I was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age and placed on Ritalin, mainly because I was disruptive during class and the teachers recommended that my parents speak with a doctor about it. I was kept on medications throughout most of my developing years and am thankful that I now have the chance to actually work on myself rather than be drugged. I have strong opinions about the diagnosing of children with ADHD as well as placing them on these medications at such a young age, but that's not what this post is about. What I want to focus on is how beneficial meditation can be for those who have a difficult time quieting their mind, utilizing their mind as a tool or find focusing difficult. The core issue with Attention Deficit Disorder is the inability to focus- so it stands to reason that some kind of attention training would be a strong tool to have under one's belt. That training is meditation, which has been around for thousands of years across countless cultures.
How Does Meditation Help My Inability To Focus?
When one learns to meditate, what is developed is mindfulness and awareness. Mindfulness allows you to not be lead and controlled by your thoughts, but rather, observe them as they come and go. It is the nature of the mind to think, but in our culture, the mind is constantly bombarded with never ending information and we loathe boredom which creates constant chatter. Mindfulness can be used as a tool to foster wellness, especially psychological well-being. Similar techniques have been used to lower blood pressure and to manage chronic pain, anxiety, and depression.
Mindfulness also improves your ability to control your attention In other words, it teaches you to pay attention to paying attention. Mindful awareness can also make people more aware of their emotional state, so they won't react impulsively. That's often a real problem for people with ADHD.
What style of Meditation could I practice to cultivate Mindfulness?
What I have found so far to be the best style of mediation that you can approach and find a local center on is either Vipassana or Zen meditation. Both of these styles emphasize creating a spaciousness in the mind through sitting silently; there is no chanting or visualization. If there is a local Zen Center or Vipassana meditation class being offered at a yoga center, stop by and check it out. Try something different!
How Can I Meditate Right Now?
I find meditation to be best in morning after waking or at night before bed. You want this to be YOUR time that you don't worry or think about what you have to do or plan- it's simply a time to be quiet. I recommend starting with just 5 or 10 minutes and slowly working up to 30 minutes twice a day. You can sit on a zabuton or a chair where your sitting forward and legs are at a 90 degree angle.
1. Relax in a seated position, close your eyes if you'd like. Really relax though- feel your facial muscles relax, arms, legs etc.
2. Begin to focus on your inhalation and exhalation. I like to count each breath as it gives me an anchor if I start to get carried away by a thought. In the beginning, I used to just have a goal of 100 breaths.
3. As you sit, if a thought arises, do not become attached to it, just allow it to arise and float away. They say, "Don't serve your thoughts tea." If you do get carried away, come back to your breath. You always come back to your breath.
4. See how you feel after completing however long a session you do. Sometimes, I've experienced stress after meditation as I realize how noisy my mind is- this is normal. It's kind of like a wild horse you are taming, stick with meditation though and the mind will become a tool again.
If you have questions or comments about how you like to meditate, feel free to comment below. Have a peaceful day. -Collin
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