Unit 4: The Mind-Body-Spirit Pardigm

1.      Upon completion of the Loving Kindness practice, I was left a little confused with how I was feeling. This exercise began with focusing on someone I love and allowing the feelings to expand throughout my heart. Those feelings were to flow like a faucet of loving kindness being turned on. Those positive feelings were to then be focused on myself until I came at peace with my body and sensations, loosening any grip I had. When it came to the point of focusing on a loved one who was suffering, this is where I became emotional. My mother is suffering with congestive heart failure and for some reason this really touched me inside. My unconscious mind was telling myself to relax but my emotions took over and the tears just continued to flow throughout the exercise. Every person who I pictured standing there in front of me suffering created a deepened sadness within. I truly wanted to take in their pain, dissolve it in my heart, and give them health, happiness, and wholeness. Being that I was left confused as to whether this was an appropriate feeling to have after completing what was meant to be a peaceful exercise, I decided to give myself some time to unwind and I tried the exercise again. The second time around I was much more at peace. I could fully envision these people, taking in their pain, and breathing out to them everything good. In my mind, these people had their arms out to hug in the goodness I had to give to them and were left with glowing smiles. I feel that in completing this exercise twice a day for the first week as the exercise requests, I can exercise my mind and become more in control of my emotions. I am a very caring and loving person and this type of exercise will only further strengthen that gift allowing me to share all of the love that I have to give. I would recommend this exercise to others. It really allows a deeper focus on other people’s feelings and needs.

2.      The concept of a “mental workout” is similar to physical fitness for the mind. To evolve our psychospiritual life and access all capacities and resources, we need daily practice and exercise. Taking time to complete the mental exercises each day can show results in little time. Perseverance is a necessity to continue in the conditioning of our minds. The practices being used should be clearly understood and the contemplative practices are a progressive development of our expanded consciousness and healing. Undertaking in contemplative practices can allow us to find knowledge and capacities with a significance that extends throughout our whole being. This impacts our mind, body, and spirit resulting in a cross-training toward integral health. Research has indicated that mental training can transform our minds. It reduces disturbing emotions and enhances positive ones providing us with an enhanced resistance to mental distress, physical disease, enhanced healing, and the promotion of our well-being. Long-term mental changes offer us the opportunity to enter into a healthy relationship with our inner self. I can implement mental workouts to foster my psychological health by following the guide suggested by Dacher. Traditional instructions tell us that 5 to 15 minutes several times each day until comfort levels increase is best. He suggests taking part in these exercises in the early morning when our minds are more still (Dacher, 2006). Last week I stated I would be getting up a little earlier each day to implement more physical exercise in my day. I plan to start my day off with 5 minutes of “mental workouts” before the physical exercise. I will then do more meditation in the middle of the day as well as in the evening, increasing the duration every week.

References:

Dacher, E.S. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.