Retrospection, during which you look back upon the day before going to sleep and dwell on and evaluate significant events or situations, your actions, achievements and mistakes, thoughts and emotions, is probably a familiar technique to you already.
However, the human mind is not perfect, make false perceptions and biased evaluations, fabricate and distort memory. In order to attenuate or overcome these hindrances and be able to make accurate self-assessment during introspection, the number one skill you need is Self-awareness.
Here there are two practices in order to improve attention (focus), perceptibility, and memory.
Practice#1
Buddhist Vipassana meditation and mindfulness
Vipassana meditation (“to come and see”) is the most commonly known practice of Theravada Buddhism (prevails in southern regions of Asia including Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand), in which the practitioners watch their breathing with awareness and observe the self in the moment ("mind watching"). The practice stills the mind, build your mental focus and awareness.
Here is a short description of the Vipassana method:
Sit in a comfortable position and keep the back upright and balanced. Alternatively, you can lie down on your back.
1. Inhale and exhale slowly and deeply, and focus your attention on the movement of your breath from moment to moment, and withdraw your focus from other objects.
2. When awareness wanders away from your breathing, sensations will appear (thoughts, feelings, emotions, memory, sounds, smell). Just recognize that the mind has wandered, as well as the content without judgment or without reacting, involving in them. Label each sensation with a general mental note such as “thinking”, “hearing”, “feeling”, “memory”, “smelling“, and
3. redirect the attention to the breath if nothing in particular to be noted.
The goal of this witnessing practice is to be attentively present. By practice, random thoughts and sensations will fall away, and you remain in the present moment more and more.
Mindfulness is a modern adaptation and can be practiced throughout the day during daily activities (e.g. while speaking pay attention how you speak the words; while walking be aware of your body movements etc.). This practice gives you the real perspective on yourself, you will notice your negative mental states (e.g. angry, greedy, ignorant, selfish, envy, boastful, irritated). Accept the state, examine the feeling and let them fade away. This awareness also make you able to notice your negative qualities, which provide you the opportunity to modify your thoughts and behaviour and to liberate yourself.
Practice#2
Observation exercises
These preparatory 1-2 minute long simple exercises train memory and awareness of the external world and the self with the final goal to improve self-awareness and self-control. Practice one exercise once a day for 3 days, then move to the next one, then start the cycle again. By time, you will notice that your observations become more accurate. (suggested readings: Book of inner paths by Peter Popper)
Observation exercise #1-4.
Spontaneous observation of objects and people
#1. Without deliberate prior observation, try to visualize a simple object from your environment (e.g. cup, plant, etc.), then turn back and correct the differences in your internal image. Notice whether in your image you saw cloudy, blurry parts, or you completed the missing parts with false image.
Observation exercise #2. Observe a groups of objects (e.g. items on your table)
Observation exercise #3. Observe complex object (e.g. forefront of a house, details of a street, etc.)
Observation exercise #4. Observe a person's appearance (e.g. clothing, accessories, color of hair and eyes).
Observation exercise #5-8.
Deliberate observation of objects and people
#5. In the morning on your way, stop for a minute to observe an object in your environment (e.g. a tree, a statue, etc.), then before going to sleep, try to recall the image of the object. Next day stop by again and check and correct the image inside. Notice whether in your image you saw cloudy, blurry parts, or you completed the missing parts with false image.
Observation exercise #6. Observe someone's face in detail you meet every day (e.g. color of the eyes, shape of the eyebrows, nose, mouth, chin, etc.), then before going to sleep, try to recall the face, and also try to find out the message the person's facial expressions send.
Observation exercise #7. Observe someone's physical appearance (arms, chest, legs, etc.) and gestures and body language and try to sense the message that body send.
Observation exercise #8. Observe someone's voice (e.g. tone, volume, pace).
Observation exercise # 9-12. Introspection exercises
#9. Recall a critical situation from the day, and recall your facial expressions. Try to reproduce it and look in the mirror what message your facial expressions send? Is that what you wanted to send? Notice if your non-verbal communication send a different message.
Observation exercise #10. Recall a critical situation from the day, and recall your voice (tone, volume, pace, etc.) and try to sense what message your voice was sending.
Observation exercise #11. Recall a critical situation from the day, and recall your behavior, gestures, and body language. What message was your body sending?
Observation exercise #12. Recall a critical situation from the day, and recall your entire non-verbal communication including your body language, voice and facial expressions and and try to sense what message you were sending. Is that what you wanted to send?
