Concentration exercises

Exercise 1
Take a book and count the words in any one paragraph. Count them again to be sure that you have counted them correctly. Start with one paragraph and when it becomes easier, count the words in a whole page. Perform the counting mentally and only with your eyes, without pointing you finger at each word.

Exercise 2
Count backwards in your mind, from one hundred to one.

Exercise 3
Count in your mind from one hundred to one, skipping each three numbers, that is 100, 97, 94, etc.

Exercise 4
Choose an inspiring word, or just a simple sound, and repeat it silently in your mind for five minutes. When your mind can concentrate more easily, try to reach ten minutes of uninterrupted concentration.

Exercise 5
Take a fruit, an apple, orange, banana or any other fruit, and hold it in your hands.

Examine the fruit from all its sides, while keeping your whole attention focused on it. Do not let yourself be carried away by irrelevant thoughts thoughts that might arise, such as about the grocery, where you bought the fruit, about how and where it was grown, its nutritive value, etc. Stay calm, while trying to ignore or show no interest in these thoughts.

Just look at the fruit, focus your attention on it without thinking about anything else, and examine its shape, smell, taste and the sensation it gives you when you touch it.

Exercise 6
This is the same as exercise number 5, only that this time you visualize the fruit, instead of looking at it.

Start, by looking at the fruit and examining it for about 2 minutes, just as you did in exercise number 5. Then close your eyes, and try to see, smell, taste and touch the fruit in your imagination. Try to see a clear and well defined image. If the image becomes blurred, open your eyes, look at the fruit for a short while, and then close your eyes and continue the exercise.

You may imagine holding the fruit in your hands, as in the previous exercise, or imagine it standing on a table.

Exercise 7
Take a small simple object such as a spoon, a fork, or a glass. Concentrate on one of these objects. Watch the object from all sides without any verbalization, that is, with no words in your mind. Just watch the object without thinking with words about it.

Exercise 8
After becoming proficient with the above exercises, you may try this exercise.

Draw a small geometrical figure, about three inches in size, such as a triangle, a rectangular or a circle, paint it with any color you wish, and concentrate on it. Look only at the figure you have drawn, and at nothing else. Only the figure exists for you now, with no unrelated thoughts or any distractions.

Keep your attention on the figure in front of you, and avoid thinking about anything else. Also, try not to strain your eyes.

Exercise 9
The same as number 8, only this time visualize the figure with the eyes closed. As before, if you forget how the figure looks like, open your eyes for a few seconds and watch the figure and then close your eyes and continue with the exercise.

Exercise 10
The same as above in number 9 but the eyes open.

Exercise 11
Try for at least five minutes, to stay without thoughts. This exercise is to be attempted only after all the previous ones have been performed successfully. The previous exercises, if practiced correctly, will endow you with the ability to impose silence on your thoughts. In time it will become easier and easier.

The secret of success is constant practice. The more time you devote to the exercises the faster you progress, but this need to be done gradually. Start with ten minutes, and as it becomes easier, and your ability to concentrate improves, increase the time.

When you see that you are successful, you will begin to love the exercises, and in time they will turn into a habit. You will be able to concentrate your attention easily and effortlessly upon anything you want to concentrate on.

Do you jog, exercise at the gym, or study a foreign language? How difficult it was when you first started? How many times you wanted to quit? Yet, after a while you began to like what you were doing. It became a habit, and did not require special effort. So it is with developing the power of concentration.

After some of time, it will be easier to concentrate, and your mind will learn to be calm and relaxed. Things, circumstances, and events that used to agitate and anger you, will not disturb you. You will experience happiness, content and satisfaction, self-confidence and inner strength. You will be able to cope more easily and efficiently with the outer world.

You will feel a new form of consciousness growing in you, bringing you peace of mind. At first, you will experience it sporadically and for a brief moment, but in time, it will grow and fill you completely. You will be able to make the mind work for you in a most efficient way, and you will also be able to silence it when you want.

After your concentration gets stronger, your attitude and reactions to events and people will change, and you would discover many things about the mind, how it functions, and how to use it efficiently.