How to Centre Yourself and Develop Focus During Meditation

This exercise shows you how to develop a still, quiet mind and a firm, steady body, both of which are important prerequisites for effective meditation.

Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight. Roll your shoulders back to broaden your chest. Place your hands, palms down, on your knees or thighs. Close your eyes. Focus on your body, releasing any muscles that feel tense. Keep your breathing soft and steady.

Allow your mind to settle on the innate stability and strength of your inner self. If other thoughts start drifting into your mind, gently try to return the focus to your breathing, inhaling for strength, exhaling for stability.

Return your awareness to the physical presence of your body: notice the air against your skin, the weight of your body as it touches the floor or your chair, the warmth of your toes, the light touch of your hair against your face. Sit quietly for a few moments, consolidating this awareness of yourself before getting up.

Meditating "Properly"

People are often unsure whether or not they are meditating "properly." The answer to this is that, strictly speaking, there is no right or wrong way, it depends entirely on what you want to achieve through your practice. If meditation does not appear to be helping you in any way, there may be something you need to change. Sometimes you can find out what you need to change on an inner, spiritual level, by listening to the voice of your unconsciousness.

While meditating, try asking yourself what you are aiming to gain from the practice. Observe the thoughts and feelings that arise in response.

Developing Focus

The underlying key to meditation is learning how to "centre" ourselves, how to still our bodies and focus our minds so that we are able to enter a state of total absorption and concentration.

Try putting your personal preoccupations on hold and direct your awareness to whatever item you may want to let your attention rest on. You may wish to focus on a specific part of your body by channelling all your mental energy there. Or you may want to place a particular object or image, perhaps a flower, vase or painting, in front of you and allow your eyes gently to rest on it as a point of focus.

Initially, you may find that your concentration lies solely on the chosen object; in time, your thoughts and your object of thought will become as one.

The ability to concentrate for long periods during meditation is an enriching experience, but don't worry if at first you are distracted and your thoughts dart in all directions, try to bring them back into focus and, with practice, your powers of concentration will increase.

As well as developing your focus and awareness, you must centre yourself to achieve a sense of mental and physical balance.

In Zen Buddhism, the area from the abdomen down to the groin is known as the hara. Within this area, about two inches below the navel, is the tanden, a point said to be the exact centre of gravity and the point of balance for the entire body. Focussing your thoughts on the tanden during meditation should help you to develop a greater sense of physical and mental equilibrium.

Meditation should not be regarded as something you do for a few minutes each day; it is an attitude that can be carried through into your everyday life.

Practise centring your mind and body, and you will find it will have a profound effect on the way you live your daily life, enabling you to stay focused on whatever task you set yourself, and allowing you to absorb yourself totally in every aspect of your physical, mental and emotional existence. When we clear our minds and still our bodies, even if only for a short while, we attract rich and subtle blessings into our lives.