Hello fellow bloggers and Happy Holidays!
This has been a busy 2 weeks for me with starting a new job and preparing for the holidays. Amazingly I did find time to try and keep to my daily practices as much as possible. Before attempting the new exercise for this week. I really focused on doing the subtle mind and love and kindness exercise. I had tim for a great Rikki massage I think I am spelling that right. It was a wonderful experience I don't thhink i have ever felt so relaxed in mind body and spirit. It was a gift from my husband so that made it even better. My outlook on life has grown so over the course of this class I am so glad I took it. The "meeting asciepius" meditation was really difficult over the holiday as it is time my mother is constantly on my mind anyway, so focusing was difficult.
"One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" I love this saying because there are too many times when you are facing problems or a situation and everyone has answers on how to handle it but no one really has the experience. It is almost like the overweight provider talling his patient that heor she has to lose wieght for their health and how easy it is but they are clearly facing this struggle their selves.
It also goes for some-one who has never had a weight problem and they are giving you all the answers on how to succeed without showing any empathy. I think the saying is telling us to see clearly all sides of the situation, picture or problem lends to the success of great leaders. As the example in the book go I can look at a map or a picture of Hawaii but until I actually go and experience it I will never understand it. I know that is true becuase although I read and listen to people talk about living overseas I truly did not understand the experience of living in a different country until I actually did it.
Friday, 31 December 2010
Sunday, 19 December 2010
Universal Love and Kindness; Unit 6
Hello fellow bloggers,
I can't believe we are almost done with this class, I am going to miss it and I hope that I can make it to the maintenance stage of practicing meditation and that I don't let my busy schedule get in the way of what I have learned. This mini exercise is great for when you are short on time and there is not enough time to do the love and kindness exercise. I enjoyed the time of easing into my mind and releasing everything. The chanting of the mantra is calming and relaxing in that you feel you are lending a helping hand to the universe.
The Integral health process is about looking at the four quadrants of my life and evaluting and determining which area needs focus based on what is going on in my life. Once that is determined then its time to fine tune it by identfying the specific lines of development that need addressing. To do this yo start by resting into the ease and stillness of your mind and body, releasing all mental activity. When quiet, ask yourself, “What aspect of my life—psychospiritual, biological, interpersonal, or worldly—is the source of difficulty and suffering?” Focus on this one area. What line of development is most essential for me at this time? What is my current level of development and what can I aim for? (Dacher, 2006 pg 115
After doing this practice I learned that I am not as healthy as I used to be or wan to be. There are lines that I am missing when it comes to developing my biological health. The area that I am going to focus on right now is the biological. I discovered that I may be developing hypertension and an evaluating the aspects of the cause I would have to say part of it is bad nutrition over the last few months and not enough exercise. I can blame a small portion to the stress of the holidays and moving but mostly I need to work on increasing my fitness and improving my nutrition. I thought that I was doing enough to keep my blood pressure and cholesterol undercontrol and this is a huge family problem so I know if I don't maintain it then my family genes comes into play. When you break down each aspect things become clear.
I can't believe we are almost done with this class, I am going to miss it and I hope that I can make it to the maintenance stage of practicing meditation and that I don't let my busy schedule get in the way of what I have learned. This mini exercise is great for when you are short on time and there is not enough time to do the love and kindness exercise. I enjoyed the time of easing into my mind and releasing everything. The chanting of the mantra is calming and relaxing in that you feel you are lending a helping hand to the universe.
The Integral health process is about looking at the four quadrants of my life and evaluting and determining which area needs focus based on what is going on in my life. Once that is determined then its time to fine tune it by identfying the specific lines of development that need addressing. To do this yo start by resting into the ease and stillness of your mind and body, releasing all mental activity. When quiet, ask yourself, “What aspect of my life—psychospiritual, biological, interpersonal, or worldly—is the source of difficulty and suffering?” Focus on this one area. What line of development is most essential for me at this time? What is my current level of development and what can I aim for? (Dacher, 2006 pg 115
After doing this practice I learned that I am not as healthy as I used to be or wan to be. There are lines that I am missing when it comes to developing my biological health. The area that I am going to focus on right now is the biological. I discovered that I may be developing hypertension and an evaluating the aspects of the cause I would have to say part of it is bad nutrition over the last few months and not enough exercise. I can blame a small portion to the stress of the holidays and moving but mostly I need to work on increasing my fitness and improving my nutrition. I thought that I was doing enough to keep my blood pressure and cholesterol undercontrol and this is a huge family problem so I know if I don't maintain it then my family genes comes into play. When you break down each aspect things become clear.
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
Sunday, 12 December 2010
Subtle Mind/Love and Kindness
Hello fellow bloggers,
This week lesson started with another relaxation exercise. I found this one a little easier has the focus was just about me and relating to my inner self. In doing this last two exercises it has made me realize that I have a long way to go to reach the ultimate level of integral health and truly connecting the mind to the body. The love and kindness exercise was all about reaching the level of where you can take your worries and trouble and release them and then get to the stage of where you can take on love ones, friends and foes woes and release back into the world positive emotions and reject negative ones. The subtle mind exercise focused on learning to focus on one thing starting with your breathing and bringing your mind to a point of stillness. The goal is to let the distractions go and once you are settled in the
stillness then allow yourself the opportunity to experience everything but don't get attached to it. This exercise is all about focusing on making a better you both physically and mentally whereas the love and kindness exercise sought about making you better but also the world around you.
I would have to say I enjoyed the subtle mind exercise more but I am wondering how this is going to work when I try to add it to my fitness regimen.
