Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Unit 5- Subtle Mind Reflection and Mind-Body-Spirit Connection


  1. Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc.
I loved that both exercises had the waves crashing in the background.  The Subtle Mind exercise was more beneficial for me than the Loving Kindness exercise.  The Subtle Mind exercise had less narration and allowed me to focus more on myself and my mind rather than having to focus on what was being said or asked of me in the Loving Kindness exercise.  I had frustrations with the Loving Kindness exercise, but the Subtle Mind exercise was awesome.  I felt so relaxed, so in tune with myself and my thoughts, and was amazed at how much control I actually could have over my focus and thoughts.  I normally have constantly racing thoughts and during this exercise, I was able to put them to rest for a while, and even when I was distracted, I was able to witness and return to my original focus point easily.  I was pleasantly surprised.  I felt like I was almost in a trance or a state of sleep, but was awake and fully aware of everything.  I think one of the things that really allowed this relaxation during this exercise is the time given to connect to myself without narration, without distraction.  I could focus and hear the sounds of the waves and flutes as I breathed in and out, feeling so in tune with myself.  I loved it!

  1. Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life.
Many think that spiritual wellness has to do with your belief or connection to a higher power.  For me, this is not the case.  My spiritual wellness is my belief and/or connection to myself and my soul.  My spirit, if you will.  It is vital to be spiritually healthy to truly be mentally and physically healthy.  But the same is true if you change any of these around.  You cannot have one without the other two.  To have true wellness, I believe that a person has to experience their own level of wellness spiritually, physically and mentally altogether.  It will take time to reach this, and each level will most likely be reached at different times, but it takes all of them as a whole for complete wellness.  Many people are on a path or journey for complete wellness.  I have not felt that desire inside yet.  I am not a person who, for some reason, thinks or digs deep like that.  So, unfortunately this connection really hasn’t manifested in my life yet.  I can’t say that there won’t be a day that I won’t decide that it’s time to change things, but as of now, this is not a journey that I have chosen to take. 
  1. Participate in the Blogs of at least two other students. Provide them with feedback on their experiences. Do you have any suggestions or support for them? How does their experience compare to your experience? What have you learned from their blog?
I have posted my blog.  I have also commented/posted on two other classmates’ blogs.

2 comments:

  1. I found that the Subtle Mind exercise was mindfulness meditation. I often use mindfulness meditation when I become frustrated or angry. In mindfulness meditation, your focus is on your breathing. When stress, anger, insecurity, or pain arises you acknowledge and embrace it and continue taking in slow controlled breathes until it subsides.

    Kelly Konkus

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  2. Laura,
    I also enjoyed subtle mind better. I know I am not supposed to, but I think I will stick with subtle mind for a while and ease back into Love and Kindness. Breathing is something that we do every day anyway. It is one of those things that we can take with us everywhere we go. Love and Kindness was a tad bit more complicated.

    Marinda

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