I hear parents say it often: “It’s time to focus now!”

Rarely does it seem students know what ‘focusing’ is. Do parents know what focusing is? Do you know what focusing is?

I’m not sure.

I think what we want is for students to engage their full attention and awareness.
To not lose a connection with their body.
To maintain a connection with their aural environment.
To both see the whole picture and direct attention to the tiny details.

At any given moment two ‘things’ are happening simultaneously:

We are doing a thing, and
We know we are doing that thing

For example, we are sitting in our chair and we are aware of the fact that we are sitting in our chair. If we are daydreaming about future career endeavors we are no longer aware of sitting in our chair. Where we are and what we are aware of have diverged, which, as a resting state, is quite an uncomfortable one. This is why waking life is anxiety-inducing for most.

If we want our students to be confident and present in this moment, we must train them to not just do things, but ‘know’ they are doing things. That knowing is made up of two parts, attention and awareness. [Read more…]