This week our assignment was to do a subtle mind exercise. The point of this exercise is to achieve higher states of consciousness, namely the witnessing mind and eventually, with practice, the unity consciousness mind. This exercise was more about clearing the mind of extraneous thoughts (or in other words, allowing the thoughts to come and go without focusing on them), whereas the Loving Kindness practice was more visualization based. The subtle mind exercise would also be easy to extend by trying to hold the level of consciousness reached for longer and longer periods of time.
This exercise was more difficult for me than the Loving Kindness exercise. I often have a hard time quieting my mind, so this was a challenge. I also have a tendency to not get a lot of sleep, so it's easy to get so relaxed with this exercise that I start to nod off. I do notice a difference in my thought patterns, though. So far, it has at least made me more aware of my processes. That lets me start to pull back when I'm reacting to my own processes instead of acting with intention.
Spiritual wellness is tied to mental and physical wellness, because they are all part of a unified whole. I have been able to overcome and heal physical ailments in my body through the use of intention and spiritual practice. I was told that I would have to be on medication for my heart for the rest of my life, but instead I started taking my spiritual practices more seriously. When I did that, the heart problems left. When I'm feeling depressed, I also feel physically and spiritually unwell, but when I feel especially physically well, such as after extended exercise, I feel mentally clear and spiritually energized.
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