1. Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc.
The loving kindness exercise is one that I have practiced on a few occasions and I have become more familiar with. I believe that it was easier for me to feel a sense of accomplishment from the loving kindness exercise as it was very specific about what I was to be concentrating on. I felt as though I was not at peace when I began the subtle mind exercise this afternoon. I had trouble letting go of my thoughts. At one point during the exercise I began to drift off to sleep. I was so focused on my mental chatter that I did not hear much of what I was being directed to do. I do not feel that I achieved much of the goal, but I did enjoy the opportunity to relax and be still. There were a few times during the exercise that I was witnessing my thoughts without being caught up emotionally in them.
2. Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life.
For me I have trouble achieving a relaxed body without first achieving a relaxed mind. My mind becomes relaxed when I am spiritually well and connected to my higher power. It is easier for me to place my thoughts in the correct perspective, when I am spiritually well and remember what is truly important and that there are no problems that God and I cannot handle together. When I am treating others and self with loving kindness this too leads to spiritual wellness. If I have acted in ways that I believe are harmful to self and others I feel dis-eased. When I a spiritually well, my thoughts are healthier and my mind is well. When my mind is well I am able to go to the gym and exercise or go on a walk outside, or stop what I am doing and listen to a cd that aids in mental fitness such as the one this class provides. All of these chooses lead to physical wellness. They are all interconnected and I must remember to care for all areas of self.
Cassandra,
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post this week. I can understand and relate to your frustrations with mental chatter--it truly is a challenge to focus. I can understand how the subtle mind exercise would cause someone to fall asleep. It seems like when you're going through it you're faced with two easy options: either you give in to mental chatter or you doze off. The harder option (focusing on your thoughts and breathing) is much harder to do.
Jeremy