Hi there,
And welcome to Every Breath Counts.
Perhaps you know these days where you are fully prepared.
You have your earplugs ready and sit at a tidy,
Clean desk,
Ready to be productive.
But your mind is all over the place and you just don't find a way to concentrate.
While preparing our working environment is great,
You also need to prepare your mind.
You can imagine your ability to focus like a muscle.
The more you train it,
The stronger the muscle becomes,
And the easier it will be for you to focus deeply.
If you get sloppy,
However,
This muscle can also atrophy again and you'll find yourself being distracted and restless.
This process is also called neuroplasticity.
The more you'll train your focus,
The stronger the corresponding neural connections in the brain and your ability to concentrate will become.
Let's train your focus muscles today with the concentration technique so you can regain your attention control and get things done.
As always,
You can begin by reminding yourself that you've taken this time,
Right now,
To strengthen your focus.
So dedicate your full attention to be here now.
And find your flow.
Close your eyes.
And take a moment to arrive in this moment by getting a feel for the space around you.
Is it quiet?
Or a bit noisy around you.
Perhaps picking up a certain smell.
And slowly shift your focus inward.
And become aware of your breathing noticing how it flows in and out.
And you can adapt your breathing a little bit.
To bring yourself into a focused and relaxed state What you're going to do is to breathe in for a count of four.
Hold your breath for a count of four.
Breathe out for a count of four.
And hold your breath again for a count of four.
If you like.
You can imagine a square whose sides show you the breathing direction.
Here we go.
Breathe in.
Too.
3 for.
Odd.
Too.
Three.
4.
Too.
3 4.
Old.
Too.
3.
4.
In.
Too.
4.
Hold.
Too.
Three.
4.
Out.
Too.
3 4.
Hold.
3 for.
Too.
Three.
4.
Hold.
Too.
Three.
4.
Out.
Too.
3 4.
Hog.
For.
In.
Too.
4.
Hold.
Too.
4.
Out.
Too.
3 4.
Hold.
Too.
3.
For IN.
Too.
3 4.
Hold.
2.
3.
4.
Out.
Too.
3 4.
Hold.
Too.
4.
Too.
4.
Horde.
Too.
3.
4.
Out.
Too.
3 for.
Hog.
Too.
Three.
For.
And as you begin to feel more focused and relaxed,
You can let your breath return to its natural rhythm letting it come and go without trying to change or control it.
And as you observe the natural flow of your breath,
I invite you now to count your breaths.
While breathing in,
You'll count up from 1 to 10.
And while breathing out.
You'll count down from 10 to 1.
And after your 10th breath,
You can simply start from the beginning again.
Let's do that together for a few breaths before you continue at your own pace.
Breathing in counting one.
Breathe out.
Counting 10.
In.
Counting two.
Out.
Counting nine.
In.
Counting three.
And out.
Counting 8.
Breathing in,
Counting 4 and out.
Counting seven.
And you can continue counting your breaths in this way.
Dedicating your full attention to Be Here Now.
And if you get distracted and lose track of the count,
Simply notice that and start counting from the beginning again.
This is your time.
Right now to sharpen your focus strengthening your attention control with every breath you count.
Very good.
And perhaps you notice how you succeed more and more in letting go of distractions and fully focusing on your breath.
When you commit yourself to the task.
And actively shift your focus back whenever you get off the track.
You commit yourself to remain focused.
And in order to recall this feeling of deep focus and this commitment in your everyday life,
You can repeat this flow impulse a few times silently to yourself.
I commit myself to remain focused.
I commit myself to remain focused.
Perfect.
And maybe you can already think of a specific situation,
Something where you need your entire focus where you would like to recall this impulse then go ahead and set yourself the intention to consciously commit yourself to remain focused when the crucial moment has come.
Now slowly become aware of your surroundings again Notice the temperature around you.
The ground beneath you.
Stretch yourself if you feel like it.
And when you're ready,
In your own time,
Open your eyes again.
Well done.
Today you took the time for a concentration exercise to become laser focused.
The more often you practice,
The easier it will be for you to focus for longer chunks of time and become immune against distractions.
I'll see you next time.
