A lovey way to bring awareness to your day is by taking a series of snapshots. So often we wait to create the perfect photo, when the moments that inform our life drift by.
One of the exercises I invite my clients to try is taking a photo or two every hour from the time they wake until they go off to bed. Just snapshots. Not masterpieces. The inside of the fridge. The empty plate. The cupboard. Try getting on the floor to look your dog in the face. Lying on the grass and looking up at the trees. The view of the wall as your chat on the phone.
Then at the end of your day, take a scroll through. What is revealed? Any surprises? What is the tone and texture of your day? What patterns emerge? Wait a few days and scroll through again. Anything new pop up?
This exercise can accomplish many things and is reminiscent of the times my archery coach in his wisdom would invite me to consider signing up for a tournament where I was to intend to participate by just shooting. Not shooting well or ever trying. Just shooting. Not an easy thing to do for an athlete, but a wealth of information would come forth from the experience about my body’s state of being, my mind and the wisdom and space that frees up in the present moment when there is room created between breaths.
Sometimes we notice textures, colours, and how the light changes when we take on this exercise. Sometimes we notice more of how our body reacts the the subtleties of our environment. And, often we realize how much more present we are to our ourselves, our loved ones and our environments when we stop to take even a snapshot in time.
What is revealed to you in the present moments of your life? And, what happens when you create enough space to be present in those moments?
