This week's practice was universal loving kindness. While reading about universal loving kindness in our text, I especially loved the line that says "to see another, acknowledge another, hear another, be present with another, and feel one with another- a lover, a partner, a friend, a stranger, and even an enemy- is a profound healing gift for oneself and the world" (Dacher, 2006, p. 93). I do believe that practicing universal loving kindness is extremely worthwhile and that these things would indeed help heal ourselves as well as heal the world. The text also gives an example of a universal loving kindness mini-practice. After 2 minutes of sitting with eyes closed and resting, you are supposed to repeat the following 4 sentences to yourself for the next 10 minutes:
May all individuals gain freedom from suffering.
May all individuals find sustained health, happiness, and wholeness.
May I assist all individuals in gaining freedom from suffering.
May I assist all individuals in finding health, happiness, and wholeness.
I must admit, this was not my favorite practice. While I did feel relaxed and peaceful at the end, I personally thought repeating the same 4 sentences over and over seemed monotonous. I definitely had to focus on staying aware and conscious of what I was saying and not go into robot-Hannah. I think I'm discovering that chanting or repeating the same thing over and over isn't my preferred style of practice. I much prefer the audio-guided practices in the past units where I got to focus on visualizing something instead of just repeating a phrase.
In health and happiness,
Hannah
Source: Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.
Hello Hannah,
ReplyDeleteI LOVED YOUR BLOG! I really love the way that you write and explain your experiences with our exercises. Your writing is very descriptive and beautifully written. I liked your honesty as well I agree that the repeating of the sentences seemed monotonous, but I found that at the end I felt calmer then when I had began the practice. Although, it does not work for everyone. I too found my mind wanting to wonder and I felt almost like I began to concentrate hard to stay focused. But with practice for me come patients. I loved the audio guided practices as well. They really allowed my mind to relax and let go and not concentrate so hard, it felt more natural and free to me. Thank you so much for your blog and I hope that you have a wonderful week!
-Megan Bohlman