My favorite exercises were the very first two that we practiced, "Journey On" & "The Crime of the Century". I will probably continue to implement both of these routinely; however, I will only choose one of these to focus on. I believe that if I use "The Crime of the Century" incorporation with the Subtle Mind exercise I will become more mentally rounded. I have started doing "The Crime of the Century" exercise with my husband. There is enough direction that we are occupied, but we are also present and aware of our connection to one another. The guide is not breathing audibly, so it is nice to pace myself with my husband's breath. I also like to do this exercise alone, but this has been a nice excuse to be in several calm, clear moments with the person I love.
The Subtle Mind exercise takes meditation a step further as it provides less instruction and more time to internally focus. I feel that this requires a little more mental discipline. The Subtle Mind is linked to several other exercises, so it is good to practice as these skills will aid in the success of other endeavors. The wave loop in the background no longer bothers me, as it now provides a sense of familiarity and comfort. Yesterday I watched the new film, Inception, and I was fascinated as they explored the the deepest layers of the mind. I know it's a fictional story, but it provided such interesting visuals and that is important to meditation. I think it would be so neat to travel to my deepest mind by elevator as they did. Parts of the movie seem imprinted in my mind, so as I revisited some of our exercises I couldn't help but to rethink some of my methods. While "The Crime of the Century" exercise would be best if implemented at the beginning of the day in order to gather our strengths; I think the Subtle mind would be a great exercise to help wind down the night and restore calm for a restful night's sleep.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Meeting Asciepius
In the Meeting Asciepius exercise I appreciated that they allowed for an option to either think of a wise person or create your own. I did a little of both. It's difficult for me to think of someone I know, because as we are human we all have flaws, and I begin to focus on those flaws. A stranger is also difficult to use because there is no personal connection. I envisioned an older friend who is close to my heart, but I imagined her to have the mind and temperament of a monk that I have seen in a Japanese anime. This way I felt connected and at peace, and I believe that she felt the same.
I have noticed throughout this class that I am now more aware of what disheartens me mentally and spiritually. I am practicing changing these negative feelings into positives when they occur. I feel a little less physical pain in my body from taking time to relax more and maintaining an overall happy disposition.
I try to smile more at strangers.
The saying "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" expresses the need to learn from personal experience. If we have not felt feelings of deep sadness and loss, how can we empathize with one who has recently experienced the death of a loved one? While empathy is a necessary quality to understanding; understanding is a necessary quality for healing. To help another requires understanding of the past, present, and future of their journey.
This is where a heath and wellness professional may enter. They must empathize and understand their patients in order to heal them. This being said, it is necessary that they continue to cultivate this understanding by developing their own health psychologically, physically, and spiritually. Loving kindness is an important quality to have as a healer. Having a clear head and heart will produce the best results for all parties involved. This development can grow from daily meditation and skillful practice of the subtle mind.
I have noticed throughout this class that I am now more aware of what disheartens me mentally and spiritually. I am practicing changing these negative feelings into positives when they occur. I feel a little less physical pain in my body from taking time to relax more and maintaining an overall happy disposition.
I try to smile more at strangers.
The saying "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" expresses the need to learn from personal experience. If we have not felt feelings of deep sadness and loss, how can we empathize with one who has recently experienced the death of a loved one? While empathy is a necessary quality to understanding; understanding is a necessary quality for healing. To help another requires understanding of the past, present, and future of their journey.
This is where a heath and wellness professional may enter. They must empathize and understand their patients in order to heal them. This being said, it is necessary that they continue to cultivate this understanding by developing their own health psychologically, physically, and spiritually. Loving kindness is an important quality to have as a healer. Having a clear head and heart will produce the best results for all parties involved. This development can grow from daily meditation and skillful practice of the subtle mind.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Universal Loving Kindness and the Integral Assessment
Universal Loving Kindness:
I definitely like listening to guided meditations better than reading them. I feel more at peace when I close my eyes. Alone in the cool darkness without flickering visual distractions. I didn't memorize the paragraph, so it felt unnatural as I read aloud the words on the page. The unnatural feeling counteracts the desired feeling of deep relaxation. I will say that I like the message though. If the book advised that I make up my own blessing for the universe then I think this exercise would have been more successful. That would have made the exercise more personal and fluid.