When you are ready to assess yourself objectively, free of judgement, then describe yourself in terms of behavior, feelings, thoughts, skills, and unconscious drives. Here there are some post how to start:
1. Inhale and exhale slowly and deeply, and focus your attention on the movement of your breath from moment to moment, and withdraw your focus from other objects.
2. When awareness wanders away from your breathing, sensations will appear (thoughts, feelings, emotions, memory, sounds, smell). Just recognize that the mind has wandered, as well as the content without judgment or without reacting, involving in them. Label each sensation with a general mental note such as “thinking”, “hearing”, “feeling”, “memory”, “smelling“, and
3. redirect the attention to the breath if nothing in particular to be noted.
The goal of this witnessing practice is to be attentively present. By practice, random thoughts and sensations will fall away, and you remain in the present moment more and more.
Mindfulness is a modern adaptation and can be practiced throughout the day during daily activities (e.g. while speaking pay attention how you speak the words; while walking be aware of your body movements etc.). This practice gives you the real perspective on yourself, you will notice your negative mental states (e.g. angry, greedy, ignorant, selfish, envy, boastful, irritated). Accept the state, examine the feeling and let them fade away. This awareness also make you able to notice your negative qualities, which provide you the opportunity to modify your thoughts and behaviour and to liberate yourself.
Here is a detailed step-by-step guide:
Practice#2
Observation exercises
These preparatory 1-2 minute long simple exercises train memory and awareness of the external world and the self with the final goal to improve self-awareness and self-control. Practice one exercise once a day for 3 days, then move to the next one, then start the cycle again. By time, you will notice that your observations become more accurate. (suggested readings: Book of inner paths by Peter Popper)
Observation exercise #1-4.
Spontaneous observation of objects and people
#1. Without deliberate prior observation, try to visualize a simple object from your environment (e.g. cup, plant, etc.), then turn back and correct the differences in your internal image. Notice whether in your image you saw cloudy, blurry parts, or you completed the missing parts with false image.
Observation exercise #2. Observe a groups of objects (e.g. items on your table)
Observation exercise #3. Observe complex object (e.g. forefront of a house, details of a street, etc.)
Observation exercise #4. Observe a person's appearance (e.g. clothing, accessories, color of hair and eyes).
Observation exercise #5-8.
Deliberate observation of objects and people
#5. In the morning on your way, stop for a minute to observe an object in your environment (e.g. a tree, a statue, etc.), then before going to sleep, try to recall the image of the object. Next day stop by again and check and correct the image inside. Notice whether in your image you saw cloudy, blurry parts, or you completed the missing parts with false image.
Observation exercise #6. Observe someone's face in detail you meet every day (e.g. color of the eyes, shape of the eyebrows, nose, mouth, chin, etc.), then before going to sleep, try to recall the face, and also try to find out the message the person's facial expressions send.
Observation exercise #7. Observe someone's physical appearance (arms, chest, legs, etc.) and gestures and body language and try to sense the message that body send.
Observation exercise #8. Observe someone's voice (e.g. tone, volume, pace).
Observation exercise # 9-12. Introspection exercises
#9. Recall a critical situation from the day, and recall your facial expressions. Try to reproduce it and look in the mirror what message your facial expressions send? Is that what you wanted to send? Notice if your non-verbal communication send a different message.
Observation exercise #10. Recall a critical situation from the day, and recall your voice (tone, volume, pace, etc.) and try to sense what message your voice was sending.
Observation exercise #11. Recall a critical situation from the day, and recall your behavior, gestures, and body language. What message was your body sending?
Observation exercise #12. Recall a critical situation from the day, and recall your entire non-verbal communication including your body language, voice and facial expressions and and try to sense what message you were sending. Is that what you wanted to send?
When you are ready to assess yourself objectively, free of judgement, then describe yourself in terms of behavior, feelings, thoughts, skills, and unconscious drives. Here there are some post how to start:
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When only you cannot see your real self: 3 major obstacles of self-coaching
How to get rid of disliked traits: the science of conditioning
What you think you will become? Be sure you don't have these distortions in your thoughts
The very life phylosophy that promotes low self-esteem. The hidden stumbling-blocks of success
How to start yoga posture training at home
Compassionate communication: the end of conflicts and unhappiness
When only you cannot see your real self: 3 major obstacles of self-coaching
How to get rid of disliked traits: the science of conditioning
The very life phylosophy that promotes low self-esteem. The hidden stumbling-blocks of success
How to start yoga posture training at home
Compassionate communication: the end of conflicts and unhappiness
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