Concentration exercises Exercise 1 Take a book and count the words in any one paragraph. Count them again to be sure that you have counted them correctly. Start with one paragraph and when it becomes easier, count the words in a whole page. Perform the counting mentally and only with your eyes, without pointing you finger at each word. Exercise 2 Count backwards in your mind from one hundred to one. Exercise 3 Count in your mind from one hundred to one, skipping each three numbers, that is 100, 97, 94, etc. Exercise 4 Choose an inspiring word, or just a simple sound, and repeat it silently in your mind for five minutes. When your mind can concentrate more easily, try to reach ten minutes of uninterrupted concentration. Exercise 5 Take a fruit, an apple for example, and look at it from all sides. Concentrate your attention on it and examine it from all sides. Devote the whole session to concentrating on it. Do not be carried away by irrelevant thoughts that arise. Stay with the apple. It could be any other fruit. Look at it and do not think about the shop were you bought it, about the way it is grown, its nutritive value etc, only about the object in front of you. Just look at it, see it, smell it and touch it. Exercise 6 This is the same as exercise number 5, only that this time you visualize the fruit with your eyes closed. Start by performing again exercise number 5 for five minutes, and then do this one. Try to see, feel, taste, smell the fruit in you imagination. Try to see a clear and well defined image. If difficulties arise open your eyes, look at the fruit, close them again and continue the exercise. Exercise 7 Take a small simple object such as a spoon, a fork, or a glass. Concentrate on one of these objects. Watch the object from all sides without any verbalization, that is, with no words in your mind. Just watch the object without thinking with words about it. Exercise 8 After becoming proficient in the above exercises, you can come to this exercise. Draw a small geometrical figure, about three inches in size, such as a triangle, a rectangular or a circle, paint it with any color you wish, and concentrate on it. You should see only the figure, nothing else. Only the figure exists for you now, with no unrelated thoughts or any distractions. Try not to think with words during the exercise. Watch the figure in front of you and that's it. Try not to strain your eyes. Exercise 9 The same as number 8, only this time visualize the figure with the eyes closed. As before, if you forget how the figure looks like, open your eyes for a few seconds and watch the figure and then close your eyes and continue with the exercise. Exercise 10 The same as above in number 9 but the eyes open. Exercise 11 Try for at least five minutes, to stay without thoughts. This exercise is to be attempted only after all the previous ones have been performed successfully. The previous exercises, if practiced correctly, will endow you with the ability to impose silence on your thoughts. In time it will become easier and easier. x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X I think, therefore I am. And all that I am is dictated by my thoughts. Thought breeds opinion, opinion belief. Belief engenders attitude And attitude, behavior. Therefore in order to live well A man must first strive to think well. His thoughts must be as a strong fortress To withstand the onslaught of derision and dogma And yet welcoming enough to admit the arguments of reason. Thought must be fluid and well conceived, It must not be fixed and yet its’ foundations must be secure. And thought belongs to us all.