Hello class,
After I reviewed the practices we all took part in over the progression of this class, I decided that meditation and loving kindness were the two I felt most beneficial. I had actually incorporated all of them into one progressing session, but after doing this for a week or so I started to feel that I enjoyed and felt more of a response from the act of meditating while including the loving kindness exercise. It is important for me to remember these exercises while engaging in my daily life and routine, I sometimes witness myself becoming agitated or irritated with others around me. When this happens I have to center my focus momentarily on those feelings and replace them with compassion, love, and patience. I then purposefully send my light and good energy toward that person in a subtle practice of meditation. This all may take only a minute at best but I have seen huge results. I find that if I add this practice in everything I am doing that I feel like the world around me becomes brighter, the people in my life and the strangers around me seem more at ease and in comfort. This is a testament to the power of meditation and loving kindness and how easily and profoundly it can change the world we live in.
-Stacey Smith
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Unit 7
Hello fellow classmates,
This weeks healing practices have been interesting to say the least. I have actually taken the practices we learned throughout the semester and integrated them into a 30 minute meditation session I have practiced twice a day all week. This last practice, Meeting Aesclepius, was integrated by understanding that this image of a wise healer with all "her" energy, peace, and love was already inside of me-emanating with light and healing power. I took this healing and peaceful knowledge and light and guided it through every cell of my body, healing or correcting any abnormality within. When my inner cleansing was complete I then guided this energy and love to every living being in this world-I didn't have to imagine a whole slew of people and animals, just the radiating energy their physical being had. I gave them all my love and my healing energy, I gave it to the universe to distribute as need be, and I gave it to my loved ones and friends. After this, I would return my thoughts to within myself- my healing energy once again became infused with only my body while bringing with it any suffering or negative energy I could grab from others. I took all this energy, bad and good, and imagined my inner light cleansing and purifying it, recreating this energy into my own that was filled with love and compassion. To end the session I would return my mind's eye to my inner voice and let it sit in calmness-listening to any lesson needing to be told.
As this is the first time I have ever really integrated several practices together I must say I have been feeling and seeing a difference in my life, I feel as though my surroundings have become lighter, the people around me becoming happier, and situations getting better. I like this change, and I will definitely continue to use and add to this method with time and as I find other practices.
I feel like what I just described has some connection with the saying "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself". (p.477) Basically, if I as a healer or professional do not understand or have experienced my own teachings or practices, there will be no real way for any change to come to my clients or students. A person has to integrate their practices into their lives or they will not fully be able to illustrate change for others. To me, this is an unspoken rule and obligation to my future clients because it allows me to understand their progress or regression more thoroughly-which allows me to help them more. In doing so, in practicing what I preach, there may come about positive changes in all aspects of my life.
-Stacey Smith
This weeks healing practices have been interesting to say the least. I have actually taken the practices we learned throughout the semester and integrated them into a 30 minute meditation session I have practiced twice a day all week. This last practice, Meeting Aesclepius, was integrated by understanding that this image of a wise healer with all "her" energy, peace, and love was already inside of me-emanating with light and healing power. I took this healing and peaceful knowledge and light and guided it through every cell of my body, healing or correcting any abnormality within. When my inner cleansing was complete I then guided this energy and love to every living being in this world-I didn't have to imagine a whole slew of people and animals, just the radiating energy their physical being had. I gave them all my love and my healing energy, I gave it to the universe to distribute as need be, and I gave it to my loved ones and friends. After this, I would return my thoughts to within myself- my healing energy once again became infused with only my body while bringing with it any suffering or negative energy I could grab from others. I took all this energy, bad and good, and imagined my inner light cleansing and purifying it, recreating this energy into my own that was filled with love and compassion. To end the session I would return my mind's eye to my inner voice and let it sit in calmness-listening to any lesson needing to be told.
As this is the first time I have ever really integrated several practices together I must say I have been feeling and seeing a difference in my life, I feel as though my surroundings have become lighter, the people around me becoming happier, and situations getting better. I like this change, and I will definitely continue to use and add to this method with time and as I find other practices.
I feel like what I just described has some connection with the saying "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself". (p.477) Basically, if I as a healer or professional do not understand or have experienced my own teachings or practices, there will be no real way for any change to come to my clients or students. A person has to integrate their practices into their lives or they will not fully be able to illustrate change for others. To me, this is an unspoken rule and obligation to my future clients because it allows me to understand their progress or regression more thoroughly-which allows me to help them more. In doing so, in practicing what I preach, there may come about positive changes in all aspects of my life.
