Sunday, September 16, 2012

Loving Kindness

          This week’s relaxation assignment was much better than the last two that we have done. I actually felt relaxed during this exercise because the voice didn’t just go on and on, there were moments to pause and reflect on the meaning of the words. I also enjoyed the sound of the ocean in the background. I was born and raised near the ocean so it always has a calming effect on me. It brought me back to my childhood and how people down at the beach bond together and enjoy each other’s company. I also liked the message behind this week’s assignment. It is about loving one’s self and then opening up to love others. This is an important concept that I think many people are missing out on today. We need to learn that we are amazing and sensitive beings and that we all need to come together in order to work as one well-oiled unit. There is nothing more vital to living a full and healthy life than having a family to love and support.

          Another portion of this assignment was to think about what a mental workout is. The mental workout is a workout for the mind. The effort consists of one hour a day to condition the mind and like physical training when the training stops we see a drop off in ability. So perseverance is necessary. Contemplative practice is the progressive development of an expanded consciousness and its healing capacities. Research studies and personal reports have demonstrated that mental training can transform the mind by reducing disturbing emotions that cause anger, hatred, fear, worry, confusion, and doubt while enhancing positive emotions such as patience, loving-kindness, openness, acceptance, and happiness. This mental transformation provides resistance to mental distress and physical disease, expands our healing capacity, and promotes well-being (Dacher, 2006). There is nothing better than training the mind to dispatch stress and release anything that may hinder overall health. This is what mental workouts can accomplish for someone.

Reference
Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.
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2 comments:

  1. Stephanie Guion GreinerSeptember 17, 2012 at 7:53 AM

    It is interesting how you brought up your childhood memories. I think so much of who we are is grounded in our childhood. Unfortunately many people experience many challenges due to their dysfunctional upbringings and it takes a lot of healing to get beyond this and establish a new identity. I know for myself it has taken many years to overcome the damage that was done through the abuse I endured as a child. I agree that each person needs to experience the reality that they are amazing and sensitive beings. Dacher (2006)states that the psychological process involves identifying our destructive emotions and dysfunctional patterns and replacing them with healthy attitudes and behaviors. This exercise helps us do just that.

    Reference:
    Dacher, E.S. (2006). Integral Health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

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  2. UnknownSeptember 18, 2012 at 2:05 PM

    Hi Jennifer,
    I can’t agree with you more of how love-kindness and opening up and loving ourselves then moving onto others is something we lack in our environments. There are a lot of people out there that are in all of this for themselves. I say “all of this” because there are such different narrow minded agendas for people don’t you think? How do we suggest what we are learning here in our academic journey for people to give us a chance? I really think we have a lot of work to do. I think if people like you and me embark on this journey helping people see what really can be felt on the inside little by little, we will have done our part. What a job going up against such a materialistic world though.
    Thanks!
    Ron

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