I hope everyone had a great week #4. This loving kindness experience was interesting. At first, it was difficult to concentrate all the way through....I refer to it as seeing a butterfly! My thoughts flutter off somewhere else. As I worked on it, it got easier...practice, practice, practice. Most interesting to me is the concept of wishing well for everyone....although, I honestly can't think of anyone that I consider an enemy. I like this concept because so many of these types of exercises are directed only at self-reflection. I find that this one ties in with the intercessory prayer study. I just find when I pray, I pray more for other people than for myself, so this exercise falls in to place for me. i would certainly recommend it for that reason....we have to learn to be less selfish...less me me me!
The concept of a "mental workout" refers to what we did with the loving kindness practice. We have to work on making our brain do the things we want it to. Working on concentration and tuning out the outer (or even inner) chatter makes our minds stronger in a sense. Research shows that by practicing these things, we are capable of retraining our minds to control negative emotions that ultimately harm us, specifically "anger, hate, fear, worry and confusion" (Dacher). This training also helps us to bring out more positive emotions such as "happiness, patience, and loving-kindness". Learning all of these things benefits us emotionally, spiritually and physically. Mental workouts include, as mentioned, contemplative practices such as the loving kindness exercise. Doing these exercises several times every week, and continuing them once the semester is over, will continue to strengthen our minds.
I found my mind drifting off from the exercise too...the ocean noises would start and I'd be off in my own little world until the narrator came back on and I am like oh yeah I am supposed to be doing something productive with listening to this exercise. Honestly, there is so much we have to do on a daily basis it is HARD to sit and focus on these types of exercising without wandering off and thinking of things that we have to do. It definitely takes a lot of discipline, and ironically a mental workout to sit, stay, listen, and absorb what is being said in these exercises.
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