Subtle Mind

This week, in place of the loving kindness exercise, I tried the Subtle mind exercise. In this exercise, I used my breath as a focus. I found this so much easier! I really struggled with my wandering mind while practicing the loving kindness exercise. However, the subtle mind exercise was easier for me due to the focus on my breath. I really liked the way I learned how to gradually release the grip on my breath as I felt more comfortable witnessing my mind instead of grasping on to every bit of chatter. Although I still plan to work on the loving kindness exercise, I really preferred this. I feel that I made more progress after only trying the exercise twice than I did after an entire week of the loving kindness exercise.

To me, spiritual, mental, and physical wellness have always been connected. I have always known that I would feel physically unwell after an extremely difficult emotional experience. Or, I would feel emotionally content after connecting spiritually with others. However, I am now beginning to learn how to have more control over each of these areas in order to improve my overall wellbeing. I am learning that I actually have the ability within myself to create changes in my mental, physical, and spiritual self. This is an exciting discovery, and with each new day of practice comes a deeper understanding and feeling of empowerment.