Focus Your Mind Exercise

[Dr Ray]

You can not overestimate the importance of FOCUS in sports, just as
FOCUS is important to everything we do well. To make this point, I
will take a section from "In The Zone: Making Winning Moments Your Way
of Life":

IN THE ZONE

Even more important is the mental concentration that comes with the
unification of all your capacities into a singular concerted action.
When you are relaxed, balanced, flexible and focused, your muscles,
respiration, oxygen consumption, heart rate, blood flow, neural
messages, emotions and thoughts all work in concert. You are in the
zone. It's not too hard to see the value of this unity - in any
activity, at any level of skill.

FEEL YOUR PULSE

Here is a quick exercise that will give you the pleasure of
experiencing mental and physical focus in a very simple way:

Sit in the Position of Strength, which means your chest is slightly
forward and you have a nice inward curve in your lower back. Put your
hands together in your lap so your fingers are interlocked and your
index fingers are touching at the ends.

Inhale with a Soft Stomach Breath (as clarified in other Posts).
Slowly exhale, and as you do so, use your ability to relax to
eliminate tension. Concentrate on the focal point between your index
fingers. Feel your pulse there.

You may have difficulty feeling the pulse at first, so take another
deep Soft Stomach Breath and slowly exhale. Close your eyes if you
feel it helps you to concentrate on that point.

As your pulse comes into focus, you are becoming increasingly
centered. Through breathing, mental concentration and your physical
sensations, you are becoming aware of your body as an integrated,
single unit.

This is a good example of Focused Action which we will discuss
thoroughly in future Posts.

Dr. Ray