Hello everyone,
This week's exercise was to listen to a audio presentation on finding the subtle mind. It asked us to find a focal point to direct our attention to and try to stay focused on it throughout the activity. This exercise was to help us find our inner peace and calmness that allowed us to redirect any outside thoughts and feelings in a disciplined manner.
The loving-kindness activity last week asked us to rid our minds of negative thoughts and feelings to find a peace from within, while improving our physical health by reducing and ridding our minds of stress.
The subtle mind activity this week was to find a stillness within our bodies and our minds that relaxed us to focus on one thing which was our breath.
I found it difficult to focus on one focal point, but when going back to my breath was able to redirect my mind. It is difficult to keep our minds focused on one thing at a time, since it is so accustomed to changing lanes throughout our daily lives. Many people multitask at work and home due to their busy schedules, as do I. I was able to reach a sense of relaxation with both activities, which helped me to sleep better, and feel relaxed for a while after.
The sublte mind activity would take the most practice, but each activity makes us become more aware of our spiritual and mental self.
The connection that our spiritual wellness has on our physical wellness is enormous. By being able to relax our minds we are also able to relax our bodies, which brings an overwhelming sense of peace and calmness within our whole body. We are able to focus better and find a way to neutralize our emotions. This connection manifested in my life my teaching me to let go of stress and stressful emotions to improve my physical well being. It made my muscles relax, and my blood pressure reduce.
This is a great way to reduce stress no matter what it is.
Tracy,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experience! I also found both of the exercises helpful in promoting relaxation and reducing stress. Although I did have a lot of random thoughts during the subtle mind exercise, I found it a little easier for me because I know it was ok to acknowledge the thought then return my focus to my breathing. As you mentioned, multitasking forces your mind to jump from one thing to another throughout the day. I am guilty of this as well. It seems as though we have trained our mind to be so active and now that we realize the negative mental and physical effects, we need to retrain our mind. You mention neutralizing our emotions, which is a tough thing for me, but I found the subtle mind activity helpful in doing so. It is fascinating how powerful intent can be instead of reaction.
Hi Tracy,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. The first time I listened to the subtle mind audio I also had a difficult time concentrating on my breathing. Even though I was very relaxed it was still difficult for me to subdue my mind/thoughts; perhaps because it was not a complete guided meditation exercise. I found it challenging. However when I listened to it again I was able to concentrate a little bit better.
I agree it is difficult to have our minds focus on one thing when we are so used to multi-tasking throughout the day. It is also challenging to wind-down after a day at work and/or school.I think the subtle mind practice will take a lot longer to master but it will be beneficial in the long run.
I am trying to integrate the lessons we are studying and the meditation exercises with everything in my life. You make excellent points about the connection that our spiritual wellness has on our physical wellness. It is so true that being able to relax our minds enables our bodies to relax as well and by accomplishing this it alleviate stress from our mind, body and spirit.
Great post!
It is true that because we are so busy with “things to do” our minds rarely get time to take a break. As busy parents our minds not only race for us but for our children as well. This can be overwhelming and frustrating for some. Carving out time for one’s self to distress and charge our batteries should be as important as brushing our teeth. We don’t want our teeth to rot or lose them just as we don’t want to lose our selves or fall apart mentally. Best wishes making time for yourself!
ReplyDeleteI also found it difficult to focus on one point or area. My mind seemed to go everywhere but the focus point. By the time I got this down it was over.
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