🔼: [[💡 Focus & Concentration]] ##### Concentration Course-Corrections Learning to course-correct will help us with [[💡 Focus & Concentration|Focus & Concentration]]. Often, we can sit for a few minutes to get the sense of the quality of our attention and then make a single correction that will carry us through the remainder of our practice. We want to use the smallest number of course corrections we can. Otherwise meditation can turn into another part-driven optimization and perfectionism project of self-improvement and over-correcting. [[🔑 Meditation can be either Presence-led or Parts-led]]. These are meant to be an aid to parts, not to control them. Take note of the quality of your attention about 5 minutes after beginning. If needed, make one course correction and continue for at least another 5 minutes. Over time you will notice moments when the quality of your attention needs re-balancing. If we're feeling dull or spaced out, we want an energizing course-correction. If we're feeling agitated or scrambled, we want a relaxing course-correction. | Energizing | Relaxing | | :-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: | :-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: | | Ensure upright [[💡 Meditation Posture\|Mediation Posture]] – on an inhale extend the spine into its full natural uprightness (without straining) | On an exhale, let go of voluntary internal tension in your body and allow the ground to support your weight (without collapsing your spine) | | Open your eyes more | Close your eyes more | | Raise gaze above 45 degrees | Lower gaze below 45 degrees | | Become more aware of the space around you | Become more aware of the solidity and groundedness of your body | | Deepen the inhalation and/or slightly increase the pace of breathing | Lengthen the exhale; exhale through the mouth | [^1]: