Loving-Kindness

The only reason I found this exercise difficult is because it is literally impossible to concentrate on anything with bickering children in the background!! I did manage to find time twice to do it without distractions. I really liked imagining turning on a “love faucet” in my heart. I am not sure I liked the mention of negative thoughts during this exercise, only because I wasn’t thinking of any until it was suggested that I give them loving-kindness as well. I would recommend this guided loving-kindness exercise to others because it does resonate into the rest of your day after you have completed it. The concept of a “mental workout” refers to your mind’s ability to strengthen itself through exercise. The loving-kindness exercise can help your mind strengthen it’s ability for love and kindness, while studying or brain games can help you exercise your mind’s ability to absorb and retain new information. I would use the loving-kindness exercise to help me get through frustrating encounters with less than reasonable co-workers or to interact more kindly with my children. For now, I think my college courses are exercising my brain enough!!