1.Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc.
2. Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life.
Hi Everyone! I wondering how many other people found that Track 3 doesn't play past the first five minutes. Very disappointing. :( I re-read the instruction from the book and tried to follow them the best I could. It has been a really stressful week for me and I haven't been sleeping well at night. Yep, you guessed it! I fell asleep during the exercise - all three times I tried it! But, before I truly dozed, I think I managed a few minutes where I was able to let go of most of my thoughts, quietly let them drift past without responding to them and just allow my mind to be quiet. It was wonderful. What I realized is that I have been doing this for years without knowing what it was. I learned to do it when I worked night shift and would hit the wall around 0400. I would take a break, put my feet up and just focus on my breath for about 15 minutes. I get this slight floating, detached from my physical body feeling. I didn't sleep or doze off, but wasn't fully present either. This quiet time away from everything would leave me feeling fully refreshed and ready to finish the rest of my shift. I haven't used it much in the last couple years because I changed jobs and am now strictly day shift and too busy, but occasionally I will come home after work, sit on the couch for a few minutes and just rest my mind.
I like this exercise much better than the Loving-Kindness exercise. So much of the first one seems counter-intuitive (the breathing was wrong)and I could not really follow the instructions although I tried. The Subtle Mind exercise is more natural to me and I found it very enjoyable. The nap was nice too!
Mental, spiritual and physical wellness are connected to each other. Gains in one area will have a positive effect in others. When we work out bodies physically, we can reduce stress. When we reduce stress through meditation, we can lower our blood pressure. When we spend time developing our spiritual wellness, our mental processes become clearer. The can all work together to help us achieve integral health. In my own life I find that regular physical workouts help me think clearer, improve my mood and reduce stress. Learning how to effectively reduce anxiety, stress and worry through meditation exercises has helped me to avoid illness and feel better physically and mentally. I am expanding my understanding of spiritual wellness and am just beginning to understand how this can relate to the others.
This class has really been interesting so far and I am learning a lot about topics I thought I already knew most everything about!
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I agree, we can't separate our spiritual, mental and physical from each other, they are all one and interconnected.
ReplyDeleteI also like this exercise better than the last and did it from the book. My breathing got so slow and shallow it was amazing...my whole body responded...I didn't want to leave this state of being...but once I did, I had good energy and a good mental outlook.
kelly,
ReplyDeleteMy CD did not work past the first 5 minutes either! I was SO upset! But I also agree with you that this exercise was far better than the loving-kindness one. Probably because it was a lot easier than trying to take all the pain from the world and letting it dissolve in our minds (MUCH too difficult of a concept for me right now in my life). I absolutely love the breathing exercises! For me, having something straightforward like the in and outs of breathing to focus on really helps me clear my mind and pay attention. Like you, I used to have problems sleeping. But last semester, after Dr. Stewart told me a little more about deep breathing, I found I was able to fall asleep a lot faster than before. I see it worked for you as well (hehe!). Even if we do not completely attain a feeling of peace, at least we know that these exercises will work for us to calm us enough to put us to sleep! Thanks again for the great post!
Aimee Fairbanks
Hello Kelly,
ReplyDeleteI had the same problem with track 3 and I was a little disappointed, especially when it made the loud noise in my ears. I listened to the loving kindness exercise, then listened to the audible part of track 3 again, and did the rest from the book. I am sorry it has been a stressful week for you. For your sleep can you add relaxation music? That is awesome that you fell asleep all three times. I am laughing. That is actually great and tells you what you need to do to fall asleep. I am so glad in the end that you allowed your mind to be quiet and it was a wonderful experience.
Yes, we all do many things for years and do not truly grab the importance till the teacher appears. The quote I have always heard is; "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."
I agree with you about the night shift. I work at night because it is more beneficial for me as far as being in a relaxed state. I like both exercises in combination.
I am glad that the subtle mind exercise was more natural to you and that you found it very enjoyable. Yes....I am sure your nap was nice too! Ha...Ha...
In these exercises I definitely see the connection of physical wellness, mental wellness, and spiritual wellness as a whole.
Have an awesome day and thank you for sharing your encouraging experience.
Hi Kelly,
ReplyDeleteI can completely relate with the 4am drudge during a twelve hour nightshift. I used to work 6pm to 6am and every night (er morning) at 4am I had to implement something to give me that boost for the last two hours... in the beginning it was coffee- and lots of it. But inevitably I would get wired and not be able to sleep when I got home:(
I am glad that you fell asleep during the exercise- not that that's what the objective was, but at least you were able to get a bit of time to recouperate from your stressors. It has always amazed me how quickly we are able to fall asleep if we can get our minds to slow down and relax- which is why I generally have insomnia. This week's exercises really helped me to find that center and let go of my stressors so that I could relax and even though I didn't fall asleep I sort of almost felt like I was sleeping. It was very refreshing:)
-Jen R.
Hi Kelly,
ReplyDeleteI found this exercise to be a lot easier for me to get through. I found that the breathing really relaxed me. At this end of the session, I felt relaxed and calm. Isn't it interesting how by taking deep breaths, we can actually control our heart rate. I notice that I have be taking a lot more deep breaths during the day in order to calm myself - and it works.
Thanks,
Aaron