When
comparing the Subtle Mind to the Loving Kindness exercise, I found the Subtle
Mind to be far easier to sit through and visualize. Being asked or expected to take on the
trouble and care of the world and convert it to loving kindness was far more
difficult for me last week that the exercise this week. I found it much easier to work on my
breathing and witnessing the things that pop into my head, and then letting them
go. While I admit, my first try, I was
almost constantly being bothered with stray thoughts; I found a way to integrate
my breathing into witnessing the thoughts and then letting them go.
My
focus was on my out-breaths. During the
exercise I visualized my pursed lips and the exhale of air as a gust of
wind. When a bubble of thought would
invade my conscious, I would acknowledge it on the in-breath and then use the
force of my out-breath to blow the bubble away.
Though there were almost constant distractions, I can see myself practicing
this one every day because it left me with a feeling of control over my
thoughts and emotions, unlike the Loving Kindness which has been a struggle
because I am just now learning to love me and not owning the world.
Dacher
states that loving kindness can instill calmness in our lives as well as those
around us (Dacher, 2006). The spiritual
wellness that can be gained from loving kindness can be a profound way to
reduce stress in our lives and lower stress has been linked to better heart
health (Dacher, 2006). Unfortunately, I am more or a case of do like I say and not do like I do. While I know all of the positive aspects of Spiritual Wellness, I am still plagued with issues that eat at my spirit, my mind and the lining of my stomach. The stress in my life is literally eating away at me. I am a work in progress. I can honestly say it is not as bad as it was 5 weeks ago. I am learning some excellent tool in this class.
Thanks Everyone! Send me some Loving Kindness. I can really use it :-)
Rufus J.
Reference
Dacher, E.S., (2006). Integral
health: the path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA. Basic Health
Publications, Inc.
Hello Rufus!
ReplyDeleteThank you for all your kind words on my input for class! I enjoyed your honesty in this post, and how honest you are with yourself. There are so many people that are in the dark, and as you have heard before, knowing is half the battle!
Changing your life is not going to happen overnight. I think if you continue on your quest to a happier Rufus, you will find it! Continue in these exercises, and if you feel they do not work anymore, reach out to others in class or do some research online for other tools. We are so blessed in some ways in this day and age, we have the world at our fingertips!
Have you taken the Stress Management class yet? I can see that helping so much!
Take care and remember, OHMMMMM...
Warm Regards,
Jenn
Hello Rufus,
ReplyDeleteLike you, I found this week's exercise much easier to handle. The Loving-Kindness exercise I think asked too much of us too soon. It is hard to take on the problems of the world and those around us when we are struggling with ourselves.
Breathing exercises are a great way to get rid of stress and gain a sense of calm and balance. When I work on my breathing and I exhale, I can see the stress and negativity leaving me with that exhalation.
Change will not happen overnight for us. It's something that we have to work at each day, but we need to make sure that we are changing for the right reasons. If we change because we are afraid of how someone is going to judge us, then we are not being true to ourselves and we will never fully achieve that balance of wellness.
Rufus, I think you're doing very well so far, and I know that with some time and the encouragement of all of us, your friends, and family, you'll be able to make the changes you need to make and you'll achieve all that you want. Stress is not easy, but it doesn't control our lives. We can control the stress.
Just hang in there and you'll be fine. And if you really need it, I'll loan you the flying monkeys, but I don't have the bike. I never learned to ride one. :)
Until next time,
Lindsey