Meditation For Focused Attention And Concentration

Hello and welcome to this guided meditation for focused attention and concentration.

To begin,

Take a few moments to let your body settle.

Find a comfortable position that allows your spine to be long,

But with a natural curve in the low back.

For this practice,

You may want to close your eyes or let your gaze be soft.

Let the belly and shoulders relax.

Today,

I will guide you through a focused attention practice centered on the breath.

This will help to calm your mind and relax your body.

Before we start,

Take a full breath in and a long breath out.

Now allow your breath to find its natural rhythm in and out.

Without trying to change your breathing in any way,

Take this time to notice how your body feels.

You may feel the breath as air passes through your nostrils or in the rise and fall of your belly or chest.

Use one area to observe the breath for the next few minutes.

Whichever you choose,

Direct your attention to noticing the inhale and the exhale.

And continue to notice for the next few moments.

Whenever you find that the mind has wandered,

Just come back to the breath.

Come back to the space where you notice your breath.

Notice the different aspects of your breathing,

The phases of the inhale and the exhale,

Whether your breath is warm or cool,

Deep or shallow.

Observe if there is a pause between the end of one complete breath and the beginning of the next.

If your mind is wandering,

Counting can be helpful for maintaining focus on the breath.

So at the bottom of each exhale,

Count silently from 1 to 10.

Inhale,

Exhale,

1.

Inhale,

Exhale,

2.

Still noticing the sensations of the breath.

When the mind wanders again,

Just come back to the count of 1.

Start again without judgment.

As we begin to close this practice,

Bring your attention back to the body.

How does your body feel?

Do you notice any sounds around you?

What are the sensations of the clothes or air on your skin?

Feel where your feet or body make contact with the ground.

Maybe wiggle your fingers and toes.

If you are ready,

You can gently open your eyes and take in the world around you.

You can also stay sitting for a few more moments as your body and mind return to alertness.

As you continue with the rest of your day,

You can access this gentle,

Focused energy again by refocusing for a few moments on your breath in the way we just practiced.

We'll finish our focused attention practice by breathing in and out.

I thank you so much for taking time to sit with me today.

Have a beautiful rest of your day.