Friday, August 31, 2012

The Subtle Mind

Thee Subtle Mind exercise was much more helpful to me than the loving-kindness exercise from last week. I feel that this type of exercise is perfect to get started on before you move onto anything else. This is because it teaches you to learn how to quiet your mind. This was one of the major problems I had with the previous exercise. I was constantly being distracted by mental chatter and wondering thoughts. The subtle mind practice explains how we can get past that "noise" and begin to dwell in the calmness that lies between the random thoughts.

I did still have difficulty letting my thoughts fade away, but I now know that this is the practice I need in my life right now. I feel that I need to master the Witnessing Mind and begin to experience the mind of Calm-Abiding before I can successfully complete another practice. I suppose this is the dynamic nature of mind-body training and integral health. What works for one person may not work for another. Also, what is good for you today may change tomorrow. We need to be able to recognize what we need and follow the path without preconceptions.

The connection between spiritual, mental, and physical wellness is so great that I cannot differentiate the three. Physical activity has been shown to reduce stress levels, which builds mental wellness. Spiritual wellness can keep your life feeling fulfilled and free of depression. This, in turn, can promote the innate healing power of the body and mind. They all go hand in hand and I believe building on one can only strengthen the other. Although it is still very important not to neglect one in favor of the other.

Danny

11 comments:

  1. Hi Danny,
    I liked this exercise better than the loving kindness one. I know you had a hard time staying focused on this one, but I didn’t this time. I think the visual part of this exercise helped keep me focused and kept it from wondering. I thought the images were hypnotizing and I will use it to help me relax and calm my mind when needed in the future. It is very difficult to completely free the mind sometimes, but I think if we can accomplish this task we would all benefit from the long term effects.
    Nicki

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  2. Nicki, I absolutely agree about the potential benefits of this type of mental training. I intend to give the subtle mind exercise much more attention. it is exciting to know that it is possible to quiet the mental clatter in my mind and gain a much needed sense of calm. The explanation of the exercise an it's intention is perfectly understandable to me and I can't wait to begin to see the difference I know will come with practice. Thanks for reading. Best wishes and be well!

    Danny

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  3. Hi,
    The subtle mind exercise was better for me too. I enjoyed having a mind without random running thoughts. I also suffer from tinnitus and while focusing on my breathing I was actually able to lessen the sound in my ears! This exercise will be one I plan on using frequently and hope to be able to do without the assistance of the audio.
    I agree and like how you explain what works today may not tomorrow. This I believe is a good thing, it means we are evolving and growing.
    “Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.” Chinese Proverb

    Robin

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    1. Robin, that is excellent that you were able to improve your tinnitus symptoms. I was an aircraft mechanic for four years in the Air Force and also developed tinnitus from aircraft engine noise. I am glad to say that mine has significantly improved. If you recognized an improvement during this exercise I am convinced that you could eliminate the sound completely with practice! Thanks for reading. Best wishes and Be well!

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  4. Danny,
    I totally agree for me the Subtle Mind exercise should be the first one of all contemplative practice. Having the capacity to tame you mind of contact thoughts, images and emotions should be the fist priority. Once you mastered taming your mind then you should focus on loving kindness exercise. Great post. Ivonne

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    1. Ivonne, It was odd to me that our text actually insisted on us performing the Loving-Kindness practice first. It just seems to me that without a quiet mind we cannot concentrate on any exercise. Thanks for the response. Be well.

      Danny

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  5. Danny,
    Like the others and yourself, I too think the subtle mind exercise would be a better first exercise, though I seemed to struggle more with this exercise. I believe it was because of my limited time to spend with this exercise. I found my mind wondering to all the things I needed to get done this week and struggled with allowing my mind to become still. I believe that the journey to integral health is just that a journey and I will not achieve it over night. But I do believe with practice I will be able to master this practice.
    Laurie

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    1. Laurie, you have a great attitude and I hope you continue to work with this exercise. How great would it be to be able to summon those thoughts when you need them and completely disregard them when you don't? I also have a mind cluttered with tasks and deadlines. The jumble doesn't help get anything done faster. It is like multi-tasking. We can only take care of one thing at a time so why worry about 20 at once?! Thanks for responding Laurie. Best wishes to you!

      Danny

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  6. Hi Danny,

    I enjoyed reading your blog. It’s great that you got a lot out of the subtle mind exercise. These exercises are very helpful even though they may be difficult and/or challenging. We will benefit from them as long as we continue to utilize them.

    At this point, I am a little fonder of the complete guided meditations. But that’s this week as you stated “what is good for you today may change tomorrow.”

    Great Post!

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    1. Lori, I think guided meditation is excellent. It takes some of the anxiety out of learning something new. Those guided meditations are teaching you and providing different examples. Eventually, you will find a method that you will want to stick with and probably tweak it to suit your needs. I think it is important to at least stick with something. Even if it is simply breathing exercises. I know I feel the benefits everytime. I learned to get through severe panic attacks with controlled breathing and meditation. Which is much better than Klonopin OR Valium. Thanks again and be well!

      Danny

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  7. I also had a hard time quieting chatter in this exercise, but like you, it was much better for me than loving-kindness. That exercise was very difficult and actually made me uncomfortable. This week was more relaxing and I found that even though I had to often, I was able to return to my breathing. I too look forward to mastering the calm-abiding, but I also know it's a practice that can change from day to day. Good luck!

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