The Subtle Mind exercise in comparison to the Loving
Kindness exercise was, to me, a lot more relaxing and calming. The Loving
Kindness was not bad but it was so hard to do everything that was asked of you
and the interruption of the instructor for some reason really frustrated me.
For the Subtle Mind exercise I felt I benefited from the focus on the
breathing. It was apparent that my body was impacted by this exercise because I
could feel everything settle and slow down as I concentrated on inhaling and
exhaling. I additionally thought that when my attention was on my breathing, it
was easier to come back to that focal point when my mind wandered.
Spiritual wellness is essential for integral health and
life. It helps to give use something to believe in, helps us create morals and
values, and aids in our development of wisdom. Our thoughts, feelings,
behaviors, attitudes, and physical capabilities can all be anchored to
spiritual wealth. When we are thinking negatively or have doubts our spiritual
well-being can lift our thoughts to a more positive perspective. If we are
uplifted then organs are not as strained, muscles are less tense, and our
bodily functions run smoother. This mental transformation, acting through the
mind/body connection, provides enhanced resistance to mental distress and
physical disease, expands our healing capacities, and promotes well-being.
(Dacher, 2006)
This connection is apparent in my life through my belief
that there is a God and that he is active in my life every day. This spiritual
connection with a greater power gives me faith, hope and something to hold on
to when things are not going my way. I feel as though the link to my happiness,
positive outlook on life and overall physical health is because of my spiritual
wellness. The deeper I search and stronger I feel about my connection to God
allows me to know that I can do anything that I put my mind to and that my body
can withstand all odds and difficulties. I am not saying by any means that just
because I am spiritual that I have any higher ability to various mental or
physical aspects (although in our reading we are finding that this correlation
is very powerful), I am just simply stating that this relationship to mind,
body and spirit is richly manifested into my personal life.
References
Dacher, E.
(2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach,
CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.
Heather, I agree with you and think that the subtle mind exercise was a better fit for me. Breathing really helps me focus and helps me relax the most. I learned to concentrate on breathing in yoga many years ago and it has stuck with me.
ReplyDeleteSpirituality is becoming more important to me as I get older. I think having faith in something or believing there is something bigger than us is essential for us to grow as humans.
The hardest part for me as I am sure it is with everyone is making time every day to do something for ourselves. That is my goal so I can become a more rounded person mind-body and soul.
Do you think that it is an important part of your life to make time for yourself? I'm pretty sure your answer will be yes, so how do you find time in your day to make "you time" a priority?
:) Rachel
Luckily for me I do not have children; I have a dog and a boyfriend. I only work part time (for now) so I have plenty of time for school work. However, I do volunteer two times a week and like to spend time with my family and friends whenever I can. I can honestly say that having time management skills is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Also the fact that I know my days could be more occupied as most people that go to college are with a full time job, children and a household to run helps me to realize I have nothing to complain about. Those are the people I applaud because I have no idea how they do it. I like to plan each day out so I have just enough time to get everything I need to done and still have at the minimum an hour a day of me time. Small steps and have the right priorities help. What about you? How do you manage to make time to run a marathon, relax, or peer into your consciousness?
DeleteHeather,
ReplyDeleteOnce again you have done a wonderful job on your blog, you are a great writer, and you have a passion for life, and it shows in your writing. I agree with you I found the subtle mind exercise to be much more relaxing than the loving-kindness exercise, becaue it gave me a way to address my thoughts and feelings as they came into view, and yet I was able to release those very thoughts by concentrating on my breathing, which was interesting. You also did a wonderful job at identifying the importance of the physical, mental, and spiritual health, for each person this is very different, yet I am seeing that we mostly agree that they are all largely connected to one another. Keep up the good work Heahter.
Michelle
Thank you :)
DeleteHeather,
ReplyDeleteI think we all agree that the subtle exercise is a lot more relaxing than the Loving Kindness exercise. It certainly was for me and you are right about the breathing, it was beneficial in helping focus the mind. In the past when I have had pain, when I focus on my breathing rather than the pain, I can actually not feel the pain as bad. People say that with the breathing techniques I use for pain, I am a good candidate for childbirth, ha ha!
I really enjoyed your blog and I'm glad I chose yours to read. You are a very detailed writer with your descriptions and feelings and I simply enjoy reading your post.
Take care and look forward to reading your blog next week.