I'm sorry that this entry is long in coming. Per CD instruction, I tried to follow through with twice daily doses of listening to track 2. I found a difficult with my busy schedule to barely get around to doing it daily. A side note, since my first trip to Hawaii in Fall 2003, I have fallen in love with the music of Brother IZ or Israel Kamkawiwo'ole, a young Hawaiian singer that passed away just over a decade ago. I found by listening to his melodic and cultural sounds of the Hawaiian people, I was able to use this CD to settle my busy and over stimulated mind. I was able to calm done and was able to see, individually and slowly, my thoughts, my concerns, my priorities with calmness and better results. I have used Brother IZ's CD, during rough days, several times that day. I found the Loving Kindness exercise as another valuable tool for myself and to tackle those problems of my peers, my patients, and my family.
I found the female voice very soothing, but Dacher's voice is annoying.
"Mental Workout" like physical workout, is an exercise to train the mind to influence our physiology, hormonal , and immune systems. Mental training can transform the mind by reducing disturbing emotions that cause anger, hatred, fear, worry, confusion, and doubt while enhancing positive emotions such as patience, loving-kindness, openness, acceptance, and happiness. When adequately trained, a trained mind provides enhanced resistance to mental distress and physical disease, expands the healing capacities, and promotes well-being (Dacher, 2006).
To implement a mental workout, a dedicated schedule needs to be established. I found waking up at 5AM, with everyone in my household asleep, I was able to complete the Loving-Kindness exercise without being rushed or distracted.
Respectfully, Steve Tardy
Reference
Dacher, Elliott. (2006) Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Basic Health Publications,
Inc. Laguna Beach.
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Hi! Stephen, I love Brother IZ"s music also He is on my IPod to listen to when I run. His "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" Medley are two of my favorite songs put together. When I hear his voice it automatically settles me down into a comfortable pace and my mind becomes relaxed and happy no matter how tired I am.
ReplyDeleteI agree, if Dacher was giving the meditations I don't think I would do very good! :)
Hello Steven,
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have a lot going on, but I am glad that you found the Loving Kindness exercise as a valuable tool for you and also to help you deal with problems of your peers, patients, and family.
I found the female voice very soothing, and also Dachers’. Did you ever come up with an answer as to why you found his voice to be annoying? I am curious. I am glad that you had a musical CD to helped you settle your over stimulated mind. To be able to calm down helped you to see, your priorities with calmness, which is a great, and it lead to better results.
Isn’t wonderful to have the knowledge about mental training? Just to know that it can transform our mind by reducing disturbing emotions that cause anger, hatred, fear, worry, confusion, and doubt while enhancing positive emotions such as patience, loving-kindness, openness, acceptance, and happiness? That is very powerful. We now know what it takes to be healthy, and when we are adequately trained, our trained mind will provides enhanced resistance to mental distress and physical disease, expand our healing capacities, and promotes well-being (Dacher, p.63).
What more of a blessing can we ask for? To have this knowledge really works for me personally and also to help my clients relax and be at peace.
I felt so peaceful when you said that you found that waking up at 5a.m. while everyone in your household was asleep. That is a very quiet and peaceful time. It does make a difference when it is quiet because you were able to complete the Loving-Kindness exercise without being rushed, or distracted. To implement a mental workout we must have a dedicated schedule. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. It was very inspiring; I shared your relaxation by reading your words. AWESOME…..