How a 3,000-Year-Old Practice For Absolute Focus Altered My Mind: 1# Focus

I completed 30 days of concentration practice, which significantly improved my cognitive abilities.

I recently completed 30 days of concentration practice, which significantly improved my cognitive abilities. I went from stress and overthinking to increased focus and clarity. The practice comes from an ancient South Asian tradition called Tantra.

“Convolutions,” illustrated by Alesha Sivartha 1898

On day 14, I remembered an address I’d been trying to recall for 15 years. On day 20, my body felt like it was on fire. By day 30, the mental chatter that had plagued me my entire life nearly disappeared.

As much as we like to dismiss ancient people, especially from other cultures, they knew something we didn’t. With fewer distractions, they had an advanced understanding of their inner consciousness. The problem is that older schools of thought are brushed aside as “woo-woo” due to their religious and cultural context.

We need to separate the mechanism from the mythology.

That’s exactly what modern neuroscience is finally doing with contemplative practices. fMRI studies have shown measurable changes in brain structure resulting from meditation. We’re mapping why certain practices heighten our senses and improve our cognitive abilities.

The ancients were running experiments on consciousness for thousands of years, in all parts of the world, from priests to mystics. They were the predecessors of today’s scientists. They didn’t have the language of neuroscience, so they used the language of archaic symbols and subtle bodies. But the ‘mystical states’ they were documenting were real, reproducible phenomena.

To move forward, we need to look at our past. We must see what works, why it works, and what the modern application of these practices is. It could very well save not only our mental health, but our careers, relationships, and lives. It’s time to reclaim our minds to reclaim our futures.

I recently completed a 30-day experiment with an ancient tantric practice that yielded results far beyond what I anticipated. I approached this practice with the foundation of 15 years of hatha and kriya yoga, following the correct protocols. What I experienced was a dramatic shift in how my mind and body functioned. Here’s what happened.

My 30-Day Experiment

My mind has always been intense, chronically over-analytical. But a few months before this practice, something broke. I went through an extremely difficult situation involving death, and my nervous system went haywire. My already-busy brain became a torture chamber with the same memories on loop.

I worked on myself for months to return to baseline, but I wanted more. That’s when I decided to pursue Tantric Kundalini Yoga. But before we get into what happened, let’s do a quick academic crash course to establish what Tantra actually is.

What Tantra Is (Crash Course)

Tantra is NOT:

• Black magic

• Sex coaching certifications from Bali

What Tantra actually is: A historical series of practices aimed at bringing an aspirant to enlightenment.

The various schools of Tantra emerged around the 5th-6th centuries CE across Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain contexts, but some scholars speculate these practices may have roots stretching back to the Indus Valley Civilization (circa 3300-1300 BCE). It encompasses kundalini yoga, hatha yoga, pranayama, mudras, mantras, meditation, deity visualization, and hundreds of esoteric techniques for the mind, body, and spirit.

Common themes include:

• Nondualism - No separation between sacred and profane

• Systematic methodology - Progressive techniques and operations practiced over time

• Embodied spirituality - Finding divinity not only through ‘purity’ but through the body, desire, and sometimes the darker aspects of reality

• Esoteric transmission - Wisdom held by few, passed from teacher to student

• Transgressive - Often challenges conventional religious norms

• Accelerated path - Considered a faster route to enlightenment

This is quite reductive, so I recommend reading Tantra Illuminated by Christopher Wallis for a comprehensive overview of Shaivism Tantra.

Now that’s out of the way, let’s talk about what happened when I began the practice.

The Results

Over 30 days, I woke up at 5 am and practiced various methods to achieve ‘Bindu,’ a Sanskrit word for a state of absolute concentration and focus believed to be connected to the third eye. I maintained a detailed daily log. The changes were striking.

Week 1 - Sensory Enhancement

The world became vivid. Sounds were louder and more textured. Colors appeared brighter. My vision and sensation seemed to almost “vibrate.” This experience could be compared to psychedelic use.

Week 2 - Memory Recall

Around the midpoint, something unexpected occurred: I spontaneously recalled specific memories I’d been actively trying to retrieve.

Most significantly, I remembered the address of my ex-stepmother’s house, something I had completely forgotten. I was then able to track her down for the first time in over a decade.

