In this week's exercise we listened to the Meeting Aesclepius audio. During this exercise I envisioned my grandmother that I lost when I was only 14 years old. I saw myself sitting beside her and the entire time I felt a warm protective feeling surrounding me. It was almost as if this exercise took me back in time. The longer the exercise went on the more clearly I was able to see my grandmother. Everything about her seemed as if it was real. I was able to smell her scent, see the gray in her hair, and hear her voice. I will say this exercise has been the most difficult one yet. This week I have been sticking to the subtle mind exercise and it has become a tad bit easier to get the mental chatter to fade out. It has given me an outlet to relieve stress that comes with everyday life. I now feel that life as slowed down and that I know now how to escape from the constant noise that is often what we all call life.
The saying "one cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" simply means how can you guide a person towards a goal or an objective when you have never reached that same objective. It is sort of like a car mechanic who drives a lemon. Or better yet a person who smoke cigarettes trying to promote healthy lungs. In order for anymore to be taken seriously or to be a true role model they, themselves, need to lead by example or from the front. If a person is thinking about leading a group of people towards true health and well-being they need to first know what true health is all about. They need to have every basis of health covered first before they can begin to show others how to reach that path. The only way to do that is by practicing an integral form of health. One must have the mind, body, and spirit in a healthy place by exercising physically and by meditating. It is only then that one can show others the path.
Hi Sean,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog. It sounds like you had a wonderful experience during the meditation exercise. It sounds as if you had an actual encounter with your grandmother even after so many years. That’s amazing!
I found this exercise to be very emotional for me as well but I felt a lot of healing occurring inside of my mind, body and spirit. It brought a lot of hope to me.
I agree with you that the more mediation practices we do the easier it is becoming to slow down the chatter inside our minds; when I start to feel overwhelmed whether it is at work, home or while studying I just close my eyes, breathe and tell myself to calm down. It really has been working.
I like the analogies you used for the saying “one cannot lead another where one has not gone himself.” It is very true one can only lead by example.
Great post!
Sean, I definitely agree that one should lead by example, and that if you are not on a path to wellness, you cannot show others the way. I do think, however, that you can help lead others no matter where you are in practice. Like we've said in class, you don't have to be a professional to help assess someone's integral health, and I also believe that we can guide each other from different points along the way. Since it is a practice and not a destination, it's most important that we are trying, whether or not we've felt successful on a particular day. For example, I struggle with meditation, but I will continue to integrate it until it feels more accessible. Thanks for your post!
ReplyDeleteNatalie