The two practices that I have determined to be most beneficial are the loving-kindness and subtle mind exercises. The loving-kindness exercise that I first did on October 11th was a really good exercise because it allowed me to fully embrace the loving kindness. The benefits of the exercise is that it can re-train your mind to release stress more easily which allows the mind to be calmer. The subtle mind exercise that I experienced on October 18th was beneficial to me because it taught me how to regulate breathing and use it to relax my mind. I have practiced this exercise several times over the last couple of weeks. This practice really helps me because when I am stressed overwhelmed or frustrated, the deep breaths helps my body and mind calm down. The subtle mind and loving-kindness exercise can be utilized in in my personal life to foster "mental fitness" in different ways. The subtle mind exercise encompasses breathing to calm the body and to relax the mind. This helps me to train my brain through mental fitness to regulate my emotions and my body response to it. The Loving-kindness practice helps me in my personal life because it lets the love in my life by reaching deep down to open my heart. This process allows me to be more open with the interactions that I have with other people and let love flow in my life. It can also reduce negative moods, anger and emotional pain while increasing positive emotions and positive social emotions. I hope you all have had a positive week!

Katrina A.

Reference

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral Health: A Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications.