Hello and welcome to your meditation on attentional control.
So what is attentional control and why is it so important,
Especially for athletes?
So when we're training or competing we often get sucked into this negative mindset,
This negative self-talk.
We start thinking about like,
Why am I breathing so hard?
My legs feel so horrible.
I'm so tired.
I don't know if I can keep going.
But luckily this is only one of the channels that our brain operates on.
So if you think about your brain or your thought processes,
Kind of like a TV,
There's lots of different channels that we can function on.
We have lots of other options other than this negative channel to focus on,
But as you can probably understand from your own experiences,
It can be really hard to switch once you're already kind of sucked into that negative section.
What other channels are available to us?
The sign shows us that we have four channels and we combine them kind of onto a quadrant.
So we have two spectrums on this quadrant.
The first spectrum is a range from internal focus,
So the things that are within us,
To an external focus,
Which are the things in our environment.
The other spectrum is from narrow to broad.
If you put these two spectrums together on a quadrant,
You imagine four squares,
Which represent each of the four channels that you have to pick from.
So you'll have a narrow internal focus and a broad internal focus,
As well as a narrow external focus and a broad external focus.
In this meditation,
We're going to practice this attentional shifting.
We're going to go through six cycles together,
Taking 15 seconds on each channel.
You're going to hear a bell each time it's time to move to the next channel.
For the first three cycles,
I'm going to guide you through,
And then I'm going to give you a little bit more space on the final three cycles,
And I'll just say the channel that you're supposed to be in,
And you can practice shifting on your own.
Let's get started.
Find somewhere comfortable to sit or lay down,
And get yourself settled in.
Get any of those wiggly movements out,
Adjust your clothes,
Adjust your hair,
Whatever you need to do to be comfortable.
And then let's just take three big breaths to get our attention settled.
You're going to inhale through your nose,
And let it out through your mouth.
Just letting go as you breathe out.
Breathing in through the nose,
And out through the mouth.
One more.
In through the nose,
And out through the mouth.
We're going to start with cycle one.
We're going to rotate here through the four different channels,
Starting with a narrow external focus,
And moving to a broad external focus.
And then we'll move to a broad internal focus,
And finish with a narrow internal focus.
We'll keep cycling through that way.
Here we go.
Let's start with a narrow external focus.
Focus on one thing in particular in your surroundings.
Maybe you count the number of floors or ceiling tiles.
Maybe you examine all the colors in a photo on the wall.
Let's move to a broad external focus.
Listen to the sounds around you.
Can you hear a furnace or a fan?
Maybe some street noise or birds chirping?
Bring your attention to a broad external focus.
Strategize or plan for something.
Maybe it's addressing a part of your competition plan,
Meal planning,
Or rearranging a room in your home.
Let's move to a narrow internal focus.
Note some specific sensations in your body.
Count the number of breaths,
Or maybe count your heartbeats.
Feel the sensations in each of your fingers or toes.
Nice work.
You've done one cycle.
So let's move on to cycle two.
We'll start again with a narrow external focus,
Choosing that same item to focus on,
Or choosing a different one.
Counting or examining something is better here.
Switch to a broad external focus.
Tune into your environment as a whole,
Engaging your senses in the space that you're in.
Bring your attention to a broad internal focus.
Strategize here.
Plan for something.
Think about your to-do list.
Finally,
Narrow your attention internally.
Feel your body.
Focus on what's happening with your breaths,
Your heart,
And any other sensations.
Round three.
Narrow external focus,
Finding that specific item to focus on.
Broad external focus,
Tune into your environment.
Broad internal focus,
Analyze and plan for something.
Narrow internal focus,
Feel your body.
Great.
So for the last three rounds,
I'm going to leave you a little bit more space,
And you'll just hear the bell and my voice directing you on to what type of focus.
Just continue shifting,
And if you feel your mind wandering,
Make sure you just come back to wherever we are and keep going.
Narrow external focus.
Broad external focus.
Broad internal focus.
Narrow internal focus.
Narrow external focus.
Broad external focus.
Broad internal focus.
Narrow internal focus.
Narrow external focus.
Broad external focus.
Broad internal focus.
Narrow internal focus.
Let your focus go.
Don't be surprised if you're feeling a little tired right now.
That's a lot of mental work.
Let go of any judgments around your performance.
Some days are going to be way easier or way harder than others.
It takes practice,
But it'll be so worth it.
Come back to this meditation a few times a week to get practiced up so you can apply it when you need it the most.
Thanks for being here,
And I wish you the best of luck in all of your training and competitions.
