This unit's exercise the subtle mind, was challenging to me and will definitely take practice. I was doing pretty well with the quieting of the mind and focusing on my breathing. I don't feel that I attained the high level of unity consciousness by the end. I was getting distracted by other thoughts and physical feelings surrounding me. I can see that this is tandem with the practice of loving-kindness will ultimately help me to free and still my mind.
In my own life the connection between mental and spiritual wellness along with physical wellness are connected. When I am worn down and haven't had time to pay attention to either one I feel drained more quickly and have shorter patience. The practice of quieting my mind and also exercising my physical body help me to feel recharged and I truly think better able to cope and involve myself in the daily stresses of life. I want to be a present mother, wife and nurse. In order to be present, I need to be healthy all around!
I will also need a lot of practice with this exercise in order to achieve unity consciousness. I had to fight off many different thoughts that popped into my head, but it helped having something to return my focus to (i.e. breathing).
ReplyDeleteI love your statement of how you was to be present! Being present is not as easy as it sounds. With a full time job and classes it gain be very easy to be caught up into the business and let life pass me by without slowing down and enjoying it. And when I do get a moment I tend to think of all the items on my "to-do" list. I think training my mind to be more calm will help me be a present husband, son, worker, and father (when I have children).
I really like what you said about being present. Too often I find myself not really listening at the end of a long day when my husband or daughter are talking with me. I need to focus more and make more of an effort to give a person or project my full attention. Exercising and taking a quiet minute at the end of the day seems to help me do this. Nothing beats the feeling of health. In the past, I have felt guilty taking that hour to exercise, but then my family realized how much nicer I was, how much more patience I had and how much better I felt about myself. I need to incorporate meditation into my health routine. Baby steps.
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