For starters, I believe the Subtle Mind exercise should have been done before the Loving Kindness exercise: maybe that's because it seemed to be easier for me to do. In the subtle mind exercise I was able to get comfortable, close my eyes and focus on my breathing. The only time I was distracted was when the lady would start talking again. In the loving kindness exercise I recall the water noises being distracting and making me feel cold; however, the noise did not bother me at all this time. I actually found myself starting to doze off a couple of times, and thanks to my head falling backwards I was snapped back into the present. I find it much easier to clear my mind and keep it 'deliberately empty' during meditation than to try to make things happen - like, taking on someones love or suffering. I still have a hard time observing my random thoughts. I don't find them distracting, I just discard them as soon as they show up.
In my life, maintaining a good relationship with God is how I maintain my spiritual wellness. Through prayer, reading, and just talking to Him throughout the day. I give him my problems, I thank him for my blessings, I pray for those around me, and I feel that worship music is a great way to be in His presence. As we have been reading in our texts, studies show that mental and spiritual health and focus can affect the physical body whether it be negative (anger - high blood pressure) or positive (love- lower heart rate). I believe in the min-body-spirit connection very much so and that they play off of each other continuously.
Great post, I agree with you on the loving kindness and subtle mind part. We should have listened to the subtle mind first because I feel that it would have helped me to focus more on my breathing to relax myself. I also agree with your view on how spiritual, mental, and physical health all play a role in helping the other. Stress can lead to many terrible things and it needs to be taken seriously.
ReplyDeleteI was distracted by the narrator talking as well. Not distracted, really, it just really startled me because I was so deep into the meditation and she starts up again with no preamble. I didn't doze off, but I've done this twice right before bed, and both times I've fallen asleep instantly and slept like a rock throughout the night. I think I've found my new sleeping pill!
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