Julia Roberts made it look easy in "Eat, Pray, Love"...travel to India and find enlightenment; sit, meditate, voila! If only it were that simple. For several years now I have been delving into the literature, the soundscapes, the stillness - and yes, I am still waiting for the breakthrough. The loving kindness exercise was interesting and I found it helpful, although I need longer than the mp3 allows to get around the swirling madness in my head. My biggest problem seems to be getting around the seemingly never ending thoughts that are so hard to silence. I did find that this exercise helped with that as I could focus on others rather than my own mental blocks and as a result feel that this may be precisely the way to get around myself. A springboard, so to speak. There is nothing that I have found quite like compassion for others (be they human or animal) to lead one to a peaceful frame of mind. Having done this exercise three days this week, I am feeling hopeful and will continue. It must be working as my dogs are even calmer and they are, after all, mirrors of my energy. As I write this they are all curled peacefully on various pieces of furniture snoozing to soundscapes in the background. I would definitely recommend this exercise to others.
As I relish the peace and quiet of my Saturday solitude (the teenager is at a friends house tonight), I hate to think about mental workouts, but just as the body needs exercise to stay in shape and ward off disease, so does the mind. I am not a fan of puzzles, and it was always suggested that puzzles were good workouts for the mind. Today there are innumerable websites where one can find interesting and beneficial games for brain stimulation. For those of us that aren't quite ready for the mental gym there are also some simple workouts to get started. My doctor told me to remember to "stretch" my brain before working out...i.e..saying the alphabet in words (that start with each letter), counting backwards, making lists of 20 friends you've had, or all of the vehicles you've owned, etc. Workouts don't necessarily have to be brain teasers. Changing the way you do things can make the brain work differently - for instance, when I broke my right wrist, I had to use my left hand and find interesting ways to do things. I would not say that I am ambidextrous by any means, but I now eat with both hands equally or find myself eating with my left hand at times without really noticing. Think of all the things you do everyday..from your morning routine to getting into bed at night and change small details..take a different route to work, etc. Without really considering it, these small changes make you think differently.
It's funny how we can get almost robotic in our daily lives. This morning I was really happy because a flower bloomed in my front yard...I even took a picture of it. A few years ago I would have walked by and not even noticed it...I think that's progress.
