After having success with the loving-kindness exercise, I was pretty disappointed with the subtle mind practice. As a quick recap, the loving-kindness exercise seemed to fit perfectly into my life as there have been some struggles, some are still currently active. However, when I practiced the subtle mind exercise, I felt like there were too many distractions/thoughts in my mind. I tried the exercise a few times, both times I felt pretty relaxed but perhaps it was the time of day that messed it up for me (the end of the night). I think I will try this exercise again when I first wake up, as the book noted that before you fully awake there should be silence. Personally, even though I'm winding down at night before bed, I always go to bed with racing thoughts, some about my day and others about things that stress me out. With that being said, I won't let this discourage me. I will continue to try to calm my mind as I would eventually like to obtain a clear and open mind.
In truly believe that there is a connection between your spiritual wellness and your mental and physical wellness. Like I mentioned above, it was difficult for me to practice the subtle mind exercise. I realize that my spiritual wellness is off at the moment and in order for me to feel better, physically and mentally, this has to be fixed. Because I haven't been able to still my mind, I feel exhausted all the time. I feel like I'm constantly working, there are constant thoughts going in and out of my mind, etc. At night, I cannot calm down enough to go to bed at a reasonable time. I always go to bed late, which causes me to feel just as tired the next morning when I wake up. Excessive tiredness has also taken a toll on my body, as some mornings I feel like someone ran me over with a Mack truck. These are all just reasons for me to work on improving my spiritual health.
~Jen
Jen,
ReplyDeleteI found this one to be difficult too. I tried doing both in a row starting with loving kindness and that helped a little. I noticed more throughout the day that my mind did seem more quiet. Just not during the practice.
Cassy
Hello Jen, My thoughts about the subtle mind exercise and the loving kindness exercise are vague, I believe that they are meant to have two different outcomes. I liked how the loving kindness exercise guided you throughout the process helping with the unconditional love we should have for thy self and others suffering.
ReplyDeleteJen have you tried taking a nice hot bath with salts and lavender oils to relax you? If that doesn't work maybe you could sit down every Sunday evening and put together a schedule for the week that will allow you enough time to do practices and physical activity to boost your energy. Thank you for sharing Jewel.