I made sure to do this weeks exercise early in the week so that I was less stressed during it. I'm not saying I'm a super stressed out person. But at the end of the school week all I want to think about is getting everything turned in on time and the last thing I want to do is sit quietly and do an exercise like this. I liked the subtle mind exercise much better than the loving kindness one. As I mentioned last week I didn't like the idea of "breathing in" someone's pain or what have you and "breathing out" anything to them. That's a bit to new age-ish for me. There were positives and negatives to the subtle mind exercise. I liked how it started out having me focus on my breathing by paying attention to either the rise and fall of my chest or the air coming in and out of my nose. I chose to focus on the rise and fall of my chest. I also enjoyed the sound of the ocean as well as the addition of subtle music. Although the music could have been a smidgeon louder. The breaks in between the instruction got ridiculously long for me. When I was told I could stop focusing on my chest rising and falling and wait for further instruction I got really fidgety and bored. I think this was for two reasons. One was the length of the pause (forever!) and another was the lack of thought direction. I didn't know what to focus on or think about or even if I was supposed to be. Because of the general lack of direction this exercise didn't work for me overall. I would have had a better experience by just putting on some calming music/background noise (water, birds, etc.) and sitting in a quiet place with my eyes closed in quiet contemplation. Just breathing, thinking and praying.
We humans are far more complex than mere machines. All aspects of the human body work together as one glorious synchronized system. Unfortunately in the world we live in it is easy to throw this system out of whack. This could be from bad nutrition, a lack of exercise, a stressful environment, etc. Any one of those things is going to affect the entire system. Stress, for example, is proven to negatively affect the immune system and can leave a person at a higher risk for sickness and disease. This is also why the spiritual aspect of a person is important. It is all interconnected. If the spirit is in bad health it can cause the body to be in bad health as well and vice versa. For me when I am stressed or angry I can easily develop a headache and my irritable bowel syndrome can act up. I also notice that when I spend more time in prayer and Bible study I gain much more patience, peace, and calmness. However the opposite is also true. If I don't spend any time in prayer or in the Word I am much more impatient and quick to anger. So doing those things really helps me deal with life's stresses, both big and small. So just as our bodies are complex total health is also. It is not isolated to only exercise, only nutrition, only mental health, etc. True and total health is finding a healthy balance in all areas of your life.
Thanks for reading and have a great week!
Hello Chulitaness,
ReplyDeleteI thought this was the best exercise yet, I liked the fact that the narrator wasn't continuously talking and it gave more time to focus or relax without being disturbed. That's how we are supposed to experience these exercises by being in a quiet place without any distractions, though that long pause can distract people because like you said you are not sure what you are supposed to be thinking about. However, in my opinion, that is just it we are not supposed to think about any one thing in particular, just focus on the silence and work yourself into a calmness and relaxed state of mind without having to worry or think about anything. I myself like technique of breathing in and out of my nostrils, this way made me more at ease. Also, you are correct in what you said about having “a better experience by just putting on some calming music/background noise (water, birds, etc.) and sitting in a quiet place with my eyes closed in quiet contemplation. Just breathing, thinking and praying” if that is the music that is going to get you to sit and relax for a while than that is what you need.
I really enjoyed your post. I found the exercise hard to concentrate on doing. I know that it will take time to learn to train my mind and focus with out all the chatter. And eventually I will have to learn all the breathing techniques but sometimes it throws me off all the deep breathing they have you doing.
ReplyDeleteI liked this exercise, it challenged me to get out of my own head. You mentioned that you stay in the word more and find the relaxation exercises a good way to get away. Do you find that it sometimes pulls you so far away from the world that it is difficult to go back? I struggle with this; I am often told I live in my own world. It's ok, it's peaceful there.
ReplyDeleteTrue. I agree that our minds are very complex, along with our bodies. It is interesting how easy it is to get stressed too, and I don't understand how some people are able to not get stressed. Somehow some people just don't let them selves worry about things, and I worry about everything. I suppose it goes along with perspective.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteYour blog post was very interesting. I have not yet found anyone who did not care for the loving kindness exercise, I have had to encounter this particular exercise several times along my path. I found your points to be honest, I understand the breathing something in and breathing something out and how that may cause some conflict. I hope these exercises get more enjoyable for you and that you take away the main point of training the mind to be more positive.
Have a great day
Ramsie
I really appreciated your honesty when discussing your reaction to this exercise. Like you, I find my mind wandering if I have too much time without direction. I love the idea of this, and can appreciate it, I am just not able to do it yet. Like with most things, it takes practice. What I love about you is that you DO have things that work for you, and you know what they are. You also know how your body and mind react when you don't incorporate these things into your life. A lot of people don't have that, and I commend you!!! Kara :)
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