Be soft in your practice. Think of the method as a fine silvery stream, not a raging waterfall. Follow the stream, have faith in its course. It will go its own way, meandering here, trickling there. It will find the grooves, the cracks, the crevices. Just follow it. Never let it out of your sight. It will take you....
~ Sheng-yen ~
The Subtle Mind exercise was so much more enjoyable to me than the Loving Kindness exercise. Practicing this brought me such inner peace and calm from the very beginning. I even thought I could smell the ocean. I felt that I was able to remove myself from my thoughts and feelings and was able to watch them come and go. I was not affected by them they just "were" and then they "were not". After practicing for two days I was able to do this practice on my own without the audio and that was even better. It was such an amazing feeling to just let go, and just be. There were times when a thought came and went and it made me smile or made my face tense up, but I was easily able to release this and focus again on my breathe. Overall this exercise was very fulfilling, as I needed this after a very busy and eventful week.
Spiritual wellness is very personal and involves an individual perspective based on one's own beliefs and values. In the search for spiritual wellness, one is able to ponder the purpose of our lives and that of others. We are able to seek and find the perfect balance of harmony between the physical and mental (outside), and the spiritual (inside). To be able to live life in a fulfilling manner, the mind/body/spirit must be integrated in a purposeful manner.
This process can be manifested in my personal life through many factors;
Being mentally active - which can involve creativity
Being aware of my emotions - expressing them appropriately
Believing in myself - being genuine and accepting my positive qualities as well as my imperfections
Work satisfaction - using my skills, and manage my workload
Having a sense of humor - being able to laugh at myself
Stress management - manage time, energy, and setting limits
Connection with others - through friendships and family, trust and understanding
Spirituality - belief in a higher power and a sense of oneness with the universe
Taking care of myself - preventive, downtime, exercise and nutrition
Peace ~ Robin
Robin,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy reading your posts. You have such great insight and I see how you can truly benefit from these exercises. I am not having the same type of experience. I am very new to this whole process and am finding it difficult to utilize them effectively. I am trying and I continue to do the exercises over and over. They do seem to be getting easier and more helpful as I go along. Thank you for your wonderful insight.
Stephanie
Thank you Stephanie! You are on the right track when you state "they seem to be getting easier" as you are "continuing to do the exercises over and over". This really does take practice especially when we are so busy and our minds work overtime with menial thoughts and emotions. As you get better at this you will be able to notice even the smallest regression towards old habits. It is very interesting the way our minds work. Good Luck on your journey!
DeletePeace ~ Robin
Do you think these are getting easier because we are doing them more often now than in the past, that we are getting used to them and that is resulting in them becoming easier? I am now more aware of my breathing and stop and breathe throughout the day.
ReplyDeleteYou have pointed out a very important point about quieting the mind. Typically, our thoughts build from one random thought to another. We start out thinking about what a person said yesterday and that gets us to thinking about something else and pretty soon the original thought about what the person said is lost and we are planning what we are going to have for dinner. By letting the thoughts flow and not giving them attention, we control the mind. By coming back to the breath we still the mind. I sounds like you are well on your way to a quiet mind.
ReplyDeleteHi Robin! I think it's great that you're having such a wonderful experience with this exercise! I can understand how beneficial it can be for mind training, and I can't wait for the opportunity to experience the peaceful calm that you speak of!! Hopefully, I'll be able to make greater strides towards the Subtle Mind during the coming week:)
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