Meditation and Focus

In a small side conversation from Thursday night's More Than session at The Venues at 425 I was talking with a young woman about meditation and our meditation practices. Mine has become very casual and much less purposeful than it once was. I think I need to get back to something more purposeful. Meditation is good for more than being present in the moment. It also teaches presence as a habit -- something that is very absent in Western culture.

Let me explain.
People often think of meditation as emptying your mind of thought. They find it pretty impossible to do and get frustrated and give up on it. Meditation (for me) is more about focusing on a single thought or single thing. It can be a mantra, a sound, your breathing, an item, a practice such as walking a labyrinth, doing yoga or tai chi. It is possible (even likely) that random thoughts can enter into your presence. Practice teaches you to recognize the thought, label it and set it aside for later, and return to your focal point.
This simple discipline can benefit us in other areas of life, as well. It can help us to stay task oriented when reading or studying. It can keep us from responding emotionally to a crisis or conflict. It can help us to be better listeners when friends or loved ones need to vent. 
Being able to focus on listening without needing to respond is an ability that few people have and having such a friend is a gift that even fewer ever receive.

I think that the internet, the news media, and so many social media platforms have re-wired our brains to be easily distracted. Everyone seems to be vying for our attention and unless we are focused and purposeful, we tend to move quickly from one thing to the next and never really appreciate where we are or the people we are with in the present moment. The vibration of our cell phone usually wins in the attention battle between the person we are with and the person texting, calling, or posting to social media.

I think I will re-evaluate the notices I get on my phone and how I use it during the day. I may also take another look at my social media accounts and friend/follower lists. I am most certainly re-assessing my daily meditation practice.

As most of the Western world is pretty far behind on the practice of meditation and the ultra-conservative Christian groups even label it as demonic or a pagan practice, I'm curious if any of my readers have a regular (or even irregular) practice of meditation.
Anyone?

John