Unit 4 Blog Entry. Loving Kindness and mental workout

Hello Everyone,


I put the loving kindness track on my Ipod. I have only had the chance to listen to it twice this week but I find that after work it really helps me to release stress and to relax. I also try to remind myself throughout the day to not only project love to others but to project love to myself. I find it works better when I imagine Jesus and his love. It sounds bad but the most difficult thing I find is embracing even my enemies and projecting love and kindness to them only because a few people have hurt me so badly, but I know if I can work on letting go of that pain and anger it can heal my own soul and really help me to better help others. So that is what I am working on, loving my enemies and loving myself.

 It is true at times I have been my own worst enemy so that is difficult as well but I will keep trying. I imagine my father's suffering during the exercise as he just had surgery on his neck and had to get all his vertebrae fused together. I pray that my outbreath of love and joy and healing projected at him is really helping. Yes, I would recommend this to others as you really can feel changes being made in one's self, I could especially see this with more practice.

The concept of a mental workout is that through daily practice and perseverance we can work out our minds just as daily exercise works out our bodies. Mental workouts can lead to a higher more expanded consciousness. The proven benefits of a mental workout is a trained mind. Research shows that, "advanced contemplatives have gained the capacity to permanently enhance their well-being by altering the brains neural circuitry" (Dacher, 2006, p. 63). Working out our minds leads to better insight, attention, memory and perception among other things (Dacher, 2006).

I can implement mental workouts by practicing loving kindness each day. I have not had a lot of time lately, it seems I am constantly playing catch up but I know that is not a very good excuse. Although I can't do one hour each day; at least not right now, I know that even five minutes a day can make a difference. I am working hardest on skillful action right now. I find that changing my own thoughts and behavior to be more positive has already made my life and interactions more enjoyable and my heart feels lighter <3.

Heidi Waldman

Reference

Dacher, E. (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Basic Health Publications.