Meditation and Integral Assessment

For the Loving Kindness meditation exercise I first allowed myself time to find a quiet place in which I could focus my thoughts on the activity and where I could feel comfortable doing so. I decided to sit Indian style on the couch in front of the fire I previously had going. The rhythmic crackling of the fire was a soft soothing sound while I closed my eyes to rest into the natural ease of my mind and body. Once I allowed myself to nestle into the calm environment, I had to read the phrases that I was to repeat a few times to make sure I was about to perform the exercise correctly before I started. I tried to do the workout for the full ten minutes but the length seemed rather long for this exercise. However, I did allow myself to sit in silence for the full ten minutes and try to feel the shift from personal love to universal loving-kindness. I think this form of mediation is much better than that of the other Loving Kindness relaxation activity but as with both, they will take time to develop.

The integral assessment process was easy to begin since the previous exercise had already cultivated my mind into a still and silent place. When I envisioned the map of the four quadrants of my life I looked at all of the aspects individually to truly find the area that needs the most attention. I believe at this current time in my life the emotional development component of psycho-spiritual flourishing needs the most focus. Recently, external factors such as what others say or do have become a major concern to me. I feel as though I need to replace this concern with a focus on my internal factors so that it does not affect me as much. This aspect of my life impacts most of my daily activities but I have noticed that it is only what specific individuals do or say and it is not a concern with everyone. The even more ironic part is that it has nothing to do with a loved one, someone I want to impress or even someone that is of any importance to my personal life. I generally like to practice the loving-kindness approach with everyone and go by the motto “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” I understand that not everyone has to follow this same path but I do however think that this way of living can create great karma for me. It is very hard to continue this path though when other individuals have the complete opposite approach and treat others as though they are worth nothing to them. I guess you can say that I have a problem with inconsiderate individuals and those that do not have manners. This would be the root of my distress and for this I know I should not focus on it but rather focus on my internal factors that I can control. 

With this all being said I am ready for growth, development, and healing in this area of my life. Some exercises or activities that I can implement to foster greater wellness in this area is to talk to others as a sounding board to make sure what I am thinking is not just a figment of my imagination. Sometimes things can be interrupted in various ways and having someone to talk to about the situation can ease or verify my emotions. This can also lead to potential solutions to the problem or situation. Exercises like writing can further my development in this area. When I put pen to paper the emotions of the day can flow out of me and onto the lines where I do not have to carry them anymore. This will allow me to express my concerns and thoughts about the situation, releasing its hold on me. Lastly, I can read books about others who have dealt with emotional development and how they have handled it themselves. Learning from others is a valuable and educational tool that would further allow me to flourish.