Art of Concentration

Overview  Recap of last session  What’s in your mind  Sneak peak of thoughts  Tug of war inside mind  Concentration explained  Achieving concentration through Bhakti Yoga

Recap of last session  Mind your Mind !!!  Mechanism, functioning of mind  Thinking, feeling, willing  Techniques for regulating mind Control the senses Control the senses Engage them positively Engage them positively Meditation Meditation

What’s in your mind   Thoughts   Plans   Persons   Activities  

Sneak peak of thoughts   Thoughts of current moment   Thoughts of future - day dreaming, what will I do   Thoughts of complaining – I don’t have this, others have it

Sneak peak of thoughts   Thoughts of criticising – it shouldn’t have been like this   Thoughts of worrying about past - why it happened to me, why not someone else   Thoughts of anxiety – what will happen to me   Thoughts of happiness

Tug of war inside mind

  Many thoughts parading in the mind pull in different directions   We end up doing nothing productive, become despondent later   Solution ? Concentration

Concentration - explained  our ability to hold our mind on a particular form or an object or words for a prolonged period of time  Steps of concentration Holding your mind on an object for 12 seconds 12 times 12 = 144 seconds 12 times 12 times 12 = 25 minutes 28 seconds

Are we really present in the present ?

Are the senses alone enough to concentrate ?   In this case the eyes are seeing, ears are hearing   Important element mind is somewhere else

Missing link Restless mindConcentration

Concentration through Will power   Will power - the virtue by which one is able to make the senses and mind do what one wants to do

Will power - illustrated

Achieving concentration through Bhakti Yoga  Mantra meditation Focus on one mantra at a time Focus on one mantra at a time Hook the sense of hearing, vision and touch Hook the sense of hearing, vision and touch Hear the mantra with ears and mindHear the mantra with ears and mind See the mantra with eyes and mindSee the mantra with eyes and mind Feel the beads with fingers and mindFeel the beads with fingers and mind Don’t worry about the previous or next mantra, focus on the present Don’t worry about the previous or next mantra, focus on the present Will power is developed and concentration is achieved gradually Will power is developed and concentration is achieved gradually