Conserve Your Energy

Developing one-pointed attention is valuable on the meditation cushion and off. When the mind is calm, not flitting from one thought to the next, energy is conserved. Vital force is available for the task at hand.
~Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian

Conservation of energy is one of the five techniques that constitute the first of the eight 'limbs' of yoga practice. The goals of these practices are the cessation extraneous thought activity and the experience of pure transformative awareness during meditation. One pointed-attention frees us from the distractions of busy mind. I remember that many years ago when I started high school, a printed time planner seemed to help me get organized, limit wasting time and focus on the task at hand. Now in our modern world, we have instant access to electronic calendars, but the devices that enable this are laden with enticing distractions. The default mode network of our brain seems to induce a tendency to change thoughts every three or four seconds unless we make an effort to concentrate. It is like an inner TikTok lying in wait inside us. My personal preference to enhance concentration is mantra, but many find that focus on the breath works best while waiting for the gentle shift from concentration into the flow of meditation itself. Experiment and find which technique works best for you.