When you think about mental, physical and spiritual wellness I think that they are all connected. I use physical wellness to aid in my mental health. I know that it is important to be able to calm the mind as we still the mind our body relates to it. We can control our breathing, blood pressure and pulse through our mental wellness. To approach our work-outs with the thought of our physical and mental state will create a state of happiness and feeling complete or whole. The goal is mind and body rather than body alone.
This week lesson started with another relaxation exercise. I found this one a little easier has the focus was just about me and relating to my inner self. In doing this last two exercises it has made me realize that I have a long way to go to reach the ultimate level of integral health and truly connecting the mind to the body. The love and kindness exercise was all about reaching the level of where you can take your worries and trouble and release them and then get to the stage of where you can take on love ones, friends and foes woes and release back into the world positive emotions and reject negative ones. The subtle mind exercise focused on learning to focus on one thing starting with your breathing and bringing your mind to a point of stillness. The goal is to let the distractions go and once you are settled in the
stillness then allow yourself the opportunity to experience everything but don't get attached to it. This exercise is all about focusing on making a better you both physically and mentally whereas the love and kindness exercise sought about making you better but also the world around you.
I would have to say I enjoyed the subtle mind exercise more but I am wondering how this is going to work when I try to add it to my fitness regimen.
When you think about mental, physical and spiritual wellness I think that they are all connected. I use physical wellness to aid in my mental health. I know that it is important to be able to calm the mind as we still the mind our body relates to it. We can control our breathing, blood pressure and pulse through our mental wellness. To approach our work-outs with the thought of our physical and mental state will create a state of happiness and feeling complete or whole. The goal is mind and body rather than body alone.
Monday, 6 December 2010
Love and Kindness/Mental Work-Out
Hello fellow bloggers,
I just finished the Love and Kindness exercise for the third time. I can say the first couple of exercises for this class help with the preparation for this one. I found the sound of water soothing and the time of silence where we were able to concentrate on the feeling of love and kindness beneficial. I found it difficult because I know that it will take a lot of practice to be able to accomplish this state of taking other people sorrow and pain into our self and eventually getting to the stage of taking enemies as well. When I was finished I thought about all it was asking us to do. I imagined that Gandhi and other great leaders would have to be at this stage of meditation and love and kindness. I often wondered how they managed to remain calm and strong in their faith of non-violence and undaunted in their cause able to give their followers the message of hope and faith to continue. I am hoping that I can get to the stage of connecting my mind with my heart and body and taking negative emotions and turn them into feelings of love and kindness.
I did find the exercise beneficial it allowed me to let my negative emotions flow and then replace them with feelings of something positive. It allowed me to think of my sister who is suffering from heart failure and think about the assistance I can offer her. It allowed me for a moment to view the experience through her eyes. It was easier for me to try and take the suffering of love ones into my thoughts then it was to take strangers but I do plan on repeating this exercise as I think it will help improve my course of life over-time. I would recommend it to others only after they have been introduced to basic meditation and they are very comfortable with it. I do think if we has a community could get to this stage of integral health what a positive world we would have.
Mental Work-Out refers to training our mind just as we would train our bodies our muscles to get to a stage of change. Training our mind by reducing disturbing emotions that cause anger, fear, hatred, worry and confusion and replacing them with positive emotions like patience, love and kindness, openess, acceptance and happiness. The ability to take the mind to a stage of enhanced resistance to mental distress and physical disease will enhance healing capabilities and promotes well being.
Taking about 15 minutes in the morning and at night to train my mind practicing exercises like the love and kindness exercise as well as doing general meditation will promote this mental training and help me reach the stage of better well being and greater physical health.
I just finished the Love and Kindness exercise for the third time. I can say the first couple of exercises for this class help with the preparation for this one. I found the sound of water soothing and the time of silence where we were able to concentrate on the feeling of love and kindness beneficial. I found it difficult because I know that it will take a lot of practice to be able to accomplish this state of taking other people sorrow and pain into our self and eventually getting to the stage of taking enemies as well. When I was finished I thought about all it was asking us to do. I imagined that Gandhi and other great leaders would have to be at this stage of meditation and love and kindness. I often wondered how they managed to remain calm and strong in their faith of non-violence and undaunted in their cause able to give their followers the message of hope and faith to continue. I am hoping that I can get to the stage of connecting my mind with my heart and body and taking negative emotions and turn them into feelings of love and kindness.
I did find the exercise beneficial it allowed me to let my negative emotions flow and then replace them with feelings of something positive. It allowed me to think of my sister who is suffering from heart failure and think about the assistance I can offer her. It allowed me for a moment to view the experience through her eyes. It was easier for me to try and take the suffering of love ones into my thoughts then it was to take strangers but I do plan on repeating this exercise as I think it will help improve my course of life over-time. I would recommend it to others only after they have been introduced to basic meditation and they are very comfortable with it. I do think if we has a community could get to this stage of integral health what a positive world we would have.
Mental Work-Out refers to training our mind just as we would train our bodies our muscles to get to a stage of change. Training our mind by reducing disturbing emotions that cause anger, fear, hatred, worry and confusion and replacing them with positive emotions like patience, love and kindness, openess, acceptance and happiness. The ability to take the mind to a stage of enhanced resistance to mental distress and physical disease will enhance healing capabilities and promotes well being.
Taking about 15 minutes in the morning and at night to train my mind practicing exercises like the love and kindness exercise as well as doing general meditation will promote this mental training and help me reach the stage of better well being and greater physical health.
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