Unit 4: The Loving Kindness Practice

Hello,

Tonight I would like to talk about the Loving Kindness Practice.  Sorry it took so long to respond, but I tried the new exercise and it was not quite what I was expecting.  The first two attempts were met with some initial resistance and a lot of mental wandering.  Finally on the third attempt, my mind was a bit more cooperative.

Initially I was unable to stay my attention on a loving person.  My mind would drift to other things instead of the overwhelming feeling of love.  It was restful though, and I was unaware of my surroundings for the most part, but my thoughts were all over the place.  I tried it again the next morning before I began to move around, and the same thing happened.  That was Friday, so I decided to wait until Sunday and give it another try.

Sunday mornings are always slow around my house since church doesn’t start until 11:00.  I always enjoy the peace and quiet since my niece won’t allow her son to disturb me before 9:30.  Generally he’s standing next to my bed at 7 am saying "good morning Felle. Did you rest well?" This is always followed by "Can you fix me something to eat?"  I listened to the recording again.  This time I was able to focus on that special person with all the feelings and emotions that were associated with him.  It was a wonderful journey that reminded me of why I loved him so much. 

The best thing about this exercise to me was the after affects.  While I was taking my shower, I found myself revisiting my time with him and his untimely death.  I felt myself growing sad, but then I immediately started thinking about the positive impact of knowing him had on my life and how I was blessed for having known him.  The sadness just stopped and joy once again filled my heart.  It affected me all day, but in a good way and I began to understand just how effective this type of exercise can be.  I think everyone should be given the opportunity to at least try it.

I never gave much thought to mental workouts even though I have been unknowingly doing it in one form or another for years.  Applying a name to the practice has made things much clearer.  The progressive development of consciousness and the ability to open your heart and mind to others is an important aspect of the mental workout process.  Loving kindness and the wisdom of the truths regarding your life and how you can play the most important role in its development is one astonishing combination.  Basically you can get what you give and and what you want out of life (health, happiness, and wholeness), but not without commitment.  It takes more than a whim.            

There are many benefits to cultivating wisdom by training the mind.  You begin to access the deeper levels of the mind, freeing one from the bondages of traditional thoughts, and explore the essential nature of your mind.  This can diminish the wandering mind and still the mind to help develop a witnessing consciousness that moves you toward the mind of calm-abiding.  According to research commitment to the practice will help you reap the rewards of human flourishing. From the experience I had with the Loving Kindness Practice, I will continue to practice until it becomes as natural as breathing.  Trust me, feeling good beats depression hands down, but feeling good about yourself, your surroundings, your place in life, and others is a genuine rush that should be experienced by all. 

Crime of the Century

Hello All,

Well I finally completed the relaxation exercise for this week, but it took me three tries.  On the first attempt I couldn't focus on the colors.  It was relaxing though but I stopped when he got to balance and decided to try again later.  My second attempt was a little better.  Well I guess it was much better, I fell asleep and slept for about an hour.  I guess I really must have been exhausted.  They ofter say that the third time is the charm, well in this particular incident, it's true.  Everything fell into place.

I was about to focus and stay awake this time and just like the rays of the prism, I could feel my body relaxing.  I didn't visualize a prism though, I had a picture of a dark ball or planet with streams of light shinning through.  With each color the small stream of light grew larger and more brilliant.  The blue light was the largest exploding like a volcano from the top of the planet but then it suddenly turn white with a yellow halo which came out in waves.  I really don't know why the color changed, but I suddenly felt wonderful, so it really didn't matter.  Once again the session lasted for more that 19 minutes... it replayed while I laid there.  I was aware that it was repeating but I didn't feel like disturbing myself, so I just let it play.  I stopped when right after confirming that I was loved.  Overall this was a good session.  I felt truly relaxed.

Optimal Health

Hello,

This week I will be addressing the questions asked by my instructor.  This includes rating my level of physical well-being, spiritual well-being, and psychological well-being.  In areas that I find myself lacking I am to develop a plan help improve.

Spiritually and psychologically I would say that I at least an eight.  I am a well rounded and balanced person whose joy is not dependant on the opinions or existence of another, yet I am able to find joy with and in other people.  I am honest about any of my short comings, I can take harsh criticism and I don’t hesitate to give an honest opinion when asked.  Sometimes my friends say I am a bit harsh, but I don’t believe that.  There are times that the truth is the best way to help; it is just how you deliver it.  You can always offer a friend a peppermint instead of saying that their breath was bad. 

Now psychically, I have to say that I am about 7.  I’m at a good weight, I don’t have any major illness, but I do suffer greatly from allergies and lately respiratory infections due to a mold infection I contracted a few years ago.  Honestly my doctor treated me for everything else, and a resident from New Orleans (NO) told me that I sounded like her father who had returned to NO, and contracted a mold infection.  That’s when I remembered that I had gotten sick while I was visiting a friend in NO and I could smell the mold spores in the air. 

For my spiritual and psychological well-being I continue to read/study the Bible, meditate, and listen to relaxation tapes.  I also get one or two massages a month to pamper myself.  I have started a new walking and swim program with the local YMCA and do deep breathing exercises several times a day.  I will be listening to a new exercise: The Crime of the Century.  My next blog will address that.

Teal

Unit 2 Blog, Journey On

Hello,

My name is Teal and this is my first social media experience.  I don't facebook, blog, or twitter.  My topic was chosen by my class instructor: responding to a relaxation exercise.

The first time I listened to Journey On, my nephew who is 5 yrs old, refused to stay out of my room.  Every couple of minutes he was either playing with one of the dogs or telling me about something that happened.  I finally decided to wait until he went to bed.  I tried to listen again and the dogs started to act up, so I had to stop and put them in the den.  Finally I was able to sit still and go on the journey.

This was a very relaxing journey and I could feel the heaviness lift from my body.  The feeling of well-being was expected, but the energy wasn't.  Generally these mind trips just leave me feeling calm and at peace with my surrounding, but after about 5 mins I was ready to move around and get stuff done.  I was a rather pleasant surprise.