How Hypnosis Can Help Improve Focus

Brewing in us at the start of a New Year is a desire to set new goals. We might memorialize these new plans in a dedicated journal; a practice that we believe will carve for us a brand new life. A feeling of excitement and optimism surges in us, but that feeling eventually ebbs away as our motivation encounters an onslaught of obstacles and distractions. We unconsciously abdicate our power of focus to endless channels of distraction and choices that are so easily accessible and prevalent in our modern world. We end up either postponing or gradually losing sight of our goals and dreams.
A Solution Ekagrata = One Pointedness= Focus= Attention

Ekagrata – or one pointedness offers us a solution. One pointedness protects us and reinvigorates our focus or our attention which is a most precious human asset. We give our reverence and gratitude to Patanjali, a Hindu and Sanskrit scholar for unloading this knowledge and bestowing it upon the world at large. Patanjali codified some of the wisdoms of timeless Hindu teachings thousands of years ago in the “Yoga Sutras,” a book written in verses or “sutras”. The inspiring story of Bonita Norris aptly illustrates one pointedness. At age 22, Bonita became the youngest person to climb Mount Everest. She shared that her motivation for climbing Mount Everest was born out of:

“falling in love with the idea that you could stand
on the summit of Everest and you could look down
and see the curvature of the earth.”

Naturally, obstacles surface in one’s path during the undertaking of an inner and outer journey, as was the case with Bonita. She wrote in her 2010 blog:

“the summit stretched another 2.5 vertical miles above us.
I couldn’t even imagine reaching the top. It looked impossible.”
We can hold in our mind multiple goals and achieve them when we shift our focus to one idea or task at a time. The conscious mind can focus on executing one step at a time. The unconscious mind can deploy the internal resources (conviction, commitment) by holding the clarity of a vision, in this case, of reaching the summit to look down at the curvature of the earth.
The treacherous path leading to the summit remains. A still and focused mind makes these obstacles irrelevant to the realization of an overarching goal or vision. I imagine Bonita tapping into the state of one pointedness and remaining undeterred in spite of the physical and mental exhaustion.
  • One pointedness is not concentration or a mere technique.
  • One pointedness is a practice and a process built upon the pillars of commitment and intentionality. This can gradually lead to a state of mind we can tap into.
  • One pointedness is a way of being that ultimately expands our awareness.
  • One pointedness harnesses the power of our focus and attention so that distractions and obstacles become inconsequential within the framework of our awareness.
A Three Minute One Pointedness Practice
You can begin to practice one pointedness to strengthen your capacity to pay attention and to focus – just as you perform sets of physical routines to build a particular muscle. One pointedness can bring forth the power of your unconscious mind to expand your ability to focus so that you too can climb your own Mount Everest.
You can try this practice while taking a shower or doing the dishes, simply by taking a few minutes for yourself.
The process is simple:
First, take a few deep breaths. Deep breaths allow the conscious mind to slow down and relax.
Next, close your eyes. Imagine a light glowing in your heart center.
See that light or sense that light shining ever so brightly in you. Think or say to yourself: one pointedness.
As you do this every day for a few minutes, you will notice your ability to sustain your attention starts expanding.

May Bonita’s soaring poetry inspire the spirit of Ekagrata –one pointedness in you

“I’ll never forget the amazing stars above us or the pain
and exhaustion of climbing the death zone,
and then the sunrise illuminating the curvature of the earth.”

I look forward to hearing about your experience.
If you wish to further improve your focus, please click here for a session.

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