1)My experience with the Lovingkindness exercise was interesting. I was really relaxed; I couldn't even feel the pain from a shoulder injury I got in the gym this week. I found that pretty cool.
I had a hard time envisioning the things that we were supposed to envision/feel. So basically it turned into more of a relaxation exercise for me than anything. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this exact exercise to anyone, because I guess I didn't get out of it what I was supposed to; but I definitely recommend relaxation/meditation exercises in general. 2) Mental workouts work the mind just as physical workouts work the body. Mental workouts enable us to dig deeper than we normally would, and come to understanding and enlightenment on things about ourselves. They allow us to be more relaxed; manage stress better; and even improve our IQ. Personally, I need to implement meditation on a regular basis in order to manage my stress better. I also need to do more extensive studying and reading in order to expand my knowledge and understanding.
Allie, I always have a hard time envisioning things...I think I even posted about it on the discussion board a few weeks ago. The easiest exercise for me so far seemed to be the one with light and color. I'm not sure why I have this problem. I'm definitely not an artsy, creative type of person...maybe that has something to do with my difficulties. Like you, reading helps me to expand my knowledge even in this area. I just bought a new book by Dacher. It's called something like, Awake, Alive (that's not exactly it, but I don't have my Kindle at the moment)...anyway, I hope it expands more on what we are reading in our class text.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, it was difficult for me to do what we were supposed to do also, because the recording didn't give a lot of guidance. I am glad that you got relaxation out of it. I find these exercises relaxing, yet annoying because it takes time to do them lol. I feel the same way, that I need to make an effort to meditate daily. I agree that these mental health work outs are very therapeutic and help to decrease stress.
ReplyDeleteAllie, I agree this particular soundtrack was hard to feel good about but after listening to it I was able to just play nature sounds on my sound machine and practice the focus on loving-kindness on my own. Practicing loving-kindness has become easier for me now that I know how to focus my thoughts more. I actually pictured my love flowing over others like a waterfall. It gave me a greater sense of peace about my love.
ReplyDeleteI find it very interesting that the exercise helped you to relieve pain from a gym injury! Amazing. One time this week when I tried this exercise I had a stomach ache and about a half hour after I completed it I realized, it was gone! I just forgot about it. Makes me wonder what the REAL source of my stomach ache was.....
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