Ever feel overwhelmed and scattered? Do you sit down to study, or do a task and stare blankly at the wall, or maybe walk into a room and forget why you were even there in the first place? Does it seem like you have static in your life to the point that you simply can’t focus or do anything with full intention? It’s more common than you think, and many experts say it has a lot to do with our information-laden life these days.
There’s a lot of information out there these days, isn’t there?!?!
Think about it, we are connected to trillions of bits of information through a device we hold in our hands; not just phone calls and texts anymore but Tiktoks, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, the news, text messages, videos, voice notes, etc. Many people can’t just enjoy a stroll on the beach or a nice meal out without taking a picture of it or posting a video on their feed.
To be honest, handling all the information in the world these days is like trying to drink from a fire hose.
It’s too much, too fast, and it clouds our minds so we can’t even hear ourselves think.
So how do people get anything done? To be honest, many have to just shut out the distractions by turning off their phones and being “unavailable.”
I don’t know about you but it’s not always that easy– it can feel downright impossible to “drop in” to our tasks and most people are just hoping that they will be able to focus. But we don’t have to just hope….
There’s actually a way to expand your awareness, get into a flow state, and turn up the dial on your focus factor while making you more productive.
In our world, we call it “The Learning State.” Polynesian cultures refer to it as Hakalau. Athletes call it “being in the zone,” others call it “flow state,” but it’s all the same– it’s a process of opening yourself up to expanded perception.
Here are the steps to the Learning State:
- Sit or stand facing straight ahead and pick a spot in front of you above your eye level, so you can see where your vision stops and your eyebrows begin. Your vision will be a maximum at this point. (If you are in a room, it’s usually where the ceiling and the top of the wall in front of you meet)
- Take a few gentle breaths and notice what you notice as you stare at that one spot, focusing all of your attention there.
- Now just allow your vision to spread to the peripheral so that you are seeing more in those areas than in the center.
- You will begin to see that you can see more and more without moving your eyes, because you have an expanded awareness of the room, your thoughts, and anything else that may come into your mind now. Notice what you hear, see, and feel.
It doesn’t take long to do this, and anyone can do it, and it’s proven incredibly useful in classrooms, workspaces, and for helping clients settle in.
Try using this once a day for a week before you start on a project or have a meeting and see how much more directed your energy can be. Click here to receive a free guided meditation audio to feel it for yourself!
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