I think for me the guided meditation was one of the two that really benefitted me. I think partly because it came at a very stressful time in life where I needed someone to tell me how to release tension so to speak. I continue to do that meditation regularly and it really does seem to help keep me centered. Surprisingly I often do it at night time before bed and I sleep much better when I do that so this has been a great help to my occasional insomnia!
The loving kindness meditation we did early on in the class is also one that I enjoyed. I liked how it was all about sharing love but feeling it for ourselves as well. I also think it is a good exercise in learning empathy. Everytime I do this meditation I feel like I am experiencing what the person I am thinking of is feeling, I use this to help keep me centered about some people at work that would normally work my stress level (ha ha). In all honesty though it does help me to be more level headed and think about why they may act the way they do.
I have so enjoyed learning these techniques and feel like continuing to utilize them will help me to continue to work on staying in balance and being able to successfully help others.
Blessings and Prayers until next time,
Amy
Amy,
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing how things happen in our lives just at the moment they are supposed to. I think this class came along for me at the right time also. Not necessarily due to stress, although that was a part of it. It has helped me truly appreciate some of things that are occurring in my life and I could not be happier about that.
The loving kindness exercise was also one of my favorites and a lot has to do with the same reasons you also mentioned. It is one that I also try to practice at work when I get upset with someone. I try to focus stop and take a walk and focus on who they are, why they may have said or done the things they did and realize that they have good qualities that deserve to be loved and appreciated.
Julie Couillard
Amy,
ReplyDeleteNICE WRITE-UP, The Love and Kindness exercise was also my favorite. I learned, Meditation may include words, images, or sound, which evoke feeling of loving kindness and friendliness toward oneself/others.
This form of meditation is my personal favorite because it allows the mind to wonder then flow as one:
Practice of loving kindness by meditating for fifteen or twenty minutes in a quiet place. Let yourself sit in a comfortable fashion. Let your body rest and be relaxed. Make sure you have herb live chamomile to keep you relaxed. I even use hot stones and steam.
Amy-
ReplyDeleteYour reflections on things you've learned, I share a lot of the same concepts. I also have did the meditation practice at night and my sleep was greatly improved. I didn't feel restless before I went to bed, and didn't wake up during the middle of the night. Before I started doing this prior to bed, I would lie awake at night and think of all the tasks I had to accomplish and deadlines I had to meet. The meditation practice took that off my mind and relaxed me enough to get a better sleep. The loving kindness audio also serves as a great way of helping get through stressful and restless times.
Barb Engel
Hey Amy:
ReplyDeleteFrom reading other’s blogs, I believe most agree that the Loving Kindness practice is the best one. I know for me it is the best. I see people every day who are nearly oblivious to everything and everyone around them. They chat on cell phone while walking along busy streets. They are texting while driving in the middle of rush hour traffic. And yet with all these forms of communication, I think quite a number people are lacking the skill of conversation. It makes me very happy that I learned the Loving Kindness practice. I can wish them health and well-being and really mean it.