FOCUS

The ability to focus is often thought of as being able to concentrate on one thing to the exclusion of everything else – wellll … maybe not quite true. In fact, that definition is actually one of the symptoms of ADHD, where all your attention is caught in one thing for short periods of time (short because it's exhausting!). So the teacher may be yelling at you or the house may be burning down but your hearing and smell is temporarily switched off. Real focus, I would say, is the ability to concentrate on one thing AND still remain aware of your surroundings and other events without having any of your attention engaged by them.

The metaphors for 'single-pointed' focus being like an arrow seem true and yet if the arrow was sentient and had awareness, you can be certain that it would be totally aware of the tautness of the bow, being held back by the bowman, flying through cold air pressure and speeding to a point on a target in relation to everything else in its surroundings.

How can focus be developed? Practice practice practice - and being taught by someone who knows how to disengage attention from the unimportant things.

Try this ...

BodyBrain Training

And where does focus live in the body? It's probably different for everyone, I feel it in the area between and above the eyes (brow chakra). Brain Gym describes the area related to focus as being the front and back hemispheres of the brain and there is a connection to the back and the front sides of the body. So if you imagine a division going down through the centre of your body which divides front and back … then rock gently towards the balls of the feet without overbalancing, come back to the middle, pause, than rock slowly towards the heels without overbalancing – keep breathing, and back to the middle. Where do you feel more comfortable? What 'feels right'? When you're in the middle, are you REALLY in the centre, or slightly forward or back?

Now do the same exercise while imagining a task you need or want to complete … in which direction is your body more comfortable?

(Meaning?. . . forward is a range between 'inclined to' ... to ... 'overfocussed' for that task. Back is a range between 'disinclined to' … to … 'underfocussed' for that task, middle is neutral.

Keep breathing...

Martin