Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Unit 8 - Reviewing Beneficial Exercises


This week we’re to choose the two most beneficial exercises that we have done to date in the class and determine how we can “implement” these into our personal lives.

I chose the practice of Subtle Mind and Meditation. I can use both of these in my life to enhance my emotional/mental wellness and learn to calm my body and mind.

The Subtle Mind helps me by allowing me a method to quiet the constant chatter that always seems to be present in my ever busy life. By taking time out every day, or every other day just to quiet my mind it takes between 5-10 minutes each day and once it’s complete not only do I feel more calm, but I am more clearly focused – even if I don’t continue into meditation or visualization. Taking time out each day, or as I am able allows me to enjoy the “silence and stillness” that Elliott Dacher spoke about in our book Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Having a time to quiet your mind each day – even when you allow thoughts to come and go is as beneficial as the “down time” your brain requires and gets when you sleep.

The second practice – Meditation – is an essential practice for me personally to allow me to focus on my life, remove the things that are not beneficial and focus on the things that are beneficial to my growth. I used to meditation often, sometimes 3-5 times a week and then I got away from it when life got too busy with children, school and work. Throughout the last 8 weeks as we've done an exercise, usually with meditation or visualization each week and I have found that my level of stress decreases each time. Meditation can also be comparable to the same state your body reaches during prayer. It is a time when you clear your mind and focus on what’s important to you and in some cases what the universe is trying to tell you. You can also use this time to take a mind, body and spirit inventory to see what areas are lacking and what needs you to focus on them.

2 comments:

"Positive Energy Fosters Growth" said...

I’m so excited for you! I too found benefit in meditation. Before this class my mind and body were like prefect stranger living under one roof. Only difference they didn’t like each other one bit. One (the mind) would make the other (the body) miserable. But I’ve learn to calm my mind to practice intervals of mediation throughout the day and allow my mind to stop and think then asses. I think we should all practice taking a mental vacation everyday through mediation. Continue to incorporate the lesson learned in the course work material. It will indeed take you away from your daily hustle of life.

Unknown said...

I've practiced meditation prior to this course, but was never really taught the subtle mind exercise. We went through mindfulness and mindful meditation, but I have to say the subtle mind is one of the most useful tools I have learned so far. It used to take me a long time to fall asleep thanks to mental "chatter" and now instead it typically takes 5-10 minutes to quiet my mind and I can sleep!

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