Since I come from an island, I love being on the beaches and everything that surrounds it. I love the smell of the water, the feeling of grains in the sands and I love listening to the sounds of the water hitting the shores of the beach. Having said that, besides the sounds of the water in the background, this is one exercise I do not particularly enjoy. Just the voice talking in the beginning of the track made it difficult to relax. No matter how much I try to remain calm and focus on relaxing, I just couldn’t get comfortable during the entire exercise. The voice of the woman was very stern and not calming like the past two relaxation exercises in Unit 2 and 3. I could not focus and could not follow through the entire exercise. Probably if they had removed the voice of the woman and kept the background sounds or maybe changed the voice to a more soothing and calming voice like the past two relaxation exercises, this exercise could have changed my opinion. I thought it was a waste of time for me. So to answer the question whether I found it beneficial or would I recommend it to others, I would say no. If I found it difficult to follow, I feel they will have a difficult time following it as well. I want others to receive the same feelings and experience I felt when I listened to the past two relaxation exercises. I want others to feel positive and get a sense of peace like I did. Therefore, this is one exercise I would not want others to experience.
Hi Diana,
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I had a bit of a struggle with this exercise as well. I also thought the voices were not as soothing as the other two tracks we listened to previouslly, and I felt uncomfortable as I tried to follow the prompts. Likewise, the only thing that provided some relaxation was the sound of the crashing waves, which I thought was really helpful. Other than that, I literally had to force myself to complete this one.
As such, I have mixed feelings about recommending this one as it was a struggle for me; so I don’t think it would be beneficial in the sense that it might be unpleasant for some people. All I can say is try it and see if it appeals to you. On that note, some students apparently had a much better experience. I have been reading some of their blogs, and they found this exercise to be both enjoyable and beneficial…even with the irksome voices. However, it is my understanding that this particular exercise was not to evoke relaxation but to work the mind…very much like a physical workout. As ironic as it seems, physical exercises can be really hard to do, but we push ourselves because we realize the health benefits and feel invigorated afterward. I found that once I allowed my mind to focus on other people’s suffering instead of my disruptive thoughts and feelings, I was able to remain calm in spite of the initial discomfort. Also, I was able to feel a sense of peace after the exercise, which made me feel positive about my “mental workout” endeavor.
As I mentioned in my post, it took some effort; just like any physical activity, but I felt it was worth it. I hope you give it a try again soon…maybe what might help is to get past the irksome voices by using your imagination to get you there. But, I respect your opinion and this particular exercise might not be your cup of tea.
Yours in health,
Allana
I have to agree with both of you - it was difficult to find my "center" and relax enough for this one. I assume that the moments of silence were to relax more but near the end I found myself wondering if the track was going to do anything else. The sound of waves was quite relaxing but I still don't like the voice choice. Allana actually helped me think of something that might help us though. At the end Allana said "might not be your cup of tea" and I realized something: tea! I am going to try the relaxation exercise again but drink tea to calm myself and maybe that will help. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteDiana,
ReplyDeleteI must say I have to agree with your assessment of this relaxation exercise. I did not find it relaxing except for the background sound of the waves. If they would have left that it would have been wonderful. I was totally relaxed with that alone. The sound of both voices were grating and intrusive. The calm-abiding was a bit better I could more than likely do these exercises again. I don't think I will be trying the loving-kindness again. For this I will resume my meditating exercises on the goodness of the Lord. However, I am happy for those who found these exercises helpful and beneficial.
Thanks for sharing!
Deb-