My Not So Subtle Mind

      This practice is one I may need to try many times in order to reap the benefits of a subtle mind.  During the first few moments when I was prompted to be aware of my breathing, I am pretty sure I got it! It was not until the instructor broke in after my 10^th breath that I became startled. As much as I tried to get my concentration back, I became more focused on my surroundings. I heard the cars pass by my house. My daughter came home between classes with a friend and turned on the television. I became very aware of my dog, who was sitting beneath my desk from the start, and finally I focused on my husband who was in the next room the whole time doing some work on his computer.

     The great thing about this exercise is that for those first ten breaths I was able to witness my own subtle mind (and fall in love with it). I have uploaded this exercise to my I-Phone in order to continue this practice. To be able to bring myself to this calm place would allow me to find peace in stressful situations as well as to send myself on a mini-vacation without even leaving the room.

    When I compare this to the Loving-Kindness audio, it is easy to see how I am able to grasp the concept of Loving-Kindness much more easily that Subtle Mind. With the Loving-Kindness audio, the format was geared towards others. With the Subtle Mind, I found it was more about me. As I mentioned previously; it is much easier for me to give than receive. But, I am ready to learn!

“For it is not enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it is not enough to believe in it. One must work at it.”

                                                                    ~Eleanor Roosevelt~

A Mindness for Kindness!

Hello All!

            I hope this blog finds you all in a loving kindful place. This weeks audio brought about many different feelings. With the first step, (bringing an individual who I hold with great love and tenderness into my mind) I had to start this over a few times. I kept bouncing from my husband, to my kids, to my mom. When I finally settled on my husband, I almost had to catch my breath, I noticed my jaw begin to tingle with a smile, and my heart became heavy (in a good way). The tingle moved to my fingertips and to my toes. It made me feel like my whole body was capable of giggling.

            When I was then asked to bring the feelings towards myself, this task did not come so easily. I really had to work and concentrate on the sound of the ocean to overcome my feeling of selfishness. I am starting to see that during childhood we are taught to share, but not really taught that it is ok to receive as well. It was during this part of the session, that my heart felt heavy again (but just heavy), my jaw tightened (no smile), and my shoulders became stiff. The sound of the ocean brought about some feelings of calm. It is my belief that I really need to work on receiving!

            It was when I heard the word "suffering" in direct correlation to my husband that a wave of fear took over. My stomach felt empty, my heart began to beat fast, and my whole body became stiff. Once again, I let the sound of the ocean bring me back to the moment. I concentrated on breathing out healthy, happiness, vibrant vibes. My body instantly found calm, relaxed and went almost limp. It was a great release from the previous moment.

            Using this technique when it concerned the folks I did not know, immediate loved ones, and some who I did not necessarily care for, brought about the same ending each time. I felt calm within myself, in addition to almost sending a wish out into the universe that all is well in Debs world!

            Through this experience, I have learned that I am more than capable of sending out loving kindness thoughts to just about anyone. It is only me, that I am not so sure about. What I do know is that I can confidently work to make this better!

Peace

Deb

11:11 AM/PM =I Am Grateful For You!

Hi everyone,


      Just want to share my experience with "The Crime of the Century" relaxation exercise. I must say that I really benefitted fromthis exercise much better than the last one. For some reason this one was more visual for me, and since I am a visual learner it was easy for me to set up some flags to assist when I am starting to veer off course with my well-being journey. Because of this exercise, whenever I see Red, it can assist in helping me get better grounded. Orange, questions my lack of confidence. Yellow, shows me the direction of love. Emerald Green, allows me to share positive feeling with people I love, Aqua blue, helps to find my purpose, Indigo Blue, helps to to achieve balance.


  I have another trick that I use to keep me on the right path to my own well-being. Double digits brings me back to Gratefulness. I have been using the digital clock, calendar dates, license plates, radio stations, anywhere I can see two of the same number side by side (examples: 11:11 PM, 3:22 AM, 2/22, 1/11/11, etc.). Whenever I see these numbers, I quietly shout our my gratefulness for something. I am always amazed at how God puts these numbers in front of me to keep me grounded. I remember last year staying awake until 11:11PM on 11/11/11 in order to "Give Thanks" for the many blessing I receive every day! Do any of you have a unique way to keep you focused on your goals? I would love to hear them.


