Saturday, March 29, 2014

Subtle Mind

For this week’s assignment we are asked to compare and contrast the loving kindness exercise and the subtle mind exercise.  I really enjoyed listening to the subtle mind exercise compared to the loving kindness exercise there was not a lot of interruptions from the narrator which helped me to stay more focused.  I found the subtle mind exercises focused more on our breathing practices.  According to Dacher, states “that peaceful breathing patterns lead to a peaceful mind; still the breath, still the mind”, (2006).  Furthermore, Dacher tells us “that using our breathing techniques helps to tame and stabilize the mind by developing a witnessing consciousness”, (2006).  My experiences with this exercise was that whatever negative thought I had seemed to have going in to the exercise I was able to detach from, at first my mind would wonder but as long as I focus on my breathing I could find myself back at ease more calm and relaxed, and my mind had more clarity.  Integral health is the connection of spiritual, mental and physical wellness; thus, connecting the mind, body, and spirit leads to human flourishing.  Therefore, if I believe in my mind that I can achieve something I can; next, soon the body will follow and becoming healthier and stronger as I imagine it to be; and through prayer I would have the faith and belief from God that is at times needed to get me through.  
References
Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral health: the path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications. 

2 comments:

  1. I am with you, I enjoyed the subtle mind way more then the loving kindness exercise. I felt more at peace and more relaxed, the sound of the waves was great. Plus the waves helped me to stay focused on my breathing more.

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  2. I have a hard time listening to the exercises because of the flow and voice of the narrator. I get easily irritated with it because they either repeat themselves too much or it just seems not in a good rhythm. I did like the subtle mind one a bit more than the other. I feel that if I remember to focus on my breath like Dacher explained in the text it is easier to get my mind to focus and get it back on track if it wanders.

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