Focused attention meditation (or FAM) is a type of mindful meditation that involves focusing on one thing as a way of staying present. The purpose is to quiet the mind and come into the present. In focused meditation, the practitioner focuses on a statement or mantra, a visualization, a sound, or another sensory focus.
During the meditation, even if the mind wanders, the point is for the practitioner to come back to the focus point as a way to come into the present. This is a great approach for beginners because all you need is a point of focus, a quiet space, and five minutes to get started with the practice.
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What Is Focused Meditation?
Focused meditation is a type of mindfulness but differs from mindful meditation in that you don’t attempt to empty or clear the mind. Instead, you keep your mind on the chosen focal point as a way to come into the present and quiet the mind. It is a great approach for beginners because you don’t need prior meditation experience. Anyone can start a focused meditation practice by picking an object of focus and starting.
Meditation has been practiced for over 4000 years and in the past 50 it has become more popular because of its ability to improve emotional regulation among other benefits.2
10 Benefits of Focused Meditation
There are many benefits to focused meditation, including reduced stress, anxiety, and depression, decreased pain, improved sleep, and improved concentration.1 When people suffer from depression, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders, a meditation practice can help alleviate symptoms and promote a sense of well-being.3
Ten benefits of focused meditation include:
1. Decreased Stress
Focused meditation works to reduce stress by setting the mind on one thing and bringing the mind back to that single point of focus. Studies show that meditation decreases stress and promotes a sense of calm by effecting a few areas in the brain such as the function of the medial cortex and associated default mode network as well as the insula and amygdala.4
In practicing meditation on a daily basis, you begin to build a new practice of refocusing the mind again and again. But the benefits continue in daily life because this new way of being starts to show up in your daily life as well. This way of thinking shows up in dealing with stressful situations which results in better stress management.
2. Improved Concentration
Studies show that even brief stints of consistent meditation improves attention span.5 Each time you focus the mind back to the point of concentration, it is teaching the mind to focus on one thing and to tune out the myriad of usual thoughts. This is training for the mind to focus on one thing at a time.
3. Reduced Anxiety
Meditation for anxiety has proven to be an effective treatment method.6 People who suffer from anxiety often have irrational and worry-like thoughts that feel overwhelming. In meditation practice, the person learns to notice their thoughts and become more of an observer of thoughts coming and going versus getting pulled into the content of their thoughts. Over time, this is helpful in managing the anxious mind by retraining the mind to notice the thoughts without getting wrapped up in them.
4. Increased Compassion
Meditation has proven to increase compassionate responding.7 A study in 2012 compared two groups of meditators and non-meditators who responded to groups of people in need in various situations. Across the board, meditators showed compassionate actions toward the people in need though helping, offering a seat, and offering their assistance. It is possible that the practice allows for a sense of being part of a greater community and therefore, participants felt moved to care for others.
5. Emotional Stability
Focused meditation provides a form of mental training which results in increased emotional stability and emotional balance.8 Studies show that within two months of consistent practice, people who struggle with anxiety, depression, and distress in particular improved their psychological regulation.9
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6. Improved Working Memory
A recent study showed that daily meditation over eight weeks improves attention, working memory, and enhanced attention.10 Research suggests that this benefit is the result of meditation working to regulate the regions of the brain that affect the stress response such as the amygdala hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. Studies show that the brief focused meditation particularly increases the volume of both the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus which enhance working memory.11
7. Increased Communication Skills
Focused mediation calls for a prolonged attention on a single object which requires the practitioner to ignore outside stimuli. FAM results in more focused concentration because the practitioner pays attention to only one topic at a time.
A study of high-pressure doctors who practiced focused mediation resulted in increased concentration and the ability to function and perform at a higher level while being clear and concise in their communication after practicing FAM.12 The study shows that the doctors who practiced FAM are more effective at capturing details and have a sharper insight to others emotions, and this resulted in more effective clinical communication.13
8. Enhanced Self-Awareness
Focused meditation increases the ability to hone in on a single object of focus, notice incoming thoughts and the mind wandering, and results in a greater ability to detect arising distractions, all with a calm state of being.14 This is ultimately a greater sense of self-awareness of one’s thoughts and process.
9. Improved Focus on the Present
Presence, through a scientific lens, is described as “a state of open awareness to what emerges in the flow of conscious experience, moment by moment.”15 This is essentially what FAM aims to strengthen, the attention to how the mind keeps attention, moment by moment.
10. Improved Sleep Quality
Mediation results in a physical relaxation response that counters the stress response. Meditation helps improve sleep quality through the slowed breathing, calmed stress responses, sense of wellbeing, and sense of relaxation.16
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How Is Focused Meditation Practiced?
All you need is a quiet space, a place to sit, and a point of focus to practice focused meditation. The practitioner sets a timer and focuses their attention on the point of focus and each time their mind moves to something else, you notice and bring your attention back to the point of focus. You don’t necessarily need a teacher for this practice which makes it accessible for anyone to easily get started.
Tips for practicing focused meditation include:
Choose a Target for Your Focus
When you start FAM, you want to pick a target of focus. This can be a color, a shape, your breath, something in your imagination, or anything else you feel drawn to. The target of focus doesn’t matter as much as just picking one and then using it as the point of focus to return to during your meditation practice.
