8-bigstock-creative-thinking-47982599

This is an exercise in focus and concentration, eventually leading to meditation. Also, this is a great exercise to do in bed, just before going to sleep!

  1. This can take a while, so if you have somewhere to be, set a timer!
  2. Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down.
  3. Start by recalling the moment you opened your eyes this morning. And in your mind, go slowly through the day, moment to moment. Take time to recall as many of the little details that you can in the actual order that they happened. What did you eat? Can you recall specific conversations you had? When were there moments of silence? What happened while you were driving, reading, answering an email, playing with a child or animal, or while you were cooking? Spend a little time on everything you can remember up to this exact moment in time.
  4. If a negative memory comes up, careful not to dwell on it or let it impact the overall meditation. Label it as something that you have not yet completely reconciled, then make the choice to put it away and know that you can return to it later if needed. This exercise is for testing our ability to focus, it is not meant for highlighting emotional reactions.
  5. If you lose track, just notice that the mind wandered and come back to your timeline. Be kind to yourself. This is not an easy exercise.
  6. When you finish (or when your timer goes off), release control over the thoughts and notice the silence between thoughts. The silence is the beginning of meditation.
  7. Seal the Meditation with a single OM and before you move on with your life, consider if it was challenging for you to remember your day. Do you feel tempted to judge your memory? Is this judgement helpful? Perhaps this exercise can simply bring more awareness to what you are doing throughout each day and help you become more conscious of where you are placing your attention.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes! Feel free to leave your reactions in the comments section below.

Thanks for reading! ~ Megan

Share This