I think that the Loving
Kindness exercise was much easier than the Subtle Mind exercise. For me, it
comes down to a difference between accessing the mind vs. the heart. As stated,
in the reading our minds are full of chatter and it is a challenge to calm the
mind so that the chatter stops and we are able to reach the calm-abiding state.
My mind just loves to chatter! I found that breathing does help to calm this,
but I am not able to sustain it long enough to get into that state, either that
or I fall asleep. This has some
advantages and disadvantages. I have used the breathing to help me fall asleep
when I am having trouble doing so and it works wonders! But if I want to be
able to progress from the Witnessing Mind into the Calm Abiding mind, I will
have to calm my mind just enough to stop the chatter; but not so much that I
fall asleep. This exercise is also a lot longer than the Loving Kindness
exercise which makes it hard to stay focused.
In the article on biological
flourishing, Dacher discusses that a progression from body to mind to spirit is
necessary to reach our full potential. When we shift our mind set a
corresponding shift in our bodies is possible. This is the mental part. Next,
we need to recognize our body’s connection to the spirit. Maybe some of the things
which we see as miracles and paranormal, are when a connection to the spirit
takes place and we are able to tap into the deeper recesses of our mind and
control our bodies (Dacher, 2006).
Reference:
Dacher, E. S.
(2006). Integral health: The
path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach: Basic Health Publications Inc.
June, I could not agree more that the loving-kindness exercise was MUCH
ReplyDeleteeasier than the subtle mind. I think that is probably because, with the
subtle mind exercise, we are actually training our brain. We feel more
resistence during this exercise than with the loving-kindness exercise.
I can not sustain the breathing long enough to get into the quieting of
the mind state, either, June. lol But practice makes perfect and the more
we practice the sooner we will get there. :) I absolutely, 100%, feel that
many "miracles" and "paranormal" events happen as a result from our tapping
into the deeper recesses of our mind. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your
blog this week, June, as always. :)
Thnx for your insightful comments.
ReplyDeleteHello June. I always enjoy reading your blog. This weeks exercise for me seemed more relaxing to me than the Loving Kindness exercise. During the Subtle Mind exercise I pulled a first and fell asleep. I think it was a combination of the music along with the calm voices plus focusing it just knocked me out. I must say that I did feel refreshed when I woke up from my little nap:) So I don't know if I got the full benefit from it but it sure did help to relax me.
ReplyDeleteThnx Monica for your kind remarks. I find that these exercises are good for helping me relax too and if I get nothing else out of them than that I feel that is OK.
DeleteHi June,I liked both exercises but the loving kindness really took a hold of my heart and it brought me to tears. It caused me to look deep within myself. The subtle exercise was also relaxing as I learned to control my thoughts and focus. When my mind would wonder I found I could bring it back to focusing again. I to enjoy reading your blogs,you give me insight! Thank you Kandi
ReplyDeleteThe loving kindness did the same thing to me. Thinking of my loved one really touched my heart!
DeleteJune,
ReplyDeleteI am so with you on the exercises. My mind really wouldn't stop running, when with loving kindness I was able to keep open, my already open heart. I also cannot sustain my calm to get into the calm abiding stage. I get too distracted. I meditated lastnight and it was the first time I was able to last more than 5 min,( I got to 7 :)) The colors I saw started distracting me. But with practice I hope to get to calm abiding someday! Good luck and great graffics!
I haven't tried much meditation, but deep breathing relaxes me so much that I often fall asleep and therefore am not able to get into the calm abiding stage either. But if I get nothing else out of the exercise than calming my chattering mind, it is worth it!
Deletehaving trouboe falling alssp sucks. But it seesm your way of falling asleep worls which is good
ReplyDeleteHi June, I too thought the second exercise a bit long and I too had a bit of difficulty concentrating on my breathing without letting thoughts enter my mind and at times it was difficult to get the unnessary "chatter" to leave my mind. I do think the "chatter" in my mind helped me from not falling asleep though, because I was tired when I began it. I like how you mentioned the differences between the two exercises by saying the mind vs. the heart, I believe this to be a very accurate defination. Good Post! Wish you well through your journey here at Kaplan as well as in life! ~Kat~
ReplyDeleteYou make a valid point about using your mind with the subtle mind vs. using your heart with the loving kindness exercise. That can be challenging, but what doesn't challenge you doesn't change you. Focusing on the breathing is very relaxing, I also fell asleep. I liked being able to let the chatter go. I let the thought enter my mind and just let it fall away as easily as it came into my mind. It actually worked really well for me. Keep at it. As always I enjoyed reading your post.
ReplyDeleteI agree you definitely need more time to do this exercise fully. I do enjoy these exercises. It is like I'm in a semi sleep state where I know everything that is going on around me but I alone in my mind. It is so weird about how the breathing starts to control all things because you are concentrating on it.
ReplyDeleteHi June,
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you. Boy was my mind full of chatter throughout this last unit. You are right the body's connection to the spirit is very important to get to that higher state and not have so much chatter. I am glad that I do have stuff to work on, otherwise I would not be having any fun in this class. Like Amanda said, practice makes perfect. Have a lovely rest of the week, Candii