How to improve mental concentration?

Whether it is our day to day life or be it professional life, good mental concentration is a must for achieving best results. So also for meditation. Without first developing good mental concentration, you cannot successfully meditate even. 

How does one improve mental concentration? Let us hear that right from the horse’s mouth.

MEDITATION - You need to practice before

Whether it is driving a car or learning to play a musical instrument, you need to practice before you do the actual act. Any learning is a cyclical process of successive corrections till you achieve perfection. 

As many Yogas, so many theories

Nowadays we come across whole lot of things propagated as ‘Yoga’. Almost all of them trace the origin to Patanjali. Interestingly, there are equally many theories about what these ‘techniques’ can achieve and how they work. I was curious and thought of recording them. Here are some.

Theory 1. Yoga basically involves modulating the mental activities so that the mind calms down completely by a step by step process. A completely calm mind enables one to realize the ultimate.

This is the theory propounded by Patanjali (300 B.C.) in his Yoga sutra. Even ancient Buddhists had a very similar explanation to their meditative techniques that also work like Yoga. Incidentally, I have also tried to explain Yoga on similar lines in the light of modern neuroscience in my book “How and Why of Yoga and Meditation – Yoga scientifically explained”.

Theory 2. Yoga involves channeling the cosmic power called ‘Kundalini’ from ‘moolaadhara’ (in the pelvic region) to ‘sahasraara’ in the brain, passing through various ‘power centers’ (called ‘chakras’) that lie along the spinal cord. This is achieved using various Yoga techniques. When this power reaches its destination, the person who practices Yoga gets ultimate realization.

This is the theory propounded by Hatayoga Pradeepika (15th century). Many modern Yoga teachers who propagate variants of this ‘Hatayoga’ talk about very similar theories. Some of them even attribute its origin to Lord Shri Krishna in Bhagavad Geetha (apparently even before 300 B.C.) . But as far as I am aware, the theory in Bhagavad Geetha is closer to the one propounded by Patanjali.

Theory 3. The Yogic breathing acts like bellows that kindle the fire in the lower abdomen. As a result the impure and thick blood in the heart starts boiling. When this blood boils, impurities in it get separated in the same way as impurities separate from molten gold. These impurities are expelled though sweat that is produced during Yogic postures. Since the root cause of ill health is these impurities, Yoga makes the person healthy.

This is a theory supposedly based on some little known ‘ancient’ text. This theory forms the basis of many modern Yoga variants that seem to be quite popular. These systems give utmost importance to Yoga postures and breathing.

Theory 4. Our body is encircled by currents of cosmic forces. When one moves the hands and other limbs in the process of performing various Yoga postures, these currents get directed to flow into the body. Their entry into the body charges it up and makes it healthy.

I am not sure what the basis of this theory is, but I have read some Yoga proponents give this theory. May be influenced by some Chinese concepts.

Interesting!!

Who am I? Swami – on Pränäyäma

(Continued from previous post)

Pränäyäma or Yogic breathing is considered to be one of the important aspects of Yoga practice. Modern Yoga teachers give mysterious explanations about how it works. For example, in one of the interviews the renowned Yoga teacher B.K.S Iyangar says something like this.

“Pränäyäma is not just breathing in and out. It is directing the subtle and invisible energy called Prana (life force) through the nostrils in such a way that it hits against a specific nerve centre”

Most modern Yoga teachers give similar explanations about this important Yoga technique. But none explain it logically nor give exact references supporting their statements. And you don't find these in Yoga Sutra of Patanjali either.

Here is what Ramana has to say about Pränäyäma.

“If life is imperiled the whole interest centers round the one point, the saving of life. If the breath is held the mind cannot afford to (and does not) jump at its pets - external objects. Thus there is rest for the mind so long as the breath is held. All attention being turned on breath or its regulation, other interests are lost……..The mind improves by practice and becomes finer just as the razor’s edge is sharpened by stropping.”

Interestingly, I gave a very similar explanation about Pränäyäma in my book “How and Why of Yoga and Meditation”. I was a bit nervous at that time since my views differ from popular beliefs and there was always a chance of someone getting offended. I was not trying to show that popular beliefs are wrong. My intention was to separate logically explainable parts from the apparently mysterious practices so that we can make progress. And now, after reading Ramana, I feel lot at ease!(thanks to the reader who sent me the book on Ramana)

More in the next post.