Concentration the word is used by everyone. What does it mean? We tell ourselves and others to be centered, focused, attentive, absorbed, engrossed and determined. All these words mean that we should concentrate on one subject or object only. We know that this is extremely difficult and any number of images and ideas come into our minds. Children, are described as being distracted, or in extreme circumstances suffering from attention deficit disorder.

This morning, we were sitting in our garden. I have several feral cats strolling through and currently we have a tricolored cat called Tirangi, which means tri colors. I have had contact with her family for several years, meaning the grandmother, mother and aunts and uncles. You may find this funny, but they would all come to me and at that time when I met the grandparents they had been abandoned, and they were both cats which had been imported from Thailand.

To cut a long story short, I started feeding them and since I had a dog (dachshund), I gave them dog food. Incidentally my dog ate home cooked food and would not touch the dry food. Our dog died during Covid; he was fifteen years old and was our grand pup. The chapter on keeping dogs ended as we felt we were too old, and they would outlive us.

Learned from Tirangi

I was heartbroken at the passing of our dachshund and concentrated on the cats. When I ran out of the dog food, I started giving them cat food. I gave them names and they would come, they would bring me gifts (mice, squirrels and birds) but they only ate the birds. One by one they died or got taken. Now I have only Tirangi who is self-taught. She wants us to sit with her and then she practices her concentration exercises will gaze at a caterpillar and then whack it. The caterpillar flees and then she starts again. She tries to bite our feet and back quietly without our being aware. She has learnt to climb walls all by herself.

What I have learnt from all this is that all sentient creatures, especially humans and domesticated animals enjoy and require attention. Sentient means having awareness, being conscious, mindful and apprehensive. How does this apply to all of us? I would like to take the example of Tirangi the kitten again. She is untaught; however, she wants us to sit in the garden, watch her and applaud her. She is centered and can sit still. Does it not remind you of a Yoga Asana.

Breathing is taken for granted

I would now take this further to our children and ourselves. What is most important for us to understand? Concentration and its application are essential for us. How do we develop this ability? As a Yoga teacher and a psychologist, I will say that the best way is to become aware of our breath. Breathing is taken for granted. However now we will just focus on the ingoing and outgoing breath, keeping in mind that the ingoing breath is cool and the outgoing breath is warm.

When teaching children, we can ask them to focus on the ingoing cool breath and the outgoing warm breath, which comes over our lips. Next, we would ask them to count the breath. Breathing for adults would be backwards, because there is an end. So, count from either 27 or 54. 27 I am breathing in and 27 I am breathing out. Any errors made, one will have to start again. For children it has to be normal counting and that is 1 – I am breathing in and 1 – I am breathing out.

Be a witness

What is happening here for both adults and kids is that they are aware of their cool breath going in and warm breath coming out of the nostrils. They are concentrating on the counting and the sensation of the breath. Hence, they learn to be a witness to a neutral activity. Nothing has to be said, it is happening.

Now I want to bring your attention to this simple practice. You are energized and do you know why this has happened? You have been concentrating on a neutral activity, therefore whatever has been bothering you, has been ignored unintentionally. You have not said anything to yourself. In the case of children, it is wonderful to observe how quickly they dive into the practice. Nothing has to be said to either adults or children, you will feel the change within yourself.

Sentient (Jiva) refers to the body as a sentient body that serves as a vessel for these cognitive functions allowing the soul or Atman to interact with the material world. One has to develop conscious awareness and the ability to feel and perceive and develop Atmabhava (love for all sentient beings).

Dear ones, just become aware of your breath and develop conscious, sentient awareness. This is applicable to all of us, including children and animals.

Aim Hrim Klim