Integral Assessment:
Below is a visual of my integral assessment. As you can see it looks similar to either the United States of America or a goldfish cracker. Because my assessment looks like a goldfish it means that I should focus to improve my fitness and my community most of all. To improve these areas I could volunteer within my community and participate in a more structured exercise regimen. These assessments fluctuate over time, so mine will not always look as such, but for now this is the case. I feel most satisfied with my levels concerning family and nutrition, but all other levels deserve room for improvement.
I found that this exercise actually made me a bit nervous. I was worried if I was judging myself accurately and if I was well versed enough in the definition of the lines. So again this was not my favorite exercise.
**On a personal note, this week I practiced yoga, and have fallen in love with a few new stretches for my back. One of which I had practiced previously, but I had been practicing it incorrectly. Also I got to watch acupuncture be preformed! I've only seen pictures of it before, so this was a really interesting experience. The acupuncturist had a Chinese pain relief spray that she used on my back (even though I wasn't the client), and I will tell you that side of my back really did feel better for the rest of the day. So cool!
I definitely like listening to guided meditations better than reading them. I feel more at peace when I close my eyes. Alone in the cool darkness without flickering visual distractions. I didn't memorize the paragraph, so it felt unnatural as I read aloud the words on the page. The unnatural feeling counteracts the desired feeling of deep relaxation. I will say that I like the message though. If the book advised that I make up my own blessing for the universe then I think this exercise would have been more successful. That would have made the exercise more personal and fluid.
Integral Assessment:
Below is a visual of my integral assessment. As you can see it looks similar to either the United States of America or a goldfish cracker. Because my assessment looks like a goldfish it means that I should focus to improve my fitness and my community most of all. To improve these areas I could volunteer within my community and participate in a more structured exercise regimen. These assessments fluctuate over time, so mine will not always look as such, but for now this is the case. I feel most satisfied with my levels concerning family and nutrition, but all other levels deserve room for improvement.
I found that this exercise actually made me a bit nervous. I was worried if I was judging myself accurately and if I was well versed enough in the definition of the lines. So again this was not my favorite exercise.
**On a personal note, this week I practiced yoga, and have fallen in love with a few new stretches for my back. One of which I had practiced previously, but I had been practicing it incorrectly. Also I got to watch acupuncture be preformed! I've only seen pictures of it before, so this was a really interesting experience. The acupuncturist had a Chinese pain relief spray that she used on my back (even though I wasn't the client), and I will tell you that side of my back really did feel better for the rest of the day. So cool!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The Subtle Mind
I was definitely in the mood to meditate today, so I enjoyed the subtle mind exercise. They played that same background loop of the crashing waves as they did during the loving kindness exercise, but now that I am used to it, it didn't bother me as much. Other similarities include the speaker's voice and pauses during the exercises. It is obvious that the two exercises are related, and that they were created by the same people.
They differ in their directions and pacing. Loving kindness aimed to alleviate emotional pain and spread love and peace. The subtle mind then took that peace and focused the mind inward. This reveals our deeper mind, and allows us to be one with time and fight the urge to cling to moments of thought and emotion (Dacher, 2006). Loving kindness is good to practice first as is introduces the audience to the the exercise technique. This makes the subtle mind a more comfortable exercise. This time it felt okay to be alone.
Spiritual wellness connects to mental and physical wellness in regards to health. It brings confidence and a feeling of security or truth to those who can turn inside themselves. To be calm and at peace will bring mental clarity and thus promote benefits to our physiology. We can try to remove the spiritual aspect and simply demand "calm" from our mental mind, but that will not bring peace. The mental chatter would have no way of dissolving. This would cause great stress on our self. Spiritual wellness is necessary for human flourishing and whole health (Dacher, 2006).
Spiritual wellness is manifested in my life by the practice of guided meditation, and the exercise of skillful action (Dacher, 2006). I aim to show loving kindness everyday. My husband is my best friend, my pets are my children, and my coworkers and clients enrich my life. I have purpose behind my decisions and act accordingly. It is necessary to think as clearly as possible in order to keep balance and comfort in the things around me. If unfortunate events happen one day; it is definitely wise to try to recenter as soon as possible.
Reference:
Dacher, E. (2006). Integral Health: The Pathway to Human Flourishing. Basic Health Publications Inc: Laguna Beach, CA.