-Stacey Smith
Monday, March 12, 2012
Unit 6
Hello classmates,
This week the exercises were a bit different than the previous units, I actually really liked the Loving Kindness exercise because after a few minutes of really envisioning the words I was saying I began to feel my body getting warm. I felt happy and strong, as if energy was just radiating out of my body and into the universe for others to use when they need good energy. As far as the integral assessment, it was pretty clear from the start what area of life I really needed to work on, which is my career. I have always been the type to worry about everything, which can sometimes get in the way of positive progression. I seem to worry and stress about the way my career is going. (I currently am in the food and beverage industry and have not a clue what field I want to go into after school) When I really looked at my life it seemed that this was the only real stressor in my life right now, and that it is because of the worry that this stressor exists at all. This is definitely the area I choose to focus on for inner and outer growth. I know I am capable of anything I put my mind to, so I have to begin to calm my mind, put good energy out into the universe, and stop faltering when it comes to researching job opportunities. One exercise I think would help is imagery meditation. I need to focus on the negative feelings I have for this area of my life and begin to infuse them with loving-kindness and patience. I think this will be a great first step to overcoming my unwanted fears and self-doubt.
-Stacey Smith
This week the exercises were a bit different than the previous units, I actually really liked the Loving Kindness exercise because after a few minutes of really envisioning the words I was saying I began to feel my body getting warm. I felt happy and strong, as if energy was just radiating out of my body and into the universe for others to use when they need good energy. As far as the integral assessment, it was pretty clear from the start what area of life I really needed to work on, which is my career. I have always been the type to worry about everything, which can sometimes get in the way of positive progression. I seem to worry and stress about the way my career is going. (I currently am in the food and beverage industry and have not a clue what field I want to go into after school) When I really looked at my life it seemed that this was the only real stressor in my life right now, and that it is because of the worry that this stressor exists at all. This is definitely the area I choose to focus on for inner and outer growth. I know I am capable of anything I put my mind to, so I have to begin to calm my mind, put good energy out into the universe, and stop faltering when it comes to researching job opportunities. One exercise I think would help is imagery meditation. I need to focus on the negative feelings I have for this area of my life and begin to infuse them with loving-kindness and patience. I think this will be a great first step to overcoming my unwanted fears and self-doubt.
-Stacey Smith
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Unit 5
Hello all.
The Subtle Mind practice is one I have been using to initiate meditation for some time now. I found that it was very easy for me to go through this exercise, unlike the first Loving Kindness exercise which I was not so familiar with. In comparison, they both work on understanding the mindless chatter of the mind and teaching yourself how to overcome that and dig deeper to find a higher state of being. In contrast, the loving kindness exercise was asking us to reach within ourselves to find energy to send to another person, as well as coming to terms with certain emotions related to bodies and inner self image. This is what was the hardest for me in the loving kindness practice, whereas the subtle mind exercise is a way to calm the mind and in doing so allows me to get greater understanding of my body and mind, how they each work in unison and against eachother. I think this is where spiritual, mental, and physical wellness are connected. It is through the mind and our experiences which we all are exposed to our sense of spirituality, which gives us the capacity to love and heal. With this capacity I think we are able to change our lives, which enevidible changes our bodies (for better or worse). I someone has a healthy mental and spiritual state, their bodies will react to that in a healthy manner. A great example is how depression can cause our bodies to react in a negative manner, how stess can cause our bodies to hurt, or how being nervous can cause us to sweat or shake. It is all connected.
-Stacey Smith
The Subtle Mind practice is one I have been using to initiate meditation for some time now. I found that it was very easy for me to go through this exercise, unlike the first Loving Kindness exercise which I was not so familiar with. In comparison, they both work on understanding the mindless chatter of the mind and teaching yourself how to overcome that and dig deeper to find a higher state of being. In contrast, the loving kindness exercise was asking us to reach within ourselves to find energy to send to another person, as well as coming to terms with certain emotions related to bodies and inner self image. This is what was the hardest for me in the loving kindness practice, whereas the subtle mind exercise is a way to calm the mind and in doing so allows me to get greater understanding of my body and mind, how they each work in unison and against eachother. I think this is where spiritual, mental, and physical wellness are connected. It is through the mind and our experiences which we all are exposed to our sense of spirituality, which gives us the capacity to love and heal. With this capacity I think we are able to change our lives, which enevidible changes our bodies (for better or worse). I someone has a healthy mental and spiritual state, their bodies will react to that in a healthy manner. A great example is how depression can cause our bodies to react in a negative manner, how stess can cause our bodies to hurt, or how being nervous can cause us to sweat or shake. It is all connected.
-Stacey Smith
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