This brief meditation is to focus and sharpen your mind in readiness for concentration.
Whether it is study or artistic pursuit,
Dance,
Movement,
Writing or reading,
Whatever you are preparing to do,
This practice is to bring you to a place of focus,
Clarity and full attention.
At the end of the meditation,
You will be ready.
If you need to work for a long time,
You may need to break and revisit this focused meditation at intervals.
If you feel your attention and focus wandering,
Refocus with this practice.
Now stop.
Pause.
Bring yourself fully into the here and now.
This time,
This place.
Use your breath to anchor you.
With a long breath in,
And drop your breath out.
Allow your breath to fall into a deep and regular rhythm.
In a swinging rhythm.
In,
Out.
Long.
Slow.
Pushing your breath deeply into your lungs and maintaining this swinging rhythm throughout this practice.
Align your body.
Wherever you are,
You are preparing.
You are readying to begin an activity of focus and concentration.
Align your body in readiness.
In your mind,
Say,
I am preparing.
Soften and release your body.
Drop any tension or unease from your feet.
Legs.
Hips.
Lower back.
Spine.
Shoulders.
Arms.
Hands.
Each finger.
Neck.
Head.
Jaw.
Eyes.
And forehead.
Drop tension.
Soften.
Be in your body.
Say in your mind,
My body is preparing.
My body is preparing.
My body is preparing.
Your breath is still slow and long.
Prepare your thoughts.
Allow them firstly to settle.
Allow thoughts that do not need thinking right now to fall away.
Say to yourself,
I am preparing my thoughts.
I am preparing my mind.
As your thoughts fall away and settle,
I am preparing my thoughts.
I am preparing my mind.
I am preparing my thoughts.
I am preparing my mind.
Allow your thoughts to settle,
Like leaves to the bottom of the pond.
Allow your mind to become clear.
Imagine your mind as clear,
Clean water.
My mind is clear.
I am preparing.
My mind is clear.
I am preparing.
My mind is clear.
I am preparing.
Now allow your thoughts to gently,
Effortlessly,
Gather on the focus of these next minutes or hours of concentration.
My thoughts are gathering.
My thoughts are gathering.
See your thoughts gathering,
Getting ready.
Be ready.
Your thoughts are gathered.
Your mind is ready.
Bring energy into your body,
Alert and alive.
Bring a smile to your lips.
Bring a smile to your heart.
In your mind say,
I am prepared.
I am ready.
I can focus with single pointed concentration for the next time.
Now,
Open your eyes.
You are focused,
Clear,
Concentrated.
You are ready.
Enjoy this time of focused concentration.
