The one thing that grows the more you use it

We usually tend to associate use of something with its depletion. So our natural reflexes are to save, not expend beyond what we believe to be our means and to feel scared to use too much of a thing. But there’s one thing that only grows the more it is used and it’s intrinsic to meditation.

Attention.

Attention or concentration is vital to understanding anything – from scientific concepts to spiritual truths. As Patanjali states in his Yoga Sutras (read another article on these here), the final stages of yoga are:

Dharana: concentration on something

Dhyana: meditation through sustained concentration

Samadhi: complete absorption in the object of concentration

The more you practice attention, the more meditative you become. In the words of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudevthere is nothing in the universe that will not yield if you pay enough attention.

As you pay more attention, you will realise that it uses up more and more of your energy. In fact absolute attention sustains on a very high level of energy/intensity. There are stories in India from ancient times of yogis who had such intensity that their very gaze could burn an animal or bird to ashes! It is in this intense fire of attention, that the yogi burns his ego-self as an offering to his true Self.

How does one acquire the energy for attention? The energy can be built up through pranayama, yoga, other core-strengthening exercise and the practice of meditation or attention itself.

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