Unit 8: Loving Kindness & Meditation

So far in this course I have learned how beneficial it is to practice loving kindness and to meditate. The loving Kindness exercise allowed me the opportunity to open up my heart to family, (both near and distant), friends and associates, and enemy and strangers. All though I tend to be comfortable with all, I had to teach myself to let go of past  memories of hurt and anger from my enemies. True loving kindness is the ability to see past mental obstructions that are toxic to human flourishing. I think the best way to implement loving kindness in my life and others is to practice a few times a day. Reach out to a stranger or a distant friend or family member, telling them that they were in your thoughts and prayer. The response that is received from this is sometimes amazing.

The next exercise I found useful is meditation. At first, meditation can be difficult because the mind tends to wander off into mental chatter and distractions. Prior to learning meditation exercises, my mind was always cluttered and I worried much about my future finances .Meditation has taught me to clear my thoughts of worrying, and to let go of unnecessary pain and suffering. Meditation has thought me to rid my mind of stress, and to practice energy shifting. Energy shifting is the ability to take your stress and negative and energy and channel it into a positive (motivation) to get things accomplished. I find that the best way to meditate is to be in a comfortable, quiet place, and think about relaxing, positive thoughts. The best outcomes I've found from meditating is that it reduces stress and anxiety, and it promotes better sleep at night. Another great thing about meditation is that there are different types of meditations designed to fit an individuals preference. I have been learning much about Tai Chi, and ancient form of martial arts also known as "meditation in motion." It is just a matter of time before I practice those techniques, but for now, visualization helps as well.