Meditation gives the vision of unity. Meditation produces sense of oneness. Meditation is an aeroplane that helps the aspirant to soar high in the realms of eternal bliss and everlasting peace.

It is a mysterious ladder that connects earth and heaven and takes the aspirant to the immortal abode of Brahman. Meditation is the continuous flow of one thought of God or Atman, like the continuous flow of oil from one vessel to another Tailadharavat.

Meditation follows concentration. Practise meditation in the early morning from 4 to 6 Brahma-Muhurta. This is the best time for the practice of meditation.

Sit in Padma or Siddha or Sukha Asana. Keep the head, neck and the trunk in a straight line, and concentrate either on the Trikuti, the space between the two eyebrows, or on the heart with closed eyes. Meditation is of two kinds viz. In concrete meditation the Yogic student meditates on the form of Lord Krishna, Rama, Sita, Vishnu, Siva, Gayatri or Devi.

In abstract meditation he meditates on his own Self or Atman. Place the picture of Lord Hari with four hands in front of you. Gaze at this picture steadily for five minutes and then close the eyes and visualise the picture. During visualisation move the mind on the various parts of Vishnu.

See with the mind His feet first, then in the following order, legs, His yellow silk cloth, His golden necklace set with Kaustubha gem on the breast, the earring, Makarakundala, then the face, then the crown on the head, then the discus in the right upper hand, then the conch in the upper left hand, then the mace in the lower right hand, then the lotus in the left lower hand.

Then come down to the feet and repeat the process again and again. Finally fix the mind either on the feet or on the face. Repeat the Mantra, Hari Om or Om Namo Narayanaya, mentally. Think of the attributes of the Lord such as Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Purity, etc.

Meditate on Om and its meaning with feeling. This is Nirguna Dhyana. Repeat Om mentally. Identify yourself with Atman. Feel "I am the all-pervading immortal Self or Atman.

I am Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahman. I am Sakshi or silent witness of three states and all modifications of the mind. I am pure consciousness, I am distinct from the body, mind and Prana and senses, I am the self-luminous Light of lights.

I am the eternal supreme Soul. If you have contentment, cheerfulness, patience, unruffled state of mind, sweet voice, one-pointedness of mind, light body, fearlessness, desirelessness, disgust for worldly things, think that you are advancing in the spiritual path and that you are nearing God.

O Prem! There is a place where you will neither hear any sound nor see any colour. That place is Param Dham or Padam Anamayam painless seat. This is the realm of peace and bliss. There is no body-consciousness here.

Here mind finds rest. All desires and cravings melt away. The Indriyas remain quiet here. The intellect ceases functioning. There is neither fight nor quarrel here. Will you seek this silent abode through silent meditation?

Solemn stillness reigns supreme here. Rishis of yore attained this place only by melting the mind in the silence. Brahman shines in native effulgence. Forget the body. Forget the surroundings.

Forgetting is the highest Sadhana. It helps meditation a great deal. It makes the approach to God easier. By remembering God, you can forget all these things. Taste the spiritual consciousness by withdrawing the mind from the sensual objects and fixing it on the lotus-feet of the Lord, who is ever shining in the chambers of your heart.

Merge within by practising deep silent meditation. Plunge deep. Swim freely in the ocean of Sat-Chit-Ananda. Float in the Divine river of Joy. Tap the source. March direct towards the fountain-head of Divine Consciousness and drink the Nectar.

Feel the thrill of Divine Embrace and enjoy Divine Ecstasy. I shall leave you here. You have attained the state of immortality and fearlessness. Fear not. Shine now. Thy light has come. Practise regular systematic meditation during the same hours daily.

You will get the meditative mood easily. The more you meditate, the more you will have inner spiritual life, wherein mind and Indriyas do not play. You will be very close to the source, Atman. You will enjoy the waves of bliss and peace.

All sensual objects will have no attraction for you now. The world will appear to you as a long dream. Jnana will dawn in you by constant, deep meditation.

You will be fully illumined. The curtain of ignorance will drop now. Storage Preferences. Concentration is the practice of directed thought whereby attention is placed on a single object of focus. Unlike mindfulness meditation, attention is held without interruption and free from distractions, helping achieve a sense of calm and stillness.

Browse featured tracks on concentration meditation from our library. Opens in a new window Opens an external website Opens an external website in a new window. Close this dialog This website utilizes technologies such as cookies to enable essential site functionality, as well as for analytics including by way of session replay technology , personalization, and targeted advertising purposes.

You may change your settings at any time or accept the default settings. You may close this banner to continue with only essential cookies. Privacy Policy Storage Preferences Targeted Advertising Personalization Analytics.

Why is it important to stay focused during meditation? How to focus during meditation? We can stay focused in meditation by learning techniques and strategies, and assuming a pioneering spirit to redirect our energy and attention to explore the inner superconscious states.

