I have to say I liked the loving kindness exercise more. Mainly because I have an easier time with these when I have something to focus on. With this one I was doing pretty good for that long pause in the woman speaking but when she started talking again afterwards it scared me to death. After that my concentration was pretty shattered. I did notice that my thoughts are very much like the waves in that they crash in regularly then are gone if I am trying to ignore them. It is truly very difficult to ignore thoughts without something to focus on. I forgot she said to focus on the breath if you get distracted. I did find her interjections off putting because just when I got into the zone she would break the spell. It's hard to relax and let go when you're anticipating a voice to break through the relative stillness.
I feel like I keep having to answer this question of how spiritual wellness affects the others. Spiritual wellness, things like love, forgiveness, and gratitude are present in a healthy mind and absent in a sick one. I don't know anyone with a healthy mind who is bitter and resentful, those things don't go with wellness. In my own life I know on days when I am angry (usually at my husband) I don't feel as good as other, better days. Also days where my kids are driving me crazy I notice I am much snappier than days when they are more sane. It's true that in these examples outside forces have a lot of control over my wellness but that's were the benefit of mental fitness comes in. Calm that is constant no matter what is going on. Truly I wonder if those calm abiding people drive...
Hi Melissa,
ReplyDeleteI know exactly how you feel with your kids driving you crazy and your husband being angry. There are so many external factors that effect a sense of calm. I know that personally I will wake up in the morning feeling great and ready to start the day. However, by 10 am, I'm snarling at people and I have no patience at all. I'm not sure that I'd ever get to the level of internal peace where I no longer lose my temper when people are driving me crazy, but if I could learn to control the aggravation so that I don't snap at innocent bystanders then I would be happy!
~ Sandra
Melissa,
ReplyDeleteI don't know which one I liked better, but I definitely had an easier time with the loving kindness practice than the subtle mind practice. Although I do not have children of my own, I find that being a manager, there are days when my associates drive me crazy like I imagine children might! There are times when my associates call for me over the walkie to answer questions that they should already know the answers to (because I have told them the answers before) or that they should be able to easily figure our themselves, I have a tendency to get snippy. I think I need to adopt a shortened version of loving-kindness, and also the subtle mind practice, so that I can take a quick two minutes to calm myself down, and remind myself that the people I work with are human just like me, and cannot be perfect all the time.
~Catherine
Yes, trying to stop the mind from wandering when there is no focal point is hard, but I think the idea and witnessing the transition of these thoughts that we are suppose to focus on. I seemed to have a hard time with both practices and keeping my concentration. With the waves, I could focus on relaxing, but could not FEEL the practice. When voice would come, it would startle me as well.
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