1. Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc.
The differences that I have found between the Loving-Kindness exercise and the Subtle Mind exercise are that in my opinion the Subtle mind exercise takes a lot more focus because it gives you the ability to let your mind wander and it allows you to learn how to re-focus your mind back onto the task at hand. I believe that both exercises have a great amount of benefits because it allows us to learn how to focus ourselves either on loving and being kind, or learning how to shut out the mental chatter and find the stillness that I so desire throughout my days.
The only frustration is that my copy of the Subtle mind exercise has a loud burst of static through it and I am not sure where I can get an undamaged version because the static does last for quite a bit of time throughout the CD.
2. Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life.
The connection that spiritual wellness has to my mental and physical wellness is that since they are all intertwined, I find myself feeling poorly in all aspects if even one of these is off kilter. Such as, if I am stressed, it affects my mental outlook on the day, my physical body is tensed and finds no relief from that tension, and I feel spiritually drained.
However, with the implementations of the exercises we are learning, ensuring that I have my meditation time, and learning to carry a more positive outlook about things, I am finding that it is the exact opposite of what I have stated above. When I am in a more positive mindset, I am able to be more productive in all the aspects because I feel the energy within myself.
Being able to do physical wellness by walking or using gym equipment, I am able to “de-stress” myself by not only being physical but by allowing myself to visualize that the sweat and burning of my muscles is simply eating away at the issues that are interrupting my stillness and causing me to not feel positive.
Jen,
ReplyDeleteI had more luck with the subtle mind practice when I did it without the guided practice on the CD. I was better able to clear my mind when I wasn't listening to something. Everyone is different though and it just takes practice. I need a lot of practice with this one being able to witness thoughts and not "grab on to them" and immerse in them. Something else I do that you might try is using my walking time for prayer. That keeps me focused on something positive while walking. I loved your prayer for a joyful home post!
Hello Jen,
ReplyDeleteI found it harder to focus my mind on what I was doing. Even though it was a simple breathing exercise. I did enjoy it more and kind of turned it into my own exercise. Since it was so hard for me to focus I let my mind drift in order to see what was bother it. While controlling my breathing so that I would stay relaxed as my mind cycled through the days mishaps.
I also had the static problem with my disc... It startled me big time!
ReplyDeleteI love the visualization you described while being active. I imagine the stress or problems being battled with my exercise also, but I like your idea a lot. I love the idea of using the burning to burn up the problems. I am going to do that next time!
Also, I think you explained how the connection is manifested in your life wonderfully!!
Jennifer, I know what you mean about not having all three aspects in sink. Some days I too, just feel drained mentally, physically, and spiritually. I think it is important to remember that we may not always be at our best. Some days will not be as good as the others. It is during theses times that we can not give in to unnecessary chatter, and also not allow ourselves to become discouraged. It is through practice that we become more intoned to our mind/body and spirit. Jenny
ReplyDeleteI like how you summed up the differences of the two exercises. The loving-kindness helps us to focus on caring for ourselves and other people and the subtle mind helps us to focus on our inner self. I agree that both of these have lots of benefits!
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