1. My experience with this week’s exercise is quite difficult, to say the least. I have got to pick a better time to do these types of exercise. The only time my house is perfectly still and quite is when everyone is asleep, which is after midnight. All I can say is that I need more practice to be able to focus better on the exercise. My mind kept wondering in and out and it was very difficult for me to say in the present. I focus more on my breathing than the images they were suggesting to me. At times, I felt frustrated with myself. However, I can see how practicing the loving-kindness can be very beneficial to me and others.
I would recommend this exercise to other but only after I have done it for awhile. I want to be able to support and recommend something that I am doing myself. At this time, I can’t recommend it to anyone just yet.
2. The concept of “mental workout”, to me it is like working out your body physically. It needs to be an activity that you have committed yourself to it and actually carve out the time for it. It needs to be done on a regular basis in order to see the results. Keep in mind that when you stop with the exercise your ability will diminish. According to Dacher, “it is important for us to understand the practice and methods that we will be using. The aim is not rest and relaxation but rather the progressive development of an expanded consciousness and its healing capacities” (2006, p. 65).
Boy! This is easy to say and very difficult to do. In Western culture, we were not raised to cultivate our minds and inner peace. We are bombarded with the stress of life, so it is very hard stay still long enough to work out your mental health.
In order for this to work I will need to set a time aside, just like my bible reading and start with 5 mins instead of the 15 mins. I can always increase the time as I get more comfortable and become more mindful in what I am doing.
Maggie
Reference
Dacher, E. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, California: Basic Health.
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Maggie, I think that SOME times it is better to "go big or go home". I also believe that it mentioned it in our reading for this unit. I guess it all depends on the individual. But for some areas of my life I know that I need to make dramatic effects or I won't stick to them. I don't have the patience to wait....(of course that is just for SOME particular things)All in all it is good to take baby steps.
ReplyDeleteI let my daughter know you said happy b-day. Then I got 101 questions asked as she followed me around the house cleaning:)
I'm glad I took this class, because before hand I thought I was the only one that thought it was hard to "find" myself.
By the way great post!
Maggie, I understand the difficulty in keeping a focused mind during this expercise. I had trouble with that also. I think if I were to start with smaller pieces of time and schedule them as I schedule other things then it would feel more comfortable. I don't usually have trouble with meditation, the being still and quiet type but with this exercise I think it was the visualization that threw me. Each person I thought of brought lots of thoughts and feelings up. It was hard to stay focused on the task at hand.
ReplyDeleteMore practice is needed, I suppose.
thank you for sharing your experience.
Stacy
Hi Maggie,
ReplyDeleteEveryone's focus seems to be an issue with these exercises, mine as well. Maybe we should be concerned? I think these exercises are telling us that we need to slow down. Maybe this class is a blessing in disguise and we need to take action because we are given this opportunity that many won't get. I definitely have issues trying to tell my brain to slow down and 9 times out of 10 it doesn't work, but after reading our texts, I think it is really important that we seize this moment. I'm just getting the feeling that if we don't take care of ourselves, something really bad could happen (well, it's been proven: disease). I don't want to grow old and be miserably sick. I don't know...our world moves too fast and many of us can't keep up. I think these exercises can help us stay upbeat and refreshed, ready to tackle the world and all that it throws our way. Try the CD again...I bet you anything you will really like it. Have a great day!
Hi Maggie,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you that we live on the western side of things and our lifestyles are full of stress and busy schedules, even more so depending on where you live. I live in central New Jersey and there is tons of traffic and people everywhere and everyone is always in a hurry and aggressive. I have visited other places where the people are completely different and laid back and they probably live longer because of it. I think Europe has the right idea with siesta in the afternoon and long vacations lol Here it is go go go and it is hard to quiet you mind at times. I think practice is key and over time you will get better at it like anything else you do over and over again.
Hi Maggie,
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean by having the right time and place with less activity going will make you lose focus, because i started out really good with the loving kindness exercise and when I was into it my husband came in,I thought he was asleep, but he woke up and I had to keep starting all over again. But as you stated if you really put these 10-15 minutes of practice in everyday you will benefit from it. I too will continue to find time to slip in 15-20 minutes of lovingkindness, especially at work, where I have the difficult time keeping myself focus on positive things and being at oneness with myself. We really have to take better care of our body, as our friend Michelle said, we have to take care of our body now or when we get older we don't want to be sick and not able to help ourself. So lets keep trying Maggie so that we can continue to improve our overall health and wellness
just like yo I have a hard time getting around to the realxation exercises. I dont have much PEACEFUL time around the house either!!! maybe like Michelle said the exercises are meant to MAKE us begin to take that time!!! I am seeing hte benefits of them so maybe I need to prioritize better and make the time!!! I knwo we can do it if we try!!!!1 nice post!!!
ReplyDeleteHey Maggie,
ReplyDeleteI think we all agree with you that actually setting time for the exercises are easier said then done. i too have a difficult time not letting my mind wander while trying to focus on the audio. And when i am doing the exercises i tend to do it when i have access to the net so my surrounding is noisy and if i do it at work i cannot really relax and fully do what the audio says to do. Well i guess the more we practice the easier it will be for all of us to shut out the outside world so that we can have ME time.