Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Unit 4: Loving Kindness Practice

The first time I tried the Loving kindness exercise, I did not find it very beneficial.  Frankly, the speaker’s voice made it difficult for me to focus because I did not find it soothing.  The sounds of the waves were nice however and that did help me relax to a limited extent.  I continued to try the exercise for 4 more days.  Today was the first time I tried it in the morning (just after I woke up), and I found it to be a completely different experience.  I was more relaxed and focused and was able to fully experience the feelings of loving kindness for myself, my loved ones, and strangers.  If I were to recommend this to others, I would strongly advise them to try it early in the morning before the mind gets all cluttered!

To me, a “mental workout” is committing to exercises that develop and expand one’s mind and lead to a higher level of consciousness.  I am reminded of the studies conducted by Davidson and others, exploring the brain function of mental Olympians, contemplative scholars with superior inner development.  When an Olympian enters a state of “boundless compassion or pure awareness” (Dacher, 2006, p. 21), his right prefrontal cortex (associated with positive emotions) shows activation levels higher that the average person.  These mental workouts have many health benefits, including lower incidence (or improvement in symptoms) of heart disease, depression, and anxiety (Schlitz, Amorok, & Micozzi, 2005).

References

Dacher, E. (2006). Integral health: The Path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic

Health Publications. 

Schlitz, M., Amorok, T., & Micozzi, M. (2005). Consciousness & healing: Integral approaches

to mind-body medicine.  St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Inc.
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2 comments:

  1. stephcattspageMarch 27, 2012 at 10:24 AM

    Laura,

    I also found this exercise to be difficult. I guess I should try it in the morning rather than at night. I will see how it works. My biggest problem is that I have too many distractions to completely relax and concentrate on what I am supposed to be doing. The funny thing is that in the small amount of time that I have been trying to repsond to you here, I have been interupted twice. I suppose this is why I cannot focus on any one thing at a time. With a demanding boyfriend, two children, and two teenagers, I do not get much quiet time or alone time for that matter. Maybe that is why I am having so many problems trying to complete these exercises and get some benefit from them.

    Stephanie

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  2. AnonymousMarch 27, 2012 at 6:42 PM

    Hi Laura!

    That is a great recommendation you have to try this exercise in the morning to see if it would be more beneficial just as it was to you. I had a very hard time with this exericse and I think it was just because I didn't understand and was unable to keep up with what I was supposed to be picturing. It might be that I did it at night after work and was tired though. Thanks for the advice on the morning trial.

    Megan

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