Review of Exercises

  

     Of the different exercises that I did during this course, the ones that I determined most beneficial were the loving-kindness exercise and the subtle mind exercise. They really made a strong impact on me spiritually and psychologically. I can implement loving-kindness and the subtle mind exercise into my personal and professional life by continuing to practice them every single day. Even after this course ends. In the morning before work, I will allot time to do the loving-kindness exercise, which helps with my day. After work I set aside a half hour to do the subtle mind exercise to calm my mind, and clear my racing thoughts, if any. This really helps me to wind down and to sleep. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have taken this amazing class!

Meeting Aesclepius

     This week I only focused on the meeting aesclepius meditation. I like to focus on one each week, and as I get better, I will incorporate more. The meeting aesclepius meditation was difficult at first because I didn't know who to pick as my wise teacher. Then my loving, compassionate, joyful, humorous grandpa Jack, who passed away when I was younger, came to me. He has been my guiding light through this practice. I feel more in touch with who I am, and more compassionate and understanding towards others. This meditation has made it so the little things that used to bother me so much, don't seem like such a big deal anymore. My mind is attacking itself less, and the spontaneous thoughts that controlled my actions have calmed down. This meditation, mixed with the subtle mind practice and the loving-kindness practice have helped tremendously. I will continue to apply these practices to my life, daily, by continuing to set aside time in the mornings and evenings to do at least one of the practices per day.

The saying "one cannot lead another where one has not gone himself," means that if you have not been spiritually, or psychologically where you think someone else should be, you cannot lead them there. You have not been there yourself, so you do not yet understand the journey. A health and wellness professional cannot expect to help a patient develop much further past where they themselves are developed. A health and wellness professional has an obligation  to the clients to continue their own development in every way. It's important for a health and wellness professional to keep up daily practice to further their own growth, because the further they are developed, the further they can help others develop.

In my own life, I can foster psychological and spiritual growth by focusing daily on my inner development and my physical development. Yoga and meditative practices are some of the ways this is being done, and I am slowly starting to see the results, and the light at the end of the tunnel.

Loving-Kindness and the Integral Assesment

     The universal loving kindness meditation was harder than I thought it would be. I had a hard time memorizing the four lines so I could relax and repeat them in my head, but once I did, it got easier. I found I felt a little more connected and less worried about little things after I completed the meditation. I also found after about 6 solid minutes of the meditation, I actually felt a loving energy start to build up inside me for all those people.

     After I completed the integral assessment I discovered that I am finally clear on the areas that I want to start focusing on first. This was a huge relief because earlier in the term when learning about integral health, I was feeling overwhelmed  and didn't know where I needed to start. The area that I have chosen to start working on is biological. There are things in other areas I could work on, but I chose biological because fitness, nutrition, and self regulation are three of my weakest areas. I also picked it because I feel if I can develop those areas first, developing certain other areas will come much easier. Some activities I have chosen to focus on to develop the biological area are meditation, yoga, palates and tae-bo. I also have written down what foods I will give up and have started menu planning so I choose less impulsive eating choices.

The Subtle Mind

The loving-kindness exercise, in my opinion, took more effort than the subtle mind exercise. It required more thinking, and actions. It also requires sending loving-kindness to enemies .It has gotten much easier with practice though. It also has shown to have noticeable benefits such as, I find myself being more understanding, kind and forgiving without even trying. I also have a higher tolerance level for things that should not really bother me in the first place. I absolutely loved the subtle mind exercise. I had never tried focusing on the breath to clear my mind until that exercise. It required very little effort for me and I realized that once my mind was clear, it was pretty easily kept that way. Not many thoughts tried creeping in. I also feel like with practice I could master it.

Spiritual health gives us the ability to flourish in the area of mental and physical health. Having spiritual health gives us the tools we need