They differ in their directions and pacing. Loving kindness aimed to alleviate emotional pain and spread love and peace. The subtle mind then took that peace and focused the mind inward. This reveals our deeper mind, and allows us to be one with time and fight the urge to cling to moments of thought and emotion (Dacher, 2006). Loving kindness is good to practice first as is introduces the audience to the the exercise technique. This makes the subtle mind a more comfortable exercise. This time it felt okay to be alone.
Spiritual wellness connects to mental and physical wellness in regards to health. It brings confidence and a feeling of security or truth to those who can turn inside themselves. To be calm and at peace will bring mental clarity and thus promote benefits to our physiology. We can try to remove the spiritual aspect and simply demand "calm" from our mental mind, but that will not bring peace. The mental chatter would have no way of dissolving. This would cause great stress on our self. Spiritual wellness is necessary for human flourishing and whole health (Dacher, 2006).
Spiritual wellness is manifested in my life by the practice of guided meditation, and the exercise of skillful action (Dacher, 2006). I aim to show loving kindness everyday. My husband is my best friend, my pets are my children, and my coworkers and clients enrich my life. I have purpose behind my decisions and act accordingly. It is necessary to think as clearly as possible in order to keep balance and comfort in the things around me. If unfortunate events happen one day; it is definitely wise to try to recenter as soon as possible.
Reference:
Dacher, E. (2006). Integral Health: The Pathway to Human Flourishing. Basic Health Publications Inc: Laguna Beach, CA.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Amare Est Vivere
Loving Kindness Exercise
Today I did the Loving Kindness exercise from the Dacher CD, and perhaps I just wasn't in the mood, but I liked this exercise the least so far. I was sort of nice to hear a new voice (a female voice) guide the meditation today, but I was not relaxed at all. There was an ocean wave loop playing in the background; I specifically kept noticing when the loop would restart which was irritating. The voice would say a few things and then stop for a minute or so, and then I was left with the waves not knowing when or if the voice would come back. It felt a bit depressing actually. Maybe it was a combination of my mood and the rain outside, but I felt like I was walking on an empty beach at dusk. It felt like perhaps I had been shipwrecked and I was all alone on this deserted island - helpless and alone.
The waves also reminded me of those white noise machines you can buy to help you get to sleep. I never liked those things.
Mental Workout
The concept of "Mental Workout" refers to conditioning of the mind to become quite and at peace. Just as Olympic athletes must train their bodies, so must we gain the ability to train our minds. By concentrating on stillness we slow down our breathing, relax our muscles, and compose clearer thoughts. Studies show that positive thoughts and inner love can have beneficial affects on our physical bodies. This promotes holistic health and wellness.
To implement mental workouts in order to foster my psychological health I can take time out of every day to become quite and still. Yoga is a good way to relax the body and focus on a fit mind. Meditation and the aforementioned exercises can offer the clear thoughts necessary to complete well devised skillful action.
*By the way, amare est vivere is Latin for to love is to live.
Today I did the Loving Kindness exercise from the Dacher CD, and perhaps I just wasn't in the mood, but I liked this exercise the least so far. I was sort of nice to hear a new voice (a female voice) guide the meditation today, but I was not relaxed at all. There was an ocean wave loop playing in the background; I specifically kept noticing when the loop would restart which was irritating. The voice would say a few things and then stop for a minute or so, and then I was left with the waves not knowing when or if the voice would come back. It felt a bit depressing actually. Maybe it was a combination of my mood and the rain outside, but I felt like I was walking on an empty beach at dusk. It felt like perhaps I had been shipwrecked and I was all alone on this deserted island - helpless and alone.
The waves also reminded me of those white noise machines you can buy to help you get to sleep. I never liked those things.
Mental Workout
The concept of "Mental Workout" refers to conditioning of the mind to become quite and at peace. Just as Olympic athletes must train their bodies, so must we gain the ability to train our minds. By concentrating on stillness we slow down our breathing, relax our muscles, and compose clearer thoughts. Studies show that positive thoughts and inner love can have beneficial affects on our physical bodies. This promotes holistic health and wellness.
To implement mental workouts in order to foster my psychological health I can take time out of every day to become quite and still. Yoga is a good way to relax the body and focus on a fit mind. Meditation and the aforementioned exercises can offer the clear thoughts necessary to complete well devised skillful action.
*By the way, amare est vivere is Latin for to love is to live.
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