Hi everyone! Another week here and gone so quick, it just amazes me how fast they go.
This exercise, the Universal Loving Kindness exercise, wow did I not like this one. I have a hard enough time sitting still listening to someone talk extremely slowly for fifteen to twenty minutes but this one was much more difficult for me. I can't sit and repeat myself over and over like that, it makes my mind crazy, Also, I can't tell you how many times, I found myself completely off track and thinking about something else, that had nothing to do with the exercise so this one was a huge fail for me. One thing I am finding for myself is that I am just not good at this meditation stuff especially with having a standard of chaos in my household so what I need is more of a lesson on how to meditate or even just relax within a chaotic situation. I need precise instructions to help me because I don't know what the heck I am doing to be honest haha! I just feel so silly, and then I get frustrated. I just don't enjoy this stuff yet. Maybe I will at another point in my life but I am not ready for this so its hard for me. That is the biggest thing I have learned this week out of everything we are doing. And if I have been paying attention correctly, this area of learning isn't something that can simply be taught and learned, you must desire it and make the choice on your own so I don't think that I will get that type of result from the class, however I am learning a great deal about this type of health and it's of course important to my overall education. In the integral assessment I noted that my psychospiritual aspect is a large source of any of my difficulty and suffering however that isn't new to me and its something I work on.
I hope that everyone else learned a lot from these exercises, and I look forward to reading about everyone's lessons. I'm off to spend some more time with my kids, and enjoy my chaos!
Mrs. Rogers
Mrs. Rogers,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear that this exercise did not benefit you. I feel that this one is rather positive in that it helps you to focus on the needs and well-being of others. I think so many people today live in a state of negative and that practices like this one may be a help to turn that around. However, if it makes you nuts then it really isn't doing much good. lol
I have found that it made me take a look at how I look at other people I encounter. I think we as a society can be rather judgey and maybe this exercise could help some take a step back and be more compassionate.
Lauren
Hi Lauren,
DeleteThis exercise definitely gave me a worldly perspective and helped me to realize that the whole world is in need of love and kindness, not just the suffering that we are aware of with family, friends, neighbors, and ones that are in the media. I agree that this exercise could help us to be less judgemental and more compassionate as well as possibly make others feel more love. Great response!
Brandy
Hello Mrs. Rogers,
ReplyDeleteYou sound very busy and perhaps if you found a way to create a time schedule for these exercises you may be able to find some benefit in them. It certainly sounds like you could benefit from some relaxation and meditation. lol However, you seem to have figured out how to deal with your 'chaos' lifestyle in a positive way and seem to be enjoying it. So maybe you are not as far off track as you think. I think the benefits of all these exercises are within each of us. There is no one size fits all. Maybe it seems hard for you but at the end of this course you may find that you have found other benefits and that are precisely for you. Good luck.
Mary
Mrs. Rogers,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear that this exercise didn't work out for you. Perhaps you need to spend more time with the subtle mind exercise, which will help you to quiet the distractions and busyness around you and within your mind :) You make a great point though that you have to have the mind set in order for the exercises to work. I think having the right mind set comes from making it a priority and practicing regularly, even for just a few minutes. I find it difficult to just sit for 15-20 minutes also, but maybe it's the time frame that is a distraction for you as well? Maybe knowing that the recommendation to practice for 20 minutes isn't motivating or puts you in a negative mindset toward the exercise? I don't know, I just had a thought and wanted to make the suggestion. Best of luck to you in your future meditation practices.
Brandy
Mrs. Rogers,
ReplyDeleteI had a hard time with this one too. I wanted to suggest to you a different way to meditate since you mentioned not really being able to with all the chaos in your house. I didn't realize it was mediation until this class, but for years I lay in bed at night (lately it's in our rocker with my daughter) and think on all the blessings in my life that I am grateful for. At the end of a long and chaotic day it's nice to be able to reflect on all the good things in my life (especially the wonderful chaotic things, like kids and dogs!). This gives me such a sense of peace and until this class I had no idea this was my form of meditation and finding an inner calm. :) I hope you can find your own way of meditating too!
Jo
Mrs. Rogers,
ReplyDeleteI too often cannot focus when doing this exercise. Maybe changing what your focussing on will help. I use prayer to me find inner peace. I'm not a big religious person but I do find that I feel alot better when I pray for guidance in my life. Meditation sometimes works for me but I can't always relax and focus like I should. I do find that pray helps me to let go of things from the day and this is hard dor me because sometimes I have a hard time og letting go. Keep working at it and I'm sure you will fidn something that works for you.
Mrs. Rogers,
ReplyDeleteI feel the same, I too am not ready to really know how to use and benefit from these types of exercises. I think that it is hard to just sit there for a long period of time, trying not to think about things that cause us stress, because in the end that is all I want to think about. Even when I am given words to say, I still find it hard to not think about what I need to do around the house, or in school. I also think that since this is something that we are made to do, we are not getting any enjoyment or benefit from it, it is not something that we are choosing to do, and I think when we make the decision on our own, is when I think we will benefit from it. Good post!
I understand the problem with the exercise. It is hard to focus on the voice,and not let your mind wander. I had that problem too. I have a hard time repeating words mindlessly. It makes me think of brainwashing, even though it's not the case, and I'm distracted. I'm working on it, but I ran the OKC marathon Sunday so I'm to sore to be deep.
ReplyDelete