Mental Workouts

I practiced the Loving Kindness exercise three times, once when I read it in the text and twice with the CD. I tell you, I felt pretty good. Starting with someone you love and care for deeply and then turning that love and caring towards yourself is very powerful. I was overwhelmed with happiness and joy. Now, sometimes when I do these meditation exercises, my mind wanders but having permission to let my mind wander and experience whatever feelings arise was great. Any unpleasant thoughts or feelings were kind of diminished; they just seemed not so important anymore. The one part I had trouble with the thinking of a loved one who was suffering; I couldn’t think of anyone. But as I am writing, I remember that my grandmother is dealing with lung cancer right now. I know it seems terrible that I forgot about that but we only just met in October of 2008, and since my father died (her son whom she hadn’t seen since he was a baby—long story) we haven’t really talked. To some, that’s probably still not an excuse but it is what it is. All that to say…the next time I do this exercise, I will think of her.

The concept of a mental workout is just saying that we can train our minds, and grow our psychospiritual life if we practice. Research shows that we can reduce disturbing emotions and increase positive ones (Dacher, 2005, p. 63). The research that was done by Candace Pert shows that our emotions can influence our health.

I think I’m going to start my mental workouts with the Loving Kindness exercise. I’m going to start with twice a week for now. It takes about 21 days to develop a habit; I’ll let you know in 21 days if the exercise is a part of my daily/weekly routine.