Brian:
Over the past couple of weeks i have noticed my concentration practices haven't been progressing. If anything, my concentration ability is worse. Im primarily doing mindfulness of breath meditaiton, with sometimes mantras and kasina, but i'd say 90% breath meditation. I cant seem to focus on it well. I cant get that calm, peaceful feeling my mind is always going and jhana factors are pretty much absent. A few weeks ago i was making real progress away from this, now it is the opposite. Its really frustrating. Im doing my best to just keep practicing and not worry about how well i thought the sit went but its not like i dont notice my skills arent improving. If anyone can help i would appreciate.
I'd say "don't worry about it", but I know that's not very useful when you're feeling this way and seeing no progress. It's shit, no doubt,
but it's temporary and will pass without you really noticing; one day you'll sit and lock into jhana within a minute, move through them without effort and wonder what all the fuss was about. It's maybe worth just easing up on your practice for a bit, there's no value in burning yourself out and sometimes a rest can lead to some unexpected realizations.
You can sometimes set yourself up with problems by trying too hard when you could just sit in peace and quiet, watching the breath, for an hour; if jhana arises then that's great but it doesn't need to be the only reason to sit. Go with whatever feels natural at that moment, "ride the wave" and other such metaphors, don't let it become a chore when it can be something fun and enjoyable. Most importantly, go easy on yourself.