   As for me, My plan of action is to keep some colorful sticky notes place strategically in my world, in order to keep me focused on the prize. I will also eat right, and exercise 6 out of the 7 days a week in order to keep my body healthy enough to keep up with my every changing (for the better) mind!


Deb


.

Do I deserve to be in the 10 column

Ever since my last post, something has been on my mind. I am just wondering if anyone else feels like this... I soometimes feel that in order to have everything going well (mind, body & Spirit), there would be payment due. I am always waiting for the bottom to fall out whenever I am feeling exceptionally good. I am not sure if it because of the way I was raised. But I would like someone to explain why "I" deserve to list everyone of the discussion topics in the "10" column. My belief tends to be....if we expect too much good, more than likely we would have to lose something we love in order to get something.

Deb

Let's reflect about Deb

My first question about optimal wellbeing is…Is there an age chart?  Starting with physical well being, I personally would give myself a six. This is because I have always been my worst critic. But, if I really reflect and look around at other women that I work with who are my age and younger, I could really throw myself into the high eight category. I believe I work hard to take care of myself; I will be the first to admit that keeping me motivated has become work in itself. Moving onto the spiritual aspect of my life, I would like to believe that I am in between the six and seven range. The reason I say this is because when it come to spirituality I believe that growth can be off the charts. It is something I am always working on, and trying to incorporate into other areas of my life. Finally we can check in with my psychological well-being. I have always been a bit of a worrier. I constantly worry about my family, and friends. It is my belief that the winters tend to do a job on my psychologically. But, now with spring in the air, flowers starting to bloom and just being able to get outside more often, and finally adding that extra hour of daylight at the end of the day really boosts my well being in all areas of my life.

Unit 2 click here exercise!

To here it, click here.

     This is what I love best about Integral Medine. There are so many choices. Don't like the click here from this unit, then just move on to a click that fits for you.
     After listening to the relaxation exercise for this unit, I was not able to fully engage. First of all the moving graphics reminded me of my voicemessages from work. I get them through my email program and they look just like the graphics in the exercise. This made it hard to relax since it was Saturday and my day off from work. Secondly, there was an annoying sound within this relaxation exercise. It was like I could only focus on that sound and wait for it to happen again.
     I tried to engage my husband (who's hands are always cold) to listen. Although he enjoyed the relaxation part, and was not affected by the graphics or that annoying sound, he was a little let down when he thought that there might possibly have been a remedy for his cold hands.
    But, as I said at the beginning. Integral Mediicine allows us to search many different venues in order to find what works for the individual as a whole, not just someone with cold hands.

Happy Blogging
D*

Welcome  to anyone stopping by,

     I would like to welcome you to my newest edeavor...MY BLOG. 

        Now that we have gotten past the daylight savings time process. It is time to jump right into growing my blog site. My name is Deb, and I live in the Southeastern part of the United States. Massachusetts. I have lived here all of my 54 years with the hopes of moving to Charlston South Carolina within the next year. I am married to Bill who also happens to be my best friend. I am aslo the proud mother of two children. Joe who is 34 and Lindsey who will be 20 years young in May.
       I am excited abou my studies here at Kaplan. I am close to obtaining my Bachelors in Science, in the Health and Wellness field. My goal is to help troubled children to feel better about themselves and where they are heading.
      I am also very excited about this class. I have always had a passion for a simpler, more natural way of living. It is amazing how much I have learned so far, and how much more there is to learn.
     I enjoy anything that has to do with the outdoors...even shoveling snow (hopefully not for too much longer). Hiking, biking, gardening, swimming, just breathing the fresh air brings about a feeling of AHHHH!
    I wish you all well in your pursuit of "Blog".  Who know's??? we may all become famous from this experience.

Daylight Savings Time Starts This Weekend

Daylight Savings Time is Here!

Here's a clue

Spring Ahead

IT WILL NOW BE 5:00!!!

I am always wondering why time goes by so fast!

Want to learn more...http://blog.cgpgrey.com/daylight-saving-time-explained/