Mental Concentration Techniques

Meditation Techniques

• Long believed to be a practice for tapping into inner peace, meditation is now believed to be helpful in teaching an individual how to concentrate. One type of meditation believed to help an individual learn to focus is aptly named, concentration meditation. This meditation technique teaches a student to focus on only one point. Some examples of this type of meditation include staring at a candle flame, repeating a single word over and over again, and counting rosary beads. Each time a student's mind starts to wander, they must consciously refocus on the chosen object to resume the meditation activity.
  
  

Yoga

• Yoga provides another tool believed to increase an individual's powers of concentration. According to many eastern philosophers, all concentration starts with "contained" movement of the mind. The mind that empowers an individual's ability to concentrate is viewed as a muscle that needs to be exercised to be healthy, just like the human body must work out to stay fit. Balance exercises, like the tree stand and crane pose, challenge a yoga student's level of concentration as she is forced to focus on contorting her body into very unusual positions, and then holding her body still in that pose for several minutes.
  
  

Neurofeedback

• Neurofeedback is provided as a means to teach people how to control their own brain waves. Slower brain waves indicate a lack of concentration, and faster brain waves, conversely point to higher levels of focus. The way neurofeedback works is through the use of a computer and video display to show participants' brain activity levels. The participants can then work to adjust brain waves. By practicing this exercise, people can learn to control their own brain waves by speeding them up, which ultimately strengthens concentration levels.
  
  

Breathing Exercises

• Breathing exercises are associated closely with meditation and yoga, and are often used as a warm-up to these two activities. One of the most common images that yoga provokes for the general public is known in yoga circles as the salutation seal position. The position begins with the student sitting cross-legged on the floor with hands in front, pressed together as if in prayer. The objective is to sit quietly and to focus on inhaling and exhaling, while keeping in position, upright with a straight spine. Beginners seeking an exercise to begin focusing on one thing at a time often start with simple breathing exercises like this.