The difference between prayer and meditation is that in prayer we talk to God, whereas in meditation we listen for His answer. Hence the importance of meditation. Achieving this state is easier said than done. Every day we absorb ourselves in the activities of our lives and living — family, home, work, school, recreation, social life, etc.

Shifting gears to focus on the inner life is not something most of us can do spontaneously or easily. Moving from engagement with the conscious mind, normal awareness, and the state of our affairs takes dedicated time and practice.

What happens when you are watching a movie and someone is talking — and you are also distracted and busy doing something else? You might get snatches of the dialogue.

You might hear some of the music in the background or catch a few glimpses of the scenes. You might also get some notions about the characters involved and pick up a few hints about the plot.

However, if the noise, distractions, and restlessness continue, you will not be able to pay attention and you will not be able to listen. Your averted attention and focus will cause you to miss the whole point, purpose, and story of the movie playing out in front of you. The next thing we know, the credits are rolling and our time has expired.

This is what happens when we are restless and our wandering minds dominate our meditations. It helps to make a conscious decision to leave the cares of the world away for a while. Stop worrying and planning for this short period- all your problems will still be there when your meditation is complete.

The good news is that practicing meditation can help us to stay focused and quiet the mind. We can learn to settle down and be still.

We can channel and tune our thoughts to their highest octaves. Our suggestions for improving focus during meditation are: eliminating physical tension, relaxing the body, prayer, achieving perfect stillness, expanding your meditation period, keeping your eyes raised, focusing on breath, consciously withdrawing your energy, doing one thing at a time and asking for concentration ad devotion.

Read on for details about these 10 helpful strategies. Many new meditators, in an effort to concentrate more deeply, tense the muscles in their body. Deep concentration, however, is possible only in a state of relaxation.

On the contrary, by fully accepting what each moment offers, you open yourself to experiencing life much more completely. It is more likely that you will be able to respond effectively to any situation that presents itself.

One way to envision how mindfulness works is to think of the mind as the surface of the ocean. There are always waves, sometimes big, sometimes small. The goal of meditation is not to stop the waves so that the water will be flat, peaceful, and tranquil.

The purpose of mindfulness meditation is to develop the skills to:. Source- Jon Kabat-Zinn, Director, Stress Management Clinic University of Massachusetts Medical Center.

This includes the emotional, physical, and mental awareness of your physicality, sensations, feelings, and thoughts. Researchers define consciousness in different stages and levels, with each stage having its unique characteristics.

The four stages of consciousness include awake, dream-filled, deep sleep, and beyond deep sleep. The five levels of consciousness are conscious, preconscious, unconscious, non-conscious, and subconscious. These different stages and levels of consciousness define how our minds and bodies behave and the degree of awareness we experience.

Doctors, therapists, and other professionals typically recommend individuals who suffer from chronic pain, mental health illnesses, stress, and anxiety practice meditation as a way to cope and reduce the symptoms of their conditions.

Meditation techniques help patients focus on present moments and their consciousness to respond to their symptoms in a productive and less-critical way. Not only can individuals feel more relaxed during a meditation session. It also allows them to reflect more closely on their thoughts and feelings to understand the sensations they have.

Consciousness and meditation are closely tied together. When individuals practice meditation, they are often more attuned and focused on their consciousness in a calmer way. When it comes to meditation, there are different types that can help an individual regain their active consciousness and become more present at the moment.

For example, concentration and mindfulness meditation are two common types of meditations. That individuals practice to mitigate the symptoms of stress. These two types of meditation are unique forms of consciousness.

The definition of mindfulness meditation is the practice of self-awareness. When your mind and body are mindful of the thoughts and emotions you feel in the moment. This could be feelings of sadness, fear, happiness, anger, or stress.

People that practice mindful meditation also become aware of the things they see, hear, taste, and smell. For example, the food in the kitchen or the cars on the street.

This helps you mitigate some of the stress and anxious thoughts you have. During a concentration meditation session, your mind and body focus all your attention on one thing. This usually involves focusing on your deep breathing as it enters and leaves your body.

Some people also like to focus on a saying or mantra to help them concentrate on their meditation. A mantra is a phrase that you silently repeat to yourself. You tend to focus less on other thoughts or feelings that could distract you.

These practices help increase the level of calmness and relaxation you feel. The main difference between mindfulness meditation and concentration is what your body and mind focuses on during the session. When you practice mindfulness meditation, you recognize and acknowledge.

The feelings, thoughts, and sensations you have instead of suppressing them. The goal is to accept the feelings you have without judging or analyzing them. Concentration meditation focuses on a specific activity that you concentrate on during the meditation session.

This helps you get rid of other thoughts. Concentration meditation is a type of meditation that focuses on your attention. Most people think about meditation as concentrating on specific elements that help ground you and keep your mind in the present.

