remain open to rapid results. 

These 5 factors of focus may not be all that you need to achieve all your goals in meditation and concentration, but they are more than enough to get started. 

Enjoy your practice! Benjamin Langley has been studying meditation, self-hypnosis, energy work, and other healing methods for over 15 years. He has taken the time to study, practice, and integrate these methods, and he has written over 400 articles on these subjects, as well as numerous podcasts and videos that can be found on his site and others. 

If you want to get a deeper understanding of meditation quickly, you can find the best free meditation tips and techniques on the web at:

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