Contemplative Practice ~ Loving-Kindness~ A Mental Workout

This week’s Integral Health exercise is the beginning of our journey through the four levels of psychospiritual development (Heightened levels of conscious awareness) by using a method called contemplative practice, an opportunity to enter into a relationship with our inner self. One type of contemplative practice is called Loving-kindness which opens our hearts to others and gradually diminishes self-centeredness to get our minds ready for further development.

The exercise in loving-kindness I found to be beautiful and exciting yet not something that is easily understood or experienced fully the first time out.  Being guided first to be in a restful, at peace and ease state to then think of someone close to my heart whom I hold with great love and tenderness.  I naturally brought to mind my son Daniel.  I hold him dear not only because he is my child but because I cherish the relationship we have and continue to build of respect and communication and love.  I was guided to fully experience the love I feel for Daniel and then was surprised by the instruction to turn those thoughts of care and affection around and feel that loving-kindness for myself.  There were a few things that I am not sure I understood about loosening any grasping or attachment with physical sensations, yet the thought of being in tuned to myself and my body was interesting.  I found it more difficult to feel for myself than I did to think about my son. The guide asked to then shift to thoughts, feelings and images that move in and out of my awareness whether pleasant or not and just give them equal care, love and kindness, and then to fully embrace myself as the unique and precious expression of life that I am because loving ourselves is a prelude to extending love out to others.  The exercise then moves to visualizing a loved one who is suffering, and through in and out breaths, breathe in the suffering and have it dissolve in the heart and breathe out health, happiness, and wholeness to the same person and consider how I could be a specific help to this person and breathe out what would be most helpful, I found this in concept alone to be beautiful and will be honored to do this regularly.  Next I was to expand that to include strangers and then all living beings which is also a beautiful feeling.

Although very interesting and calming and would recommend it to others that want a deeper fulfillment of self and consciousness and are interested in integral health and healing, I found this exercise difficult and I can see why it is not something everybody is doing.  This will take time and dedication to be able to train myself to be guided in this way let alone move through such levels of consciousness.  The dedication and training that is needed for this level of change is considered a “Mental Workout” because of the daily commitment I “we” will have to put forth to attain such levels of wholeness.  Just like Olympians or doctors or others attaining uncommon levels of success put in hard work and daily commitments to learn and grow above and beyond, high levels of mental awareness and health will take the extra effort of those wishing to attain it.

I’m in!!