Harnessing Meditation to Improve Focus
Whether you’re crafting a presentation for work or running a marathon, you know that you accomplish your best work (and surpass your personal expectations) when you’re in the flow of the task at hand—that clear, hyper-immersed state where all other concerns and obligations vanish.[1]
There are various natural ways to improve focus and concentration, but few compare to meditation.[2] Praised as a blessing for everything from greater patience to enhanced self-awareness, meditation may be the key to amplifying your productivity.[3]
Here’s how to leverage meditation to increase concentration—and the extra benefits that may arrive with it.
Understanding the Link Between Meditation and Focus
Research indicates that our minds wander nearly half the time we’re awake—or 47% of the time, to be exact.[4] Meditation may channel these wayward thoughts and apply them to a focal point (such as an activity or cognitive exercise) by:
- Mitigating stress – Pause for a moment and consider how much time you spend in any given hour worrying about the future, ruminating about the past, or listening to the relentless (and often loud) voice of your inner critic. Many meditation techniques may have the power to guide you out of this endless loop by urging you to focus on a single experience, such as your breath or a sensation. This creates mental and energetic space to let go of anxious thoughts and concentrate entirely on the present.
- Altering brain structure – It may seem impossible to believe that the act of regular meditation—which at first glance may seem like a passive activity—can change the brain's structure. Yet, a mounting body of evidence suggests that a consistent meditation practice can result in measurable alterations to the body’s most vital organ.[5] Moreover, it may energize cognitive and emotional hot spots in the brain that can lead to elevated mental performance and stronger emotional regulation. And we all know we need to be in a calm, balanced psychological state to focus intensely.
What’s more, meditation may prompt more nourishing sleep, essential for maximizing your mental focus, effort, and energy.
Types of Meditation for Better Concentration
If you’re new to meditation, you might envision someone sitting on a floor cushion in criss-cross-apple-sauce style. But, in fact, a handful of different meditation forms can promote concentration:[6]
- Focused attention meditation – Focused attention meditation (FAM) is precisely as it sounds: it asks practitioners to concentrate wholly on a single sound, sensation, image, or the like. For some, focused attention meditation is simpler to embrace than, say, mindfulness meditation (during which you observe your thoughts before letting them pass) because it forces attention back to the object of concentration the second spontaneous thoughts arise. It may also subdue what’s known as the default mode network (DMN), the brain region that triggers these “spontaneous” thoughts.[7]
- Mantra meditation – A staple in Hinduism and Buddhism, mantra meditation involves repeating a word or phrase. This can be especially appealing to those whose thoughts seem magnified in silence. Chanting a short sound or phrase—like repeating om—may stimulate the vagus nerve, which may provoke the sense of peace needed to concentrate.[8]
- Moving meditation – Yoga, tai chi, walking, gardening—all are considered moving meditations and are terrific for those who struggle with sitting still. In fact, yoga asana (or the physical postures in yoga) is used to help practitioners prep their physical bodies for the quietude needed to center the mind, meditate, and focus deeply.[9]
Step-by-Step Guide to Meditation for Focus
How to utilize meditation to improve focus naturally boils down to the type of meditation you’ve chosen. For non-moving meditations, you may want to:[10]
- Separate yourself from distractions
- Find a comfortable seat
- Pay attention to where your mind runs off to (and gently nudge it back into the present without judgment)
Scientific Insights: How Meditation Enhances Brain Function
The benefits of meditation training to increase your concentration level (among other perks) just hearsay. Studies indicate that meditation may:
- Increase gray matter in the brain—a section of the mind that influences aging, cognition, and emotional regulation[11]
- Enlarge cortical thickness and the anterior insula, which can boost your attention span and bolster awareness[12]
To phrase it differently, meditation may have the potential to escort you right into that focused flow state.
Overcoming Common Challenges in Focused Meditation
If you wrestle with practicing meditation, trust that you’re not alone. A few of the most effective ways to meditate with ease include:
- Preparing to “slow down” for meditation by either exercising first (unless you’re called to a moving meditation) or resting for a few moments before starting your practice
- Using a guided meditation so that you aren’t “alone” with your racing thoughts
- Continually returning to your breath, mantra, or the sensations prompted by physical activity
Additionally, stress-busting herbal remedies such as kava, rhodiola, ashwagandha, and passionflower may support a calmer frame of mind and enrich your meditation practice.[13]
Integrate Meditation into Your Daily Routine with Botanic Tonics
Meditation may arrive with many advantages—for elevated focus, yes, but also for a more serene existence. Practiced consistently and long-term, you might find that life seems a little sweeter—and your attentiveness is sharpened.
Botanic Tonics can help you take your meditation practice to the next level. Our kava capsules and tonic are rich in the very herbal remedies that may lead to a better mood and mental clarity.*
Sources:
- Very Well Health. Flow in psychology: how to reach an immersed state of flow. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-flow-2794768
- Harvard Health. Tips to improve concentration. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/tips-to-improve-concentration
- Mayo Clinic. Meditation: a simple, fast way to reduce stress. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858
- WebMD. What to know about meditation for focus. https://www.webmd.com/balance/what-to-know-about-meditation-for-focus
- Cureus. Meditation and its mental and physical health benefits in 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10355843/
- Healthline. Which type of meditation is right for you? https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/types-of-meditation#mantra-meditation
- Nature. Focused attention meditation changes the boundary and configuration of functional networks in the brain. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-75396-9
- Psychology Today. Vagus nerve. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/vagus-nerve
- Insight Timer. Beyond asana: the benefits of yoga before meditation. https://insighttimer.com/blog/yoga-before-meditation/
- Mindful. How to meditate. https://www.mindful.org/how-to-meditate/
- Neural Plasticity. Brief mindfulness meditation induces gray matter changes in a brain hub. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7704181/
- Right as Rain by UW Medicine. How meditation affects your brain and boosts well-being. https://rightasrain.uwmedicine.org/mind/well-being/science-behind-meditation
- Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice. Common herbs for stress: the science and strategy of a botanical medicine approach to self-care. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9737923/.
About The Author
Jamal Bouie is an accomplished professional with a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry from Lemoyne-Owen College in Memphis. Currently, he is pursuing his PhD in Biomedicine at Salus University. Jamal has worked in several industries; he began his career in pharmaceutical manufacturing and transitioned to the cannabis industry, where he specialized in analytical testing and manufacturing, playing a vital role in ensuring product safety and compliance. Now, Jamal has turned his attention to the dietary supplement field, combining his scientific acumen with his passion for health and wellness.