My dreams had also become more vivid at this point.

Week 3 - A Strange Heat and Slowed Time Perception

Around day 20, I experienced what can only be described as strange physical shifts. Intense heat radiates through my body. Tingling and vibrations in my limbs. Unusual sensations concentrated in my mid-back and the area above my navel. These lasted for hours and were unlike anything I’d experienced before.

When I woke up the next morning, I felt some pain in my abdomen. It took two days before it was completely gone. I even considered going to the hospital, but in the following days, I had a noticeable increase in stamina and energy.

I also noticed that time seemed to slow as I became more ‘present’. This reminded me of how I used to perceive time as a child.

Week 4 - Mental Clarity and Executive Function

My baseline rumination decreased approximately 70-80%. The endless loop of repetitive, obsessive thoughts ceased. For someone who lives with ADHD, this was nothing short of transformative.

Tasks that normally required enormous willpower, cleaning, organizing, and completing projects, became effortless. The friction between intention and action dissolved. I would think “I should do this” and find myself already doing it, without the usual internal negotiation and resistance.

The mental chatter that had been a constant background noise for my entire life had quieted to a whisper.

Why Did I Pause? Challenges of the Modern Monk

External factors disrupted my sleep and forced me to pause the practice. Furthermore, the sheer amount of meditation brought up emotions buried deep in my subconscious, things I had no idea were there that needed to be fully processed. Before my mind could become still, I had to sit with the chaos of painful memories. This is why anyone with PTSD should tread carefully with meditation.

Luckily, I had support during this time. By the end, I felt lighter.

Did I continue? Did the results stick? The answer is yes and no. My focus was not what it was at the height of the practice, and some of the mental chatter came back, but fundamental shifts stayed. The rumination never came back. I noticed I could walk away from situations that used to hook me. Unhealthy dynamics that would’ve consumed weeks of mental energy? I could just... leave. People’s negativity that used to burrow into my psyche? It bounced off. The obsessive thoughts about relationships, conflicts, and perceived slights. All of it quieted.

Far from being a pacifist, I seemed to have an easier time asserting my boundaries. According to some people’s expectations, this may look less evolved, but to me, I never felt more peaceful in my life.

Even with the previous challenges, the results were compelling enough to continue. I’m currently doing a second round, this time with added biomarkers, bloodwork, and cognitive testing to document the changes more rigorously.

The Path Forward

The challenge is that authentic tantric practice requires a teacher for safety and to receive the oral transmission from actual lineage holders, which often requires pilgrimage to India, Tibet, or Nepal. You can’t learn it from YouTube. And yes, there’s the question of cultural appropriation, though historically, Eastern teachers deliberately spread these traditions West, and many tantric schools are available to all earnest seekers regardless of caste, status, or background. The problem is when Westerners and even some Easterners commodify this practice, turning it into ‘$3000 tantric sex workshops,’ with certifications instead of credible lineages. The key is researching for yourself, then learning how to distinguish charlatans. The path should only be approached with respect and years of preliminary practice.

What I experienced in 30 days was life-altering. These mechanisms are real and measurable, but right now they’re locked behind cultural and geographic barriers.

We need secular approaches grounded in neuroscience that anyone can access, regardless of background, location, or religious beliefs. Not to erase tradition, but to extract the core benefits.

That’s become my mission: bringing these tools to people in a way that’s proven, effective, and actually accessible.

Practices

Some of the practices I used are widely available and okay to share to the public. I compiled a list. If you’re a member subscriber and are interested in a step-by-step guide for focus techniques, let me know.

• Shambhavi Mudra

• Trakata (concentrated gazing, in this case, I used a candle)

• Anuloma Viloma with Prana Shuddhi (108 rounds)

• Ajapa Japa Meditation

• Drishti Gazing during Asana Practice

Supplemental practices

• Neti Pot

• Nightly meditations

• Asana Practice

• Removing unnecessary stimuli (especially digital and audio).

Coming next for HCP member subscribers: The Anti-Meditation Guide. An ADHD friendly guide for people who ‘just can’t meditate’ or want to accelerate the benefits of their practice. Consider joining to get access to more exclusive content like this.