My sister once told me that I give her indigestion from how much I move around. I can hardly finish a mouthful of food before I’m off, running to the next activity. Biking, doing yoga, studying, reading, training, working, cooking, or wherever else I might be. My mind moves fast, flitting around like a hummingbird flying swiftly from branch to branch.
I tried taking a six week meditation workshop to cultivate focus. That helped a lot, actually. I can now sit still long enough to drink a cup of tea. But I still have so much further to go. With an over-active throat chakra, my listening skills could certainly use some honing. Not to mention my paying-attention skills. And my sitting-still skills. I could continue to list but I’ll give myself a break here.
The point is, cultivating focus is an essential part of my daily practice, both in life and in yoga. Today I was weeding in the medicinal garden, which is one of my favorite gardening puns. These puns include:
1.) All I do is weed all day. And:
2.) I’m dealing with a lot of crap right now, ok? (referring to all the lovely manure and compost).
Wait, where was I? Oh yes, focus. Back to focus.
This morning I was in the medicinal garden and I inquired aloud whether there was a type of organic adderall. A few hours later, while browsing the pages of a medicinal herb guide, my friend and I found that Tarragon is, in fact, used to treat focus/learning disorders and hyperactivity. It says you’re supposed to make a tea out of it, but picking it fresh from the garden and eating it there is kind of the same thing, right? I figured maybe it takes an hour or two to take effect?
But aside from magic, medicinal fixes, there are a few things that I’ve been trying to do to literally cultivate focus. They are eye exercises. Here are a few exercises that I learned in a yoga workshop last week that I’ve been trying to do at least once a day:
1.) Bring the palms of the hands to rest over your closed eyes, to bring a little warmth and relaxation to the eyeballs.
2.) Holding one thumb out in front of you, move the arm in big circles, first counterclockwise, and then clockwise, keeping the eyes fixed on the thumb the whole time without moving the head. This helps build the eye muscles.
3.) Holding one thumb out in front of you with the arm straight, keeping the gaze on the thumb, draw the thumb into the nose, and then move back out until the arm is straight.
Do ten repetitions of each of these exercises. Over time, the eyeballs will strengthen, and it can cultivate that single focus on the thumb, minimizing other distractions.
All I can do is take one step at a time. I’m just trying to learn to focus on where I’m stepping each foot right now. Let me know if you have tips or suggestions for building focus!
In Search of the Great Perhaps 