I think that of all the exercises we have tried to this point I have had the most success with the universal loving-kindness. I liked the repetition of the mantra because it kept my mind focused on what I was saying. At first I was having a hard time remembering the phrase but after a few minutes it became much easier and I was able to really focus on the meaning of the words. I found that through out the day after performing this exercise certain things would come up and I would be reminded of the concepts from this exercise. I think the repetition of this exercise really allows the feelings of loving-kindness to sink in.
After performing the integral assessment I think that it is hard to select only one area to focus on. Each aspect of my life could benefit from more integral practices. The priority would probably my psychospiritual flourishing. By performing some of these exercise perhaps I can create a more balanced approach to my feelings. Often times my decisions are made based on my emotion at the time but if I can learn to control my emotions better it will help me flourish.
Controlling our emotions can be tough when our society is so reactive and emotional. It seems that our society is so focused on the individual and "what's in it for me" that people don't have that loving kindness for one another and the psychospiritual aspect of our life really gets neglected. These exercises are really great at helping us to learn how to become more balanced and reacte less on emotions. It might be a lot of work, but the journey will be well worth it!
ReplyDelete~Lindsay S
I agree- the repetition and simplicity of the universal loving-kindness exercise makes it easy to bring yourself back into focus. I chose psychospiritual flourishing to focus on as well since, I think, it is one of the more important yet neglected part of our health (of course, our readings teach this as well!).
ReplyDeleteGood job!
Britt
I agree that each area of our lives can benefit from more integral practices. We need to find ways to better ourselves and our health. A lot of us have so many things that stress us out on a day to day basis that we don't really know where to start. This class is truly helping me grow into a person I want to be and has helped me find ways to relax and live a healthy, happy life.
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