I found that while both were relaxing, loving-kindness seemed more effective. With each breath, you inhaled the problems of a loved on metaphorically, allowed it to disperse, and then as you exhaled, you breath out peace and tranquility. I found this to work better for me as I felt that by letting it dissolve you feel as if you have done something about controlling it.
In contrast, with the subtle mind exercises, you breath in a set amount of breaths, and exhale, allowing yourself to find relaxation and peace, but did not focus on letting the problems dissolve in your heart. I feel like this takes away from much of the mind-body connection I feel with the loving-kindness exercise.
I have to agree with you. I did not find the subtle mind exercise to be quite as beneficial as the loving kindness exercise. I think what bothered me the most was the long breaks between each level. My mind was lost and had forgotten was back to thinking about other things. I tried and I am sure with practice these exercises would become easier. Are there any other ways that you find to relax your mind?
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