The Meeting Asciepius was a loving kindness exercise that takes the best in others and draws it in. I liked the bright white light visualization. It reminds me of the “glow” I see in others when they are happy or doing what they love. I am still struggling to get to these practices into my regular routine. What I am finding is that the visuals will come back to me throughout the day. They help to calm the stress or bring me back into focus.
The waterfalls, rushing river and lazy river to the ocean were a good mind metaphor. They are easier to remember than the witnessing, calm abiding and unity consciousness terminology.
I think what holds me back is not having any time to myself. My roommate is not working and is always home. The only time I am by myself is in the car going to and from work. It is a situation I am working on resolving.
The statement "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself” in this class is referring to professionals and their patients. Not being in the health field I have found another example. The trouble I have with my roommate is that she knows it all. She has been there done that. So if I try to share what we have learned or try to practice, she criticizes. So I find myself not sharing and not doing anything at all. It is not good for my mental fitness. It is a hurdle I have to work through. What I have learned is I don’t like when someone else influences my health.
Hmm that can be very annoying to say the least. I would have to say then that you can show her by example how beneficial it is to you and then maybe she'll come around to asking you "you know this and this used to really bother you and now it doesn't seem to affect you at all. How did you do that?"
ReplyDeleteI share the difficulty with getting time to myself. I am always with either my daughter or my husband. Mostly that is for safety reasons-if I fall down I can't get back up without help. But when their constant companionship gets on my last nerve, I go outside and sit on our patio. If I can just get 10 min alone this helps. I used to go to elementary age children's camp with our church but because of GBS I haven't been able to go and that used to recharge my batteries so to speak. I really miss it.
I also liked this exercise. The thoughts seemed to stay with me throughout the day as well. There is something very comforting when you think about someone on this level. I have always appreciated the way certain people act/believe, but I never thought about actually meditating on them. I will surely practice this exercise often. It really has wonderful effects. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you are having difficulty in sharing with your roommate. I hope that you can find someone else who shares similar views as yourself and with whom you can share these experiences. I think that would allow for a lot of growth, vs. the stunting that you are currently feeling. Even though now may not be the most ideal time for you given the fact that your roommate is always home, I hope you will be able to use these tools toward your personal growth in the near future! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteSarah