{"id":102,"date":"2020-07-22T18:04:05","date_gmt":"2020-07-22T18:04:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meditationsphere.com\/?p=102"},"modified":"2022-04-22T18:06:11","modified_gmt":"2022-04-22T18:06:11","slug":"how-meditation-increases-your-concentration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meditationsphere.com\/blog\/how-meditation-increases-your-concentration\/","title":{"rendered":"How Meditation Increases Your Concentration"},"content":{"rendered":"

Concentration and mindfulness are two qualities of the mind that play a huge role in meditation. Science has already proven that meditation has many physical, psychological, and emotional benefits. And in this article, we\u2019ll answer the question: does meditation increase concentration and focus?<\/p>\n

Meditation improves your concentration by training the mind to stay on a single thought or object. When you repeatedly bring your mind back to your object of meditation after getting distracted, it gradually learns to stay quiet and focused. Research also proves that meditation is an effective tool to increase your concentration.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s discuss in detail how you can train your mind by practicing meditation. We\u2019ll also look at the scientific evidence and two ancient techniques that improve your concentration.<\/p>\n

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How meditation<\/span> trains the mind<\/span><\/h2>\n

Meditation is an ancient practice that involves focusing the mind on one thing, such as breathing, counting, or body sensations. You train your awareness by clearing the mind of other thoughts and just paying attention to your object of meditation.<\/p>\n

Soon, the mind will wander off. In the beginning, you\u2019ll only be able to concentrate for a few seconds before your mind drifts into the wonderland of random thoughts. After some time, you\u2019ll realize that you\u2019ve been thinking about your ex instead of meditating, and you\u2019ll quickly get back to counting your breaths. Give it a few moments and the mind will get distracted again, and you\u2019ll have to bring it back again.<\/p>\n

This process of repeatedly bringing the mind back to your object improves your ability to sustain attention. Over time, the mind learns to stay on the object for longer periods. This effect also shows up in your day-to-day life. You\u2019re able to concentrate better on your studies or at work.<\/p>\n

Research shows that\u00a0mindfulness meditation<\/a> starts affecting the brain the day you start meditating. The changes are subtle at first, so it\u2019s hard to notice them, but they soon add up to transform you from the inside.<\/p>\n

The key to meditation is consistency. Staying regular with your practice will go a long way in ensuring that you benefit from it. It\u2019s okay if you miss a day or two (though you can always spare a few minutes to continue the streak), but not meditating for 10 days straight could destroy most of what you\u2019ve been developing for the last six months.<\/p>\n

I went through this resetting quite a few times before finally making meditation a part of my life. For this reason, I recommend you read the article on\u00a010 practical tips to make meditation a daily practice<\/a>. It\u2019ll help you incorporate meditation into your routine.<\/p>\n

Scientific research on meditation and concentration<\/span><\/h2>\n

The central point of meditation is a strong focus of attention on an object or activity. It\u2019s easy to imagine how that would cause increased concentration and focus. However, for those of us who want proof, scientists have been investigating the\u00a0benefits of meditation<\/a>\u00a0for the past few decades, and several studies detailing these benefits have been published.<\/p>\n

One study found that just two weeks of meditation training improved the focus and working memory of GRE students. They experienced decreased mind-wandering and increased cognitive performance and therefore scored better in the verbal reasoning test.(1)<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n

Another study observed the effects of intensive meditation. The participants attended a three-month meditation retreat where they meditated for five hours a day. After the retreat, their ability to focus their attention on a particular object increased significantly.(2)<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n

Scientists have also discovered that experienced meditators have enhanced control over the ventral posteromedial cortex (vPMC). This is the part of our brain that almost always keeps running in the background and thinking about stuff.<\/p>\n

Since meditators have more stability in their vPMC compared to non-meditators, they\u2019re better able to stay focused on their tasks without getting distracted. In this study, the volunteers were also asked to perform tasks requiring intense concentration, and the results confirmed that meditation improves our ability to concentrate.(3)<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n

A meditation technique to increase concentration<\/span><\/h2>\n

Breath-focused meditation is a simple practice that improves the brain\u2019s ability to concentrate among other things. It involves focusing your attention on the breath and watching every inhalation and exhalation.\u00a0Posture<\/a>\u00a0also plays an important role in meditation as the body directly affects the mind.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how to practice Anapanasati or breath meditation:<\/p>\n