How to use meditation to focus

Whether it be in a person’s professional or personal life, focus will be a cornerstone to success. Without proper and dedicated focus, individuals will let their minds wander, which isn’t inherently a negative trait as it enables creativity, leading to new ideas and concepts. However, when working towards a goal, losing focus is the simplest way to ensure it is not completed to a high level or completed at all. Focus requires practice, commitment and self-discipline.

Meditation can help a person regain their focus and battle the distractions of the modern world. Through meditation, you can centre focus and remain single-minded and committed. There are a variety of ways to practice meditation, there is no one-size-fits all method. Despite this, each method will be centred around focus and attention.

What is meditation?

Meditation is simply the name for a school of exercises and techniques which aim to train attention, awareness and emotional stability. However, the term ‘meditation’ exists as an umbrella term, encapsulating the variety of practices that fall under its remit. There are an incredibly wide range of meditation practices. Whilst it can be difficult to discern where to begin with the variety of practices, individuals who decide to practice meditation must understand their aims and what they want to gain from the practice. Once this has been established, a person can begin to trial the different methods and see which proves to be most effective in gaining a sense of perspective and focusing on their aim.

What does meditation do?

Due to the vague nature of meditation and how it is practiced, it can be very easy to be sceptical of the practice and dismiss it and any of its apparent benefits. However, there is evidence and studies to suggest that meditation has tangible benefits on the mind and body. Studies have shown that practicing mindfulness can significantly reduce stress levels.

When practicing meditation and focusing on mindfulness and emotional regulation, the effects of stress can be significantly reduced as you are better able to assess a scenario clearly. This same principle can be applied to feelings of anxiety, depression and develop self-awareness so that a person can identify the triggers of these emotions. These can be key to success in a professional sense.

If a person can regulate these emotions in the workplace, they can remain focus on their tasks at hand and remain productive. The same applies in their personal lives with focusing on their wellbeing, whether it be through physical fitness and diet, or pursuing a hobby or interest to further develop their skills. Meditation is a practice that can help individuals to hone their skills and prevent external distractions of poor mental health and the stresses of life.

Related article: Meditation and Mental Health

How do you meditate?

Some studies estimate that there are over 300 types of unique methods of meditation. It can be confusing for individuals to know where to begin or what practice suits them best. Some of the most common schools of meditation which beginners can start with include:

Mindfulness meditation

Practice to teach an individual to slow their thoughts, let go of negative thoughts and calm their body and mind. Focuses on deep breathing and awareness. Simple to practice in small intervals in a comfortable and suitable environment, leading to a free and calmer mindset.

Focused meditation

Directs a person’s attention on to a specific object, sound or sensation rather than awareness of their surroundings. Is typically used to relieve stress. In this practice, if the mind wanders, it is good to acknowledge it as such and return to the initial focus.

Transcendental meditation

Also known as TM, this practice is effective at reducing levels of anxiety. The practice is based on focusing on repeating a single mantra silently, which can be different for each person. This can be learned from certified instructors.

Mantra meditation

Similarly to TM, mantra meditation revolves around repeating a sound or phrase to induce the mind into a meditative state. This practice can enhance an individual’s self-awareness through deeper understanding of emotions.

Visualisation meditation

You can sharpen focus through focusing on and visualising a future goal or ambition. It can increase positivity, emotional wellbeing and preparedness.

Meditation can be an extremely personal practice; it will be different for everyone. Depending on a multitude of factors including neurodivergent conditions such as ADHD, which may make focusing difficult, or simple external factors of the surrounding environment, the practice followed can be different for everyone.

What is breathwork

Breathwork is the practice of purposely altering your breathing pattern to cause an alteration in a person's physical or mental state. Much of the changes experienced will be psychological, but the nervous system is linked to the brain. The alteration in breathing triggers some of our body’s natural reactions, such as the ‘fight-or-flight’ response or the ‘rest and digest’ response. Depending on an individual’s aims, they might follow a school of breathwork to promote calmness or stimulate energy to increase their alertness.

There are a variety of techniques an individual could utilise to achieve their aims or be tailored to their personalities. These techniques include:

Deep abdominal breathing

This technique is focused on breathing deeply into your diaphragm and is intended for relaxation and to reduce stress and anxiety. To practice the technique, you must take slow deep breaths to raise your abdomen to your chest, remaining relatively still.

4-7-8 breath

Yet again, this practice is intended to decrease stress and anxiety levels as well as promote good sleep. To practice this technique, inhale through the nose for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 and then exhale for 8 seconds, until you feel completely out of air.

Box breathing

Practicing this technique involves inhaling, holding and exhaling for equal counts of approximately 4 seconds. This practice is followed to enhance performance whilst reducing stress, better understanding how to practice patience and regulation.

Five-Finger Breath

This method is slightly more complex as it combines breathwork with visual cues and the surrounding environment. To practice this method, an individual needs to hold one hand out with fingers outstretched, whilst tracing it with their opposite hand. This is all done whilst inhaling whilst tracing up each finger and exhaling as you trace down. Whilst rather complex, this technique is designed to centre a person’s mind and promote mindfulness as they remain focused and eliminate stress and anxiety to do so.

Clarity breathwork

Certain schools of breathwork require a partner or instructor. Clarity breathwork is one such technique. It is typically practiced over the course of an hour and involves circular breathing techniques, meaning the inhale and exhale are continuous with no pauses, which is why a partner is required. The purpose behind this method is to enhance emotional intelligence and personal reflection to accurately assess how to develop and improve a person’s wellbeing.

As breathwork and techniques require self-discipline and active thought to focus on actions and behaviours, it can train a person to focus and remain present. Whilst these methods can have benefits such as reducing stress and increasing awareness, which can be used to block distractions and improve focus, they can operate at a base level of increasing a person’s understanding of focus.

How does breathwork and meditation work together?

As both meditation and breathwork are typically used to eliminate stress and anxiety, together, they can make for a powerful pairing of awareness to raise focus. Each compliments each other as breathwork can be used in specific types of meditation. For example, deep breathing techniques can be combined with mindfulness meditation as a simple calming method in a variety of environments. When breathwork and meditation are operating in tandem, a person can gain a greater perspective on the world around them and various situations as they have been able to eliminate the distractions, negative stress and simply focus on the development of their wellbeing. When external factors are eliminated, clarity is achievable and focus is far more attainable, leading to greater personal and professional wellbeing.

Related article: Breathing techniques for work-related stress

How can an EAP help?

Using our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), you will have access to the Wisdom App which is curated and home to a host of different breathwork and meditation resources. Getting started with meditation to assist with wellbeing can seem intimidating at first as you may not know where to begin. With the resources available through our EAP where our counsellors can provide 24/7 guidance and advice 365-days a year and simple access to the Wisdom App, you can further your wellbeing and develop your focus using our EAP.

Conclusion

Whilst the concept of meditating to improve focus may not be for everyone, it is proven to have its benefits. Of course, when stress and anxiety are reduced and self-awareness grows, focusing becomes less strenuous as external and internal disruptions are not as prevalent, which is the primary aim of meditation.