Concentration Vs Meditation Video Questions

[Costa7]

Can I practice concentration on affirmations? Can I get both benefits from affirmations and concentration? 

Or affirmations have just to repet, without really being aware of what we say to ourself? 

[Gopackgo]

I haven't really done affirmations, but In my personal opinion, I think people should make meditation their own. For me, I began meditation without reading about anything (because my ego said that I could figure it out). It began with concentration practice just naturally. Once I would feel the gentle shift (what I now know as absorption), I would have better ability to watch thought objectively. So I would close my eyes, breaking concentration on my visible object, but keeping focus on the breath and rising/falling of the chest. Then I would switch to relaxing each individual muscle in the body as I watched thoughts and focused on breathing. After my body was relaxed, I just watched thoughts while focusing on breath. Any time that I started Identifying with my thoughts, I would either attempt to refocus on breath and relaxing body, or I would open eyes and refocus that way through concentration. As I progressed, my sensation became a unified experience of now. 

It sounds like a lot, but the progression of broader concentration serves a purpose. It shows you that you are capable of relaxing into pure awareness by decentralizing focus on thoughts. It shows you that you are not your thoughts. It also begins to quiet your mind for more effective self inquiry. The process for me was a natural progression. It just makes sense to progress through it because meditation is 100 percent about your experience. I am happy that I didn't read meditation guides first, and I am happy that after awakening, I started to delve into all of that. It tempered expectation and frustration. This is vital. It is difficult to meditate incorrectly when you arent judging yourself by a standard (an external object). You do what works and learn organically. Every once in a while you check with multiple sources against experience, and do not champion one method over another.

Leo is right though. Concentration practice is key. A few pointers on concentration objects: Breath - the skin under your nose and then add in the rising and falling of breath (but not the mechanical thoughts of breathing). Breath focus is a great one, because you always are breathing and therefore concentration on the breath is available at any time of the day. If you must think about in and out, then start on an out breath so the breathing does itself. Eyes open external object - Some of my best experiences have been in this phase. As you relax, and hit absorption, you will notice some crazy changes in vision as you become clear. Also, this is great if you have classes to attend, because you can concentrate on the teacher, focus on breath, and go into absorption to quiet your mind. This is a religious experience at times and helps meditation to bleed over into life. It allows you to acquire new information in a purely objective state. Also, the issue of eyes getting dry or blinking is helpful, not a hindrance. It teaches you to focus through distraction.

To sum up, by spreading focus around the sensations through concentration practice (even while doing self inquiry or mindfulness) allows you to explore the endless bounds of awareness, brings you into the moment, and makes the process of getting into that state second nature. 

[Leo Gura]

@Costa7 I would keep them separate practices.

[Davekay]

Well two minutes concentration on the sensation in finger and thumb before just meditating and definitely there was a vast improvement on staying with moments of no mind.Just realising the state of being was experienced for much longer which ultimately led to seeing that it wasnt experienced....it was me

[AlwaysBeNice]

I would use simple 1 word phrases but with things you resonate with like: God - Love - One - Infinite - Thought