The
loving kindness exercise focused our thoughts on a loved one, then a group of
people and on to a group of strangers. This exercise gave me a great sense of
love, compassion and warmth in the beginning. I had a hard time extended this
loving feeling toward a group of strangers. The subtle mind exercise was more
about focusing on your breath and clearing your mind. I enjoyed the sound of
waves crashing as I took deep breaths in and out. It reminded me of lying of
the beach in the summer with the hot sun on my skin and the sounds of the
ocean. This is a very relaxing exercise in that focusing entirely on your
breath is calming. I did have a difficult time fighting off the mental chatter.
What to cook for dinner? Have the kids done their homework? I definitely
believe that doing this exercise when alone in the house would be much more
successful.
Western
medicine focuses primarily on the anatomical and physiological aspects of the
body (Dacher, 2006). In order to improve
our integral health, we must focus on other aspects of ourselves: the mind/body
connection. A clear, focused mind allows the body to be free from stress and
disease. Stress can play a major role in the onset of disease and early death.
If can learn how to train our minds to be stress-free and calm, we can improve
our overall health. Simple exercises like deep breathing or imagery allows us
to train the mind.
Teresa
Reference:
Dacher, E.
(2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach,
CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.
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