The Direction of Your Attention
By Kate Lemay, Founder of ETJ
This week I’ve been reading Unwavering Focus by Dandapani. I’m not quite finished, but the book has arrived at exactly the right time.
Lately, I’ve been immersed in several practices that all seem to point in the same direction: Japa mantra, teaching more yoga, building Enjoy the Journey, navigating an intense summer camp season, and preparing to send my son off to college. Different experiences, same lesson.
Attention matters.
This morning, as I moved bead by bead through my mantra practice, I noticed something: my thumb was moving at almost the same pace it would if I were scrolling Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok.
What a different use of the same motion.
One practice scatters my attention. The other strengthens it.
One distracts and numbs. The other helps me feel, heal, and become more aware.
That realization stopped me in my tracks.
We live in a world designed to pull our attention in a thousand directions. When life feels uncertain, stressful, or painful, distraction is often the easiest choice. And let’s be honest, most of us are carrying something. Everyone in our community is either going through something difficult or has recently come through something difficult.
The challenge isn’t eliminating hardship. The challenge is learning where to place our attention while we’re moving through it.
What I’ve been discovering is that concentration isn’t restrictive. It’s liberating.
When I focus deeply on a mantra, on teaching yoga, on painting, on meaningful work, or on connecting with people I love, I experience something that feels sacred.
Not because the activity itself is extraordinary, but because my attention is fully there.
Presence transforms ordinary moments into meaningful ones.
And isn’t that what we’re really after?
We work hard so we can have meaningful experiences, yet so often our minds are somewhere else while the experience is happening. We wait for vacations, retreats, weekends, or special moments to feel alive.
But life is happening right now.
The practices that create a beautiful life for me are surprisingly simple:
This week, these practices are strengthening my concentration, focus, and awareness.
Japa mantra
Yoga
Painting
Meaningful work
Being with people I love
The goal isn’t the beautiful life.
The goal is awareness.
The goal is concentration.
The goal is presence.
The beautiful life is simply what seems to emerge naturally from there.
As we continue exploring Unwavering Focus together, I’d encourage you to ask yourself one question:
Where is your attention going, and is it creating the life you want?
And if you’re feeling called toward a weekend of presence, reflection, and connection, I’d love to have you join us in Vermont next weekend. It’s a small group, which means plenty of space to breathe, connect, and simply be.
It would be an honor to share that experience with you.
With love,
Kate
Invitations:
Join us in Vermont!
Journey with Christina Alexa through “The Sacred Mechanics of Change: When the Wound Become’s the Warrior’s Way”.
Join new ETJ Retreat Leader Jenny Warner in her article, Transforming Through the Heart!
Click here for Book audio link
Click here for Book link
