Day 2:

Mindful Concentration

Welcome to Day 2 of the mindfulness challenge. Wasn’t yesterday great? We talked about mindful breathing.

Today we’re going to practice mindful concentration.

Reflection:

Very few people can concentrate EFFECTIVELY. Their minds are fractured. Distracted. Overwhelmed by thoughts and worries and noise.

Their mobile phone beeps every three minutes, sending their attention in a different direction.

A fractured mind is a harried mind.

A mind without PEACE.

The ability to concentrate brings the scattered mind BACK TOGETHER.

Concentration unifies the mind and body.

…Concentration is one of the KEYS to mindfulness.

Concentration is a bedrock of HAPPINESS.

As Thich Nhat Hanh says:

Suppose you are offered a cup of tea, very fragrant, very good tea. If your mind is distracted, you cannot really enjoy the tea. You have to be mindful of the tea, you have to be concentrated on it, so the tea can reveal its fragrance and wonder to you.

Action:

Pour yourself a glass of water or one of your favorite beverages.

As the water enters the glass, pay attention to how it swirls. Look at the droplets scatter on the side of the glass.

Take a sip of the water.

Fix your attention on that sip of water from beginning to end. Feel it moisten your mouth and lips.

Concentrate on the feeling of it as it slides down your throat.

Feel its delicious coolness.

Follow the sip from beginning to end. If a different thought appears in your mind, gently bring your concentration back to the glass of water.

Repeat this process until you’ve finished the glass of water.

No cutting out early 😉

Before we dive in tomorrow, take a moment to share what this experience was like for you. Was it challenging to concentrate? How did you feel during this process?

Tomorrow we’re going to be talking about the powerful practice of being aware of your body.