I listened and participated in the subtle mind exercise. I liked it better than the loving kindness exercise. I was actually quite calm during and after the exercise. I was able to actually calm my mind. I noticed that sometimes I would find my thoughts coming in again, but I would then just focus on my breath and I could get them to disappear. The sound of the waves and flute in the background went along with my breathing and it helped me stay on track.
The loving kindness exercise had us concentrating on sending love to others. The subtle mind exercise focused on me and my mind. In the loving kindness exercise, when we had to take the hurt away from a loved one, it made me sad to think about a loved one hurting in the first place. There was no sadness in the subtle mind exercise, it was just an exercise to focus on losing all those thoughts that take over. I will listen to this exercise again.
Our mental and physical selves are connected to each other. If we take care of our physical self, we will experience better mental health. If we take care of our mental health, we can experience greater physical health. Stress can take a toll on our physical bodies so calming the mind is an important part of being truly healthy. I am only really beginning to wrap my head around this concept. I have always taken good care of myself physically, getting plenty of exercise and eating healthy. But I haven't taken very good care of myself mentally. I have an anxiety disorder that I let control me sometimes. I take medication to keep it under control, but it doesn't make me feel calm and relaxed like participating in the subtle mind exercise did. These types of mental exercises will benefit my mental health and I plan to use them often.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Amy,
ReplyDeleteI, too, found the subtle mind exercise easier to follow than the loving kindness. I use a similar exercise when I am preparing for my yoga workout. I can clear my mind and just concentrate on preparing my body for each transitory move. I also like the narrator's voice in the subtle mind better than the loving kindness exercise.
As I have mentioned to you before, I have had some problems with anxiety and panic attacks, I have been able to get them under control without medication and so will you one day. You just have to remember that you are in control, not the things that cause you to be anxious. Just keep the faith!
Amy,
ReplyDeleteYou are definitely right that stress takes a huge toll on mental, physical, and spiritual health. But the good thing about being a human is that through these "battered" components (mind, body, and spirit) we can reverse the effects of stress by having the power to get rid of it in the first place by having a subtle mind.
Hi Amy,
ReplyDeleteThis exercise was indeed helpful. I had somewhat of a hard time staying focused though. I personally found the loving-kindness exercise easier to focus on. True, it is a bit sad thinking of a loved one who is hurting or in pain, but if I can help in any way, it makes me feel better. I will listen again to both. Maybe I will do better once I listen to it again. I agree that stress really takes its toll on all levels. It is great that we can work on this and begin to repair any damage previously done. Best wishes to you and keep positive.
Amy,
ReplyDeleteMy experiences were similar to yours in a sense that I too felt my mind drifting back to all the things I was thinking of before I started the exercise. However, getting back into calming my mind was a little more difficult for me. I also have to remember to take better care of myself mentally because just taking care of my physical self does not benefit the other components that are just as important.