Yoga can improve focus through methods such as repeating a mantra, focusing on an object, energy center, or breath, and certain postures. Practitioners must let go of distractions and use techniques like trataka or Nadi Shodhana. Balancing, bending, and inversion poses are also helpful for concentration.
Many people participate in yoga to focus. There are several different methods that can be used. For example, a phrase or mantra can be repeated silently. In some cases, focus can be placed on an object, image, or drawing through a practice called trataka. Alternatively, the practitioner can focus on a particular energy center in the body or on the inhalations and exhalations of the breath. Certain postures or asanas can also be used in yoga to focus.
People who study the philosophy behind yoga believe that a certain aspect of yoga, called dharana, can help improve focus of the mind or help increase concentration. In general, this means that practitioners let go of any thoughts or distractions that might enter their minds. For example, if a person is trying to use yoga to focus and his mind won’t stop thinking about the pile of clothes sitting at the foot of the bed, he should immediately clear those thoughts from his mind. Practitioners know that such thoughts are not going anywhere, they are just waiting.
One of the ways to use yoga to focus is to silently repeat a mantra or phrase. The phrase can be as simple as “letting go,” or it can be a Sanskrit phrase with a deeper meaning. Using a mantra or phrase helps the person stay focused and improves concentration. Some people prefer to focus on an energy center in the body or a particular part of the body during a pose.
A person may also use trataka, a practice where the practitioner focuses on an object, without blinking, for one minute at a time. For example, a person can look at the top of a candle flame for one minute. Then he will close his eyes and see what kind of visualizations are produced. This practice is believed to dramatically improve concentration because the person must focus with both eyes open and eyes closed.
Among the most common uses of yoga for concentration is through the focus on the breath. For example, a person can sit cross-legged and just listen to them breathe in and out. Often the exhalations are made slightly audible to increase the amount of focus or concentration. Another example uses a technique called Alternate Nose Breathing, or Nadi Shodhana. Through this technique, the person breathes through one nostril at a time, closing one nostril with the ring finger and the other with the thumb.
Popular poses used in yoga for concentration include balancing poses, bending poses, and inversions. For example, a person might use tree pose, standing on one leg with arms raised overhead. His focus may be at a stationary place in front of her, called a dristi. In the alternative, she can go into a backbend. Many people believe that bending the spine affects the nervous system and increases concentration. Inversions, such as headstands and handstands, are believed to increase blood flow to the brain and increase concentration.
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