I have been trying to do these exercises in relation to my faith in a Savior. There is truth in the thought that what we give comes back to us. When we joyfully help those in need we reap positive results.
I thought of my mom's fungal infection, and followed the instructions of the CD about it for the first part of the exercise. In a similar manner, I thought of strangers and all others as prompted. When asked to embrace my thoughts, I thought of my Savior and prayed to Him for enlightenment to spread His loving-kindness to others, to experience the joy in truth that He gives in an attempt to keep faith alive.
I felt uneasy when doing the activity as asked. True helpfulness comes from doing something for others without expecting anything in return not just thinking about helping. This is the best experience for the loving kindness practice. Upon reflection of this activity, I have decided to not think these active thoughts, but to do them where I am needed as the Lord leads. For example, I was privileged to provide comfort and encouragement for my mother. I asked her to think more positively and optimistically, find things to laugh about and we prayed, if it is the Lord's will for His honor and glory, that He will unwrap the fungal infection and pass it from her body. If not we trust Him to know what is best. The next time I talked with her she sounded more positive and like she felt better.
I would not recommend this exercise to others, because I felt uneasy while doing it myself. Also, I had a hard time keeping my faith in perspective to what we were asked to do. I found the actual calling of my mom and encouraging her was more mentally stimulating than just mind stimulation without action. Mom shared the spiritual aspect to keep me on track with my faith, when this exercise confused me out of the beaten path upward! These are my sentiments, but I respect others who differ.
Hello Teresa,
ReplyDeleteIn reading your blog, I found your opinions and outlooks very interesting. I also had a hard time with this relaxation exercise. At the very beginning, I would say the first 7 minutes, I did feel, imagine, see, relax as I love the sound of the ocean. It is my favorite but then I found myself veering off, very inpatient not able to concentrate or relax my mind to listen. I had different thoughts running through my head. WHen recommending any exercise to someone for the first time, I think it needs to be shorter. It takes time to be able to reap the benefits of any relaxation technique.
Hello Teresa,
ReplyDeleteI truly believe that when you give you receive ten fold back. Patience is key! I love relaxation CD's. On stressful days I will put a cd on to help me relax before I go to sleep. My CD player has a sleeper button so it will automatically turn off. This way I can go to sleep with out worrying about wasting electricity.
Thank you
Michelle
Hi Teresa,
ReplyDeleteI understand that actions do speak louder than words and that actions of loving-kindness is the key, and that it does gives back in return. I think the purpose of the Loving-Kindness practice was for those who do not know about or have experienced the actions of loving-kindness. Sometimes people need practice before putting it into action. I would love to hear your thoughts about this.
Sincerely,
Anita
I agree Anita, those who do not know where to begin with showing loving-kindness might benefit from this CD as a way to get started, but I hope that it does not stop with the CD and inner self feelings!
ReplyDeleteThank you,
Teresa
Hi Michelle,
ReplyDeleteI enjoy some of the relaxation CD's! Playing them, while winding down for sleep helps to calm us down for a good night's rest! I play mine from the computer, which frees my mind for further study.
Thank you for sharing,
Teresa
Hi Samantha,
ReplyDeleteI agree, when starting these exercises they should be shorter to help us learn to focus better on the task of mental awareness better. Many are cannot stay keyed in for very long to begin with! I liked the freedom of the subtle-mind CD better than the loving-kindness CD.
Thank you for sharing,
Teresa