As a class exercise, I listened to this relaxation/biofeedback sound
clip. I’ve tried things like this before, with varying levels of success. Here
is an abbreviated version of my thought process.
“Wait, pause this, I should probably wear headphones for
this.”
“Wait, move to a more comfortable chair.”
“Did I take the chicken out of the freezer for dinner? No,
focus.”
“Deep breath in…relax…”
“What is the music? Are those crystal bowls? No, focus.”
“What is this guy’s accent? Sound like East Coast…wait,
focus. What’s he talking about?”
“Muscles are like sponges…no wonder I’m so wobbly when I
lift things! Ha! No, focus now.”
Ok, I think you probably get the idea – I’m easily distractible;
this is why meditation, guided imagery and similar exercises are usually very
difficult and not effective for me. However, at this point in the sound clip, I was
able to pay more attention to the instructions and less to my own haphazard and
flyaway thoughts.
The purpose of this particular guided meditation is for
the listener to mentally increase the flow of blood to the arms and hands. My
success the first time around was…limited. This is a very new concept for me, and
I think a very small part of the logical part of my brain was vaguely skeptical
about the whole idea, which is obviously somewhat inhibitory. But, I did feel
something, which was more than I was expecting. During the exercise I become
very aware of my heartbeat and the flow of blood in my chest and abdomen. My
hands and arms didn't feel warm or heavy, at least not this time. I think I
will try again tomorrow and the next day and see if it will come with practice.
(I wonder what it would be like to meditate here?!)
First of all, I just want to say that I love the pictures that you post! I like to tell my husband that I'm a great multitasker; I actually take pride in it. However, I have discovered that multitasking is not always a good thing. It is hard to shut off your brain when there are so many things that need to be done: what needs to be cleaned, what's for dinner, when can I squeeze in a workout, what schoolwork should I be doing, etc... I'm not good at sitting still and being quiet, because there is always much to be done. It is definitely going to take practice on my part. Hopefully, this class will help us both improve in this area!
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ReplyDeleteMary,
ReplyDeleteYou nailed to a tee the experience that I was having during this exercise. I was trying my hardest to focus on what the man was saying, but could not seem to fully concentrate all the way through. I agree with you that this being a new concept does limit the possibilities that we allow ourselves to have. Hopefully in time, and with a few more days of listening, this kind of guided imagery may come with ease.
LOL LOL I loved your post. I think the first thing the guy asked is for you to get in a quiet place and have on comfortable clothing. It sounds like you were multitasking while trying to relax. I only wish I could have seen you trying to do this. LOL. I could not tell if the redirecting of the blood technique worked for me. I did feel more relaxed and alert after the exercise and I will be doing it again. Love the pic.
ReplyDeleteI laughed really hard reading your post great job. I felt like yelling squirrel!!!! This was well written and I believe most of us have experienced this in life. Also the picture was the nail in the coffin to this amazing post
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