Week 7

I found this practice difficult at first because I could not connect with this guy's voice, it wasn't calming at all until the female started talking. In this practice, I thought about my grandmother, who is the greatest person in the whole wide world. She is caring, wise, loving, peaceful, great cook, everything a grandmother should be. I am so blessed to have her in my life. Once I connected, I listened to the waves and let them wash away the workday, my worries, and my problems. I enjoyed this practice essentially learning about Aesclepius, healing god.
For the quote, "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" I believe stands to mean that you have to walk in someones shoes before you judge them. We really shouldn't judge people period. This actually relates to what the pastor was saying in church the other day, he asked us " Why do we look down upon others so much for their sin, when God doesnt?" It's so true, God loves behavers and sinners alike. God Bless, everyone have a great week!
Ashley

Loving Kindness & Integral assessment

I did really well with the loving kindness practice found on page 93 of our book. This was easy for me because it is similar to the prayers I say every night. I found that this practice really will expand my mind and my heart and keep them both open and receptive. The integral assessment was a bit more difficult. I am currently trying to expand my consciousness to help address the deeper issues of my insomnia. I feel that by eating healthier and trying out my new insomnia meditation CDs will help me to grow and develop in this area. I just need to do these meditation practices nightly and hopefully find relief and a deeper sleep!

Week 5 Loving Kindness vs Subtle Mind

   The Loving Kindness exercise was oddly easier for me. Loving kindness had has visualize people in our lives and focus on their suffering while this Subtle Mind exercise had us focus on our own thoughts. I find it odd that I had trouble focusing on my own thoughts, for I am constantly thinking. I guess thinking and focusing are different and I am going to need to try this exercise a few more times to get a good understanding of the subtle mind.


   There are three levels of consciousness in “The Subtle Mind” chapter; witnessing, calm-abiding and unity consciousness (Dacher, p. 78). You need all three to be successful with this exercise and each level is important in each aspect of life; mental, physical and spiritual. If one area of your life is suffering then it is difficult to be whole. It is important to be healthy in all three areas of life; I have yet to achieve this and am very excited to reach this wholeness in life.

Unit 4-Loving Kindness

I found loving kindness helpful to a certain extent. I found that it allowed me to feel the love in my heart which gave me a calming feeling. I would recommend this exercise to others when they are feeling stressed out. I also think it would be a beneficial exercise to do when you are upset with a loved one and trying to see the good and not the bad.

What is the concept of "mental workout"? What does the research indicate are the proven benefits of a mental workout? How can you implement mental workouts to foster your psychological health? A mental workout works the deeper centers of our mind just as physical exercise works out body. There are many proven benefits of a mental workout. Physical exercise keeps the body healthy and helps reduce the risk of serious illnesses and diseases. Mental exercise provides the same type of benefit to the brain, as well. Mental stimulation helps the brain grow new neurons, which may help reduce the risk of cognitive decline, age-related memory loss or loss of motor skills. Even as we grow older, the brain benefits from regular mental exercise.

Physical, Spiritual and Psychological Connection

On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate myself in the following categories:
physical well being -9
spiritual well being- 4
psychological well being- 6
I am really only excelling in one category as you can very well see haha. I am in good shape, I workout five days a week. I eat right most of the time, do cardio, and strength training often. My goal is to be in the best shape of my life by the time we get married next year. I have slacked on my spiritual well being. I am a very spiritual person however I have lost touch with that side due to simply not making it a priority anymore. I feel the spirituality and psychological parts are so interconnected and affect each other greatly. My goal is to connect with my church and my spiritual side again. I would also like to get my fiance involved in this too because it will make our relationship stronger. I can move toward this goal by simply saying my prayers every night and making more of an attempt to go to church, where I feel at home and at peace. I found the The Crime of the Century exercise a little frustrating and a little beneficial. I don't know about you guys, but I connected more with last weeks meditation. Maybe its just my HUGE to do list calling me though....
Happy Thursday!
Ashley