One of the most important things when it comes to focus is learning how to prime your focus.
A chef always sharpens his knives before he enters the kitchen and you have to do the same with your focus.
This practice is a great tool for sitting down before you go to take on a task as it will prepare your mind and your focus before you need to engage it.
Focus can be like a powerful horse.
It will take you very far but it needs to be directed,
It needs to be controlled.
So let's begin.
Find a comfortable seat with your feet firmly placed on the floor.
Feel the earth beneath you.
You are supported,
You are held.
Before we begin with any breathing regulation,
I want you to picture the task you are wanting to complete.
Maybe you have been putting it off for weeks and you just can't tick it off your list.
Procrastination is real and we've all been there.
I want you to visualise yourself completing the task.
Maybe it's an essay for school,
Maybe it's the laundry that needs folded.
Just take a minute to actually see yourself completing it within the eye of your mind.
How does that feel?
What are you feeling now that you have finally completed that task you've been putting off for weeks?
Feel the joy it creates,
The relief and feel the lightness that the weight is finally off your shoulders.
Beautiful.
Now we're actually going to prime our focus so we can get this work done.
And let's begin by simply observing the breath.
Notice how it moves through the body effortlessly.
We're going to engage in a circular breathing method where we're going to breathe without a pause between the inhale and the exhale.
A smooth conscious loop,
Steady,
Slow and unforced.
Begin by inhaling gently through the nose and allow the exhale to flow right back out.
Smooth inhale,
Smooth exhale.
Easy smooth inhale,
Easy smooth exhale.
Like a wheel turning one rotation after another,
We're breathing in through the nose and allowing the exhale to flow right back out.
Breathing like a gentle tide.
Breathing like a slow wave just moving in and out from the shore.
No effort,
No pushing,
Just an uninterrupted flow.
Stay with this.
And if thoughts appear and you feel yourself getting distracted,
Just gently refocus your mind on the breath.
Focusing in on that circular pattern of breathing as we breathe in,
Breathe out.
Breathe in,
Breathe out.
And if thoughts appear,
Just allow them to pass on by.
Each breath is a return to presence.
Each breath is a soft gathering of your energy.
Inhale,
Awareness expands.
Exhale,
Attention steadies.
Continuous,
Unbroken and completely calm.
Keep the breath soft and supple.
No strain,
No force,
Just a fluid movement.
Inhaling,
Awareness expands.
Exhaling,
Attention steadies.
Whenever the mind wanders,
Bring it back to just follow that flow.
The steadiness of the breath becomes the steadiness in your awareness.
You're not trying to hold your focus,
You're allowing focus to return to you.
You're sharpening the blade of focus,
Breathing,
Flowing and present.
Just completing a few more cycles now slowly,
Continuously and easily.
Inhale,
Opening the mind.
Exhale,
Grounding the body.
Inhale,
Opening the mind.
Exhale,
Grounding the body.
Inhale,
Opening the mind.
Exhale,
Grounding the body.
Nothing to fix,
Nothing to achieve.
Just the soft,
Steady,
Supple rhythm bringing you back home.
On your next inhale,
Take a deep breath in.
Hold.
3,
2,
1,
Sigh,
Let it go.
And just notice the stillness underneath as you release the circular breathing and allow your breath to return to its natural pattern.
Notice the clarity that has begun to form.
Notice how you feel more present.
Inviting you now to place a hand on your chest or your belly and silently repeating the words back in your mind.
I am here.
I am focused.
I am ready.
Take one last slow inhale through the nose.
Long,
Soft exhale out through the mouth,
Letting it go.
And when you're ready,
Open the eyes gently and return to your day with clarity and presence.
