CONCENTRATION ON THE BREATHING

  • Focus your attention in the air going in and out. Feel the air passing through your nostrils as you breath in and out.


  • Keep your awareness on the breathing as long as you want.


  • If you are distracted by thoughts, emotions, sensations etc. just kindly return your attention to the breathing.

CONCENTRATION ON THE TIP OF THE NOSE 1

  • As you inhale and exhale consciously direct your attention to the tip of your nose. Keep breathing consciously and see tip of your nose


  • Keep your sight on the tip of the nose and inmediately you will notice a tingling or a sort of sensation in the área of the third eye chakra.


  • Do not get distracted by the sensations and keep your sight on the tip of the nose as long as you need.

CONCENTRATION ON THE TIP OF THE NOSE 2

Place a lit candle 8 to 12 inches away in front of you.


Keep your attention focused on the tip of your nose.


As you observe and keep your attention on the tip of your nose you will see two candles instead of one in your field of view.


The two candles separated is an indication that your are holding your attention in the tip of your nose. If the two candles start to get close to each other or if you just see one candle, that is an indicator that you are no longer seeing the tip of your nose. Relax and get your attention back to the tip of your nose.

CONCENTRATION ON A CANDLE

Place a lit candle at a moderate distance in front of you.


THE PRACTICE:


  • Keep your attention placing your sight on the flame of a candle as long as you need


  • It is important to keep awareness of the breathing while observing the candle.


  • Do no describe the flame or anything the flame does or anything you see


  • Just observe, perceive without any mental chatter.

  • If the minds distracts your attention just kindly direct your attention to the flame again


  • If there is any disconfort in your eyes just close then for a few seconds and open then again to continue focusing in the candle.


This practice can be done placing your attention in any object, it can be a glass of wáter, a flower, a symbol etc.

CONCENTRATION SERENE OBSERVATION OF THE MIND

  • This practice is aimed to train your attention to be focused in observing your mental activity. This practice at the beginning is a concentration exercise, in which attention is directed inwardly toward the mental activity. Typically we find it easy to concentrate on external objects but the subtle aspects of the mind requires training, practice and constancy.


  • At the beginning of the practice some level of effort is required but the idea is that this observation will transitionate from concentration to a meditative state of Serene Observation of the Mind. At the beginning is concentration because it gives us stability, (Shamatha) as stability is stablished naturally without effort then it becomes a Meditation in which Clarity of mind appears (vipassana)


  • Keeping your attention on the breathing, direct your attention also to the mind.


  • Become vigilant of what ever mental activity arises in the mind. Dont identify yourself with whatever appears in the mind nor reject anything. Just keep the Division of attention, be the witness of whats happening inside of you without being entangled by what you perceive or observe.


  • Go back to the breathing if you notice that you are being drawn by the mental activity, center yourself if fascination starts to appear whether it is something pleasant or umpleasant.

CONCENTRATION IN A POINT INSIDE A CIRCLE

  • Trace, draw, or print a circle with a point at the center of the circle and place it in front of you.


THE PRACTICE:


  • Focus your attention on the point and be aware of your breathing as well.


  • You will notice that the circle will be in your field of view. Don’t pay attention to the circle keep your attention on the point.


  • As soon as your concentrations start to be deepening some fragments or the totally of the circle will disappear. This phenomena will come and go because you get distracted with what you perceive. A Good signal that your concentration is improving is the fact that the line of the circle disappears for a longer period of time. Other phenomena may occur, but what really matters is to keep the attention on the point without distraction