1.
Compare and contrast the
Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience
including the benefits, frustrations etc.
The subtle mind exercise was wonderful. It reminded me of the type
of exercise I use in meditation. The exercise lets me feel like I am finally
able to slow my mind down and not worry about everything I still need to do for
the day. Relaxing for the exercise was not as quick as I would have liked, but
the end result was relaxing. I was able to stay on my focal point and I felt at
ease with the steady rhythm of breathing.
Differences between the subtle mind exercise and the loving
kindness exercise were apparent to me. The loving kindness exercise can be
challenging depending on the events in your life. Even though I believe this to
be an extremely important exercise, it did not come as easy as the subtle mind
exercise did.
2.
Discuss the connection
of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the
connection is manifested in your personal life.
My family is not overly
active or athletic. Even my three brothers were not in sports. In high school,
I was the only in my family to take on sports and attempt to be athletic or
physically active. However, at some point, illness prevented me from this as
well. I tore cartalidge in my knees, dislocated my shoulder, and had a horrible
immune system. My health issues continued until just recently. About a year
ago, I decided that I was not going to let my health issues rule my life. I
committed myself to getting healthier. I began walking, running, and eating
healthier. As a result, I was able to go off certain medications that I had
been on for years. Through this dedication to being healthier, I was able to
grow mentally. I have always had issues sleeping. Most nights it seems like
there are so many thoughts going through my head that I am unable to just “shut
it off”. Exercising allowed me to relax and take myself to a peaceful place. I
began doing a significant amount of my activity at night. Once I got to that
place of relaxation, I was able to sleep. We all know the many benefits our
bodies receive from the proper amount of sleep. Once I recognized how my
exercise was affecting my body, it became less of a task.
Trisha, I enjoyed reading your post! I agree that it also took me a minute or two to truly be relaxed and take it seriously. My family was actually the opposite of yours in that most of my family members grew up being athletic, but in time most of them stopped training or doing physical exercise at all. Once they stopped their bodies stopped treating them good as well. We only get one body so we better take care of it as best we can! I too like exercising in the evening because it helps me to sleep at night. Is there a certain exercise which you find the most rewarding?
ReplyDeleteErin
Hello Trisha,
ReplyDeleteEveryone is different, but I think that most people do get distracted and bored easily, and the second exercise was a little lengthy and not much thought was involved. When I go to sleep at night, I shut down my mind, witness when it begins to roam, and block off that thought so that I can go to sleep. I didn't realize it until now though. The exercise we did this week was very relaxing and meditating, but it wore off for me after about five minutes. I do better when I am trying to think about something, or doing anything else besides focusing on my breathing. Walking is something that can be super relaxing because it allows our minds to wander and do whatever it wants, while we exercise our body, and we can simply let ourselves go and have no worries at the time. I also sleep better when I do something like this during the day because I feel like it is boosting my mind while giving it a break at the same time. Great post and I will "see" you next week!