For example, you might be encouraged to focus on your breathing, the pain you feel, the butterflies in your stomach, or a feeling of joy. These feelings remind you of what is happening in the present, which helps you calm your mind and thoughts instead of feeling stressed or worried about the future.

This one thing could be your deep breathing, a sound, or a mantra that you constantly repeat to yourself. Focusing on these single activities help you eliminate all other thoughts or feelings that could distract you during your meditation. Individuals that practice concentration meditation experience many benefits that help them cope with stress and alleviate the symptoms they feel.

Concentration meditation emphasizes attention and focuses on a single object. When your mind concentrates on one thing for a long period, you tend to get rid of any other thoughts or feelings.

This helps you focus less on any negative thoughts or emotions you might feel, such as stress, anxiety, and pain. Instead, your body focuses on an easy and calming activity to help your mind feel less worried. Concentration meditation also helps slow down your breathing. When you feel stressed or anxious, you might feel your heart rate and breathing rate increase.

When your breathing and heart rate slows down, your body naturally starts to feel calmer and more relaxed. This helps you with stress management. Worries are a common cause of stress and anxiety for many people. It can lead to overthinking and fears as the mind thinks ab out different scenarios and possibilities of things going wrong.

This makes it harder for your mind to focus on the thoughts that make you feel more worried. This could be the sound of a clock, your breathing, a bell, or a saying or word that you repeat.

When you hear that sound or feel that motion repetitively, you have something to guide your attention. Gently bringing your attention and concentration back to the object or sound whenever you feel your mind start to wander can help you stay focused on the present and reduce the distracting thoughts you have.

Stress, pain, depression, anxiety, and other symptoms or conditions can easily keep your mind occupied or distracted throughout the day. Meditation in general is great for improving your concentration, patience, and focus on an activity.

Research has found that mindfulness meditation can change the way your brain reacts by increasing feelings of relaxation. It can help you reduce stress, pain, depression, and anxiety. It can also help you focus and concentrate, allowing you to be more productive and feel more accomplished throughout your day.

Mindfulness meditation also helps train your mind to regain focus every time it gets distracted by something. If you consistently practice mindfulness meditation, your mind and body will become used to bouncing back after certain stressful situations and distractions.

Mindfulness meditation emphasizes your awareness. It involves paying attention to specific thoughts and feelings you currently have without judging those sensations.

The goal is to be as aware as possible of everything your body experiences in that specific moment and identify how those experiences make you feel. Present moment awareness is the key in mindfulness meditation for transforming anxiety and stressful moments.

It gives you the tools to turn the anxiety you feel into calmness by acknowledging all your emotions and focusing on the present to process the thoughts and feelings you have.

You recognize these thoughts and feelings as a normal part of being human and to redirect your energy into calmness and relaxation instead of fear. Concentration meditation emphasizes the focus of attention. This activity could be the inhale and exhale of your breath, the ticking of a clock, a specific phrase, or a small repetitive motion.

It also makes it harder for your mind and body to feel or think about other things, since your mind is concentrated on a specific action or sound. If your mind does wander and you get distracted during a concentration meditation session, simply return your attention to the specific sound or motion of your choice and you can regain concentration.

If you do this, you will notice an improvement in your concentration. Something that is crucial when meditating is to clear the mind of all thoughts.

And it is not as easy as it seems, since in moments of silence and relaxation our head tends to turn to ideas and thoughts that are yet to be resolved. That is why before starting meditation we must make it very clear that we are going to start a special moment, in which nothing is going to bother us.

Once your body learns to be still, the mind will follow much more easily. This is one step further. When your body and mind are under control and you want to access a higher level of concentration, you can introduce a mantra into your meditation sessions.

A mantra is simply a syllable, word or phrase that is constantly repeated. The best known is the syllable "ohm", which is pronounced every time you exhale. This helps the mind to focus on the sound being produced and concentration is greater, eliminating even external interruptions.

Another big problem when meditating is external stimuli such as light or sound. If you don't have a dark and quiet place to meditate, you can try using a meditation pillow, which is placed around your head and creates a feeling of darkness. As you can see, the answer to how to achieve concentration in meditation requires dedication, practice and above all a lot of patience.

But the reward is worth it. Why don't you try it? Join our community of dreamers and you'll receive special offers and inspiration fresh to your inbox. It seems counterintuitive, but many people feel a dip in mood after a trip.

Continue reading. Looking to feel fresh and inspired after your next vacation? Discover how skipping the tourist traps lets you relax into a more restorative getaway. This phenomenon is known as travel insomnia.

Your cart is empty Close Other people added. Language English. Language English English. Do you have trouble keeping your mind clear of disturbances when you meditate? Try these tips, postures and items and lift your spirit to the next level.