· Practice the
universal Loving Kindness (meditation) exercise on p. 93.
When I completed this exercise I felt
an increase level of connectedness. I
also felt a greater level of responsibility to my part in helping those I work
with reach their health and wellness goals.
However, what I didn’t feel this time was the helplessness of being only
one person who wants to make a difference.
Something about knowing that we are all in this course and working on
loving kindness meditation made me feel that we are collectively making a
difference.
· Describe the
exercise and assessment process. What did you discover about yourself? What
area have you chosen to be a focus of growth and development? Why? What are
some specific exercises or activities that you can implement to foster greater
wellness in this area?
This week I chose to focus on the
relationship I have with my children. A
few weeks ago we were on spring break and we had such a great time. It reminded me how much I missed being
self-employed and able to work my schedule around their schedule. When I went back to work after spring break,
I felt divided. Now, having a full-time
job and still having my wellness business and being in school offers a
different set of challenges. The weekends
typically are when we get to spend the most time together. What I discovered through the exercise is
that I was carrying around a lot of guilt about the having less time to spend
with the kids. After doing this exercise
I decided to include them more in what I am learning. I have done the loving-kindness exercise with
them and also the subtle mind meditation.
I have noticed one thing that has changed is right away is that they
seem to be having fewer disagreements, which is truly a help to me. I plan to continue to work with them in these
areas so that they will have these tools much earlier in life than I did to
prepare for their place in there world.
Hi Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone in wishing you could work around your kids' schedules. I know a lot of parents who either wish they could work that way, or they are working that way, and have said that they would have to quit working if they couldn't work around their kids' schedules. Family is very important, and I feel that family is an important aspect to our health as they are a great support system. When you don't have their support, sometimes it's hard to follow through on things.
It's nice that you included your kids in your exercise, and I'm glad to hear that it is having an impact on them. I sort of wish that my mother had discovered this when I was a child,as my brother and I would fight like cats and dogs. Maybe we wouldn't have fought so much. :)
I know what you mean. I am thankful to have a great and supportive family. And thanks for the encouragement. I, too, wish my parents could've given me some of these tools as a child. I hope my children will go on to utilize this tools throughout their lives. They are both in that preteen phase and they are starting to have more conflicts than they have ever had before and it is driving me crazy. I will keep you posted on how well the meditations work. So far, so good! (Fingers crossed) ;-)
DeleteHey Tif
ReplyDeleteI understand because i spoke about the same thing in my blog about family and how work was overwhelming for the last 2 weeks and I was basically seeing my wife and daughter for about 20 to 30 mins at night going to bed and waking up while they where still up sleep.
So this week I made sure I got off a little earlier, I planed my weekend around them and involved them in whatever I was doing. For example I taught a boot camp class and my wife participated and help me prepare our daughter came along and was great, she slept in he carriage for the 2 classes then we had brunch.
Sherlock
Thanks for sharing! I agree that it does require making the necessary adjustments to be more inclusive of our families in our work. I think it is so beautiful that you found a way to do that.
DeleteHi Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteMy experience with the universal loving kindness exercise was very moving as well. I had a difficult time describing how I felt about it, but after reading your description I feel that I definitely felt a unique level of connectedness and as if each of us as classmates were more connected and working toward a common goal. How cool is that? Sometimes I feel like problems are so large I don't know where to start, but I think the thing to keep in mind is that if we don't make any changes, then nothing will change. At least if we are making an effort, even as an individual attempting to impact the world at large, there is an opportunity for change to occur. I like that you included your children in the subtle mind and loving kindness exercises. I think I will try them with my children as well. It's hard not to feel guilty about the time that you don't have with your kids when you work, but I think it makes us value the time that we do have that much more.
Hi Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteI also had a great experience with this exercise. Perhaps the best one so far. I too feel that it is often hard to really balance being a mom, student, wife, taxi and whatever else I need to be. I find that I can be quite reactive and short when I am feeling overwhelmed. This type of exercise is just what I need to remind me to slow down and focus on what I can share with others in order to help them find a more peaceful way of life.
Lauren