Unit 6: Exercises for Mind-Body-Spirit Wellness and Healing

I discovered that the source of difficulty and suffering was my psycho-spiritual aspect.  I want to focus on this part of my life for growth and development.  I noticed when I was trying to bring my mind to stillness, it was very hard.  I could not and did not want to let go of the chaotic thoughts roaming around in my head.  Before I started the exercise I was quite upset about something that normally I would have thought was very petty.  I went to a new hairdresser and they gave me a horrific haircut.  I really thought I was going to lose it on them.  Previously, if this would have happened to me, I would have blown the situation off and just told myself that my hair will grow and that I will be okay.  However, this time it really upset me.  I just couldn’t let it go.  So I really want to be able to have better control over my emotions and thoughts.  Also, if my spiritual life was flourishing like it is supposed to, I would have been able to pray about my problem and gave it over to the Lord but I didn’t; I had a pity party for myself and continued to let myself continue to be upset.  I want to start recognizing when these negative thoughts and emotions arise and take hold of them and let them diminish as I release positive thoughts and emotions.   I want to use breathing exercises to calm my inner and outer body and focus more on prayer as a source of peace. 

Subtle Mind Practice

The subtle mind practice: Breathing

“Peaceful breathing can lead to a peaceful mind.  The breath is always with us.”

When I would try to focus on my breathing it was frustrating because I would not breathe normal.  I would focus so much on my breathing that it would mess up the normal inhalation and exhalation and make me feel out of breath or uncomfortable breathing.  When comparing the subtle mind practice to the loving-kindness exercise, I would have to say that I enjoyed the loving-kindness activity so much more.  I felt like the exercise was more in depth and pushed me to expand myself to think about deep thoughts and feelings that I had kept unrevealed for a long time.  It was an exercise that I could definitely repeat and participate in daily or weekly. 

During the subtle mind practice, the voice said that “bringing your mind back to your breath is like an anchor in the ground.  It is a forceful thought that has to be done in order to keep out the business of the mind.” If I am relaxing I do not want to have to “force” my mind to do anything.  Training the mind is one thing but it should not have to be forced to do it.  The voice would also give you commands during the exercise.  I understand that you need instructions to do the objectives but I felt like the voice was just another mindless chatter that I could not clear my mind of.  Even if it is part of the exercise, my mind did not feel still. 

When my spirit is feeling at ease and peaceful, this brings my mind at ease and peace.  As discussed before, the mind and body are one and I believe the spirit and mind are connected also, along with the emotional aspect of our being.  These four aspects would all be considered the integral healing of one.  When each aspect’s needs are being met then the body as a whole can function properly and adhere to the human flourishing that is explained and talked about in the reading material. 

Loving-Kindness

Author Elliot Dacher of Integral Health explains loving-kindness in this way, “Loving-kindness is more effective in stabilizing our mind and lessening the grip of self-centeredness than the embrace of others.”  During this week’s exercise, when I opened my heart to a dear loved-one, it made me feel wonderful.  I reminisced on all of the fun and enjoyable memories I had with this person.  The feelings at one point felt so over-whelming that I wanted more than anything to stop the exercise and go up to the person and just squeeze and hug them and not let go.  When I was supposed to turn feelings of care and affection towards myself, I did not feel inner-peace.  Honestly, I was quite upset with myself.  I felt like I should be doing more to care and show my love to the ones I truly care about and therefore I could not care and feel affection for myself.  The most difficult part of the whole exercise was taking the suffering of the same loved one I had been meditating on and letting my heart absorb their suffering.  It was so painful and overpowering.  I knew that a lot of the suffering they had endured was due to my actions and this brought even more sadness and discontentment towards me. 

I think I would recommend this exercise to another person.  It can be very eye-opening to one and can be helpful for a person to take time out to contemplate on the things that are most important. 

Mental workout is the concept of training and exercising the mind.  The benefits of a mental workout are a source of peace and calm, ease and delight, creativity and wisdom that will not want to end the practice.   Also, mental workouts help a person continue on the path to integral health and human flourishing.