There are many kinds of meditation for different purposes, and it’s my observation that whatever style of meditation you use helps you in a range of ways. This meditation, called “Living Your Life Twice” is a practice that comes from Jesuit priests. As always, I’m not endorsing any religion, so whether or not you embrace religion or spirituality yourself, feel free to take what is good, and what fits you.
The purposes of this meditation practices are to increase awareness of when you are mindful and present throughout the course of the day, to get more of the benefit of positive experiences when they are happening, to build mindfulness skill and reinforce its use, and to reclaim some of the joy and beauty from the day, some of which you may have missed.
To use this technique, just live your life. Go through your day as you normally would, without any pressure to think differently or do anything different.
At night, before bed, take about fifteen minutes to “scroll through” the experiences of the day. Closing your eyes may help, as may taking a few deep breaths.
As you recall the scenes, notice whether you were “tuned in” and the degree to which you were able to get the pleasure or joy the moments offered. Were you taking them in with your five senses? Did they bring a pleasurable sensation – a pleasant thought, a warm glow, a smile? Don’t worry about what you may have missed – there will be more ahead. Just focus on what you got. Notice and relive in your memory all the beautiful pleasant memories. You might notice that it’s not black and white – that you may have been more attuned and present in some moments, less in others. That’s fine. While you are replaying, see if you can remember anything more about the physical sensations that occurred, even if you weren’t too attentive to them when they were happening.
After about 15 minutes, check in with how you are feeling. Many people find this practice sufficiently peaceful that they find themselves falling asleep before they finish, and that is fine too. Just follow it where it takes you.
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