Find a Comfortable Place to Sit
You want to sit in a comfortable and supported upright state. This may mean putting a pillow behind your back, having your feet on the floor or sitting crossed-legged. The important part is that you are comfortable because if you aren’t, your mind will be drawn to the areas of discomfort versus the point of focus.
Try to Relax Your Body
As you sit to begin your meditation, start by feeling your body and noticing where you are tense. See if you can start to soften and relax where you are holding any tension, and move into a more relaxed and present state. This will make your mediation practice smoother and more comfortable. As you sit, see if you can also lengthen your spine from the bottom to the top by sitting upright in a supported way.
Suspend Your Judgements About the Process
Beginning a meditation practice can be intimidating and it is important to know that it is about the process and not about reaching a goal. To that extent, your own evaluation of how you are doing isn’t relevant. Your mind will likely go to lots of worries, events of the day, or other thoughts but that is all normal and exactly what happens when we sit to meditate.
Learn to Notice Your Thoughts
As you start your practice, you will notice that your thoughts are busy and your mind won’t “quiet down.” Know that this is normal and the experience for most people. The practice of FAM isn’t to quiet the mind but rather to keep bringing your mind back to your point of focus. So don’t get discouraged if your mind is busy with lots of thoughts, as it means that you are noticing them.
Start With Short Sessions
Start your practice by sitting for five minutes and build up from there. There is no prescriptive time for meditation and so it really depends on what works for you and how much time you can dedicate to sitting. You can work up to a longer session or do two shorter sessions twice a day.
Pick a Time That Works for You
If you want to start a focused meditation practice, finding a time of day that works for your schedule is crucial to sticking with the practice. It doesn’t need to be at any particular time of day or the same time each day. What is most important is consistent daily practice and sticking with it.
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Tips for Practicing Focused Meditation on Your Own
The most important thing for beginning FAM practice is being consistent with daily practice. Once you get into a rhythm of either doing it at the same time each day or looking at your schedule and meditating at different times each day, it will become part of your life.
Some tips for starting a focused meditation routine include:
- Give it time: The benefits of meditation happen over time and not on your timeline, so stick with it and give it time as the benefits will come.
- Try different points of focus: You can pick a different type of focus for each meditation or you can stick with one point of focus consistently. Experiment, without judgment, what it is like to have different points of focus.
- Stay away from evaluating the practice: Each practice will be different and sometimes your mind will be really busy and sometimes not. Every experience is important and valid so don’t think your judgements are reflections of how the practice is going.
- Try a mediation app: If you are hesitant to start a meditation practice alone, try a mindfulness app like Headspace where you can get more guidance.
- Be open to meditating in different places: If you keep up with your practice, you will have to be open to meditating in different locations. Let that be part of your experience.
- Keep at it even if you skip a day or two: Consistency is key with meditation practice so even if you skip a day, a week, or a month, you can begin again.
Where to Find a Focused Meditation Professional
There are many ways to find a focused meditation professional. You can start by searching online and find in-person and virtual classes that work for you. If you want to start without a teacher and with just some guidelines, reading articles about focused meditation should give you enough information to get started.
Meditation is an inward seeking practice that can enhance the work of therapy. If you are already in therapy, meditation can be another outlet to know and learn about yourself and your emotional and mental patterns. It can deepen the therapy work you are doing.
Professionals who can help you practice focused meditation include:
- Yoga teachers: Meditation is a part of the yoga practice so all teachers should have some formal meditation training. Asking at your local yoga studio for meditation teachers is a great place to start to find a teacher.
- Therapists: Some therapists have a mind-body approach and work with somatic psychotherapy and are familiar with meditation so asking your therapist is a great place to start to find a meditation teacher.
- Yoga Alliance Website: The Yoga Alliance has a directory of yoga teachers and you can also search for meditation teachers. This is a great resource for finding a teacher.
- Ask Your Friends: Reach out to your community to get a recommendation for a teacher. You may find that others in your life have started a meditation practice.
If you don’t feel ready to work with a professional directly, consider using one of several highly-rated meditation apps to start or deepen your meditation practice.
In My Experience
Focused meditation is a great approach for anyone as all you need is a quiet space, time, and a point of focus to do the meditation. It is accessible to meditators of all levels. There are studied benefits of meditation and particularly focused meditation.
I started my meditation practice many years ago with focused meditation. It was a great way to get my toes wet with the practice. I now meditate twice a day for 20 minutes each sitting. I find that when I sit, no matter what is going on with me, I end up feeling more grounded and connected with myself when I finish. I usually feel rested and renewed. I have also found that, over time and with consistency, I have been able to handle difficult situations with more ease.
My best advice for new meditators is to be patient and suspend your expectation of how the benefits of the practice will show up in your life. The benefits of meditation come subtly and gradually. So much of the practice is about staying present and noticing your thoughts, and that includes your striving thoughts. It is most important to stick with the practice and do it daily. Even if you skip a day or two, or a week, just begin again. I now look forward to my meditations and they are a time set aside for me to get quiet and recharge. I always feel rested and recharged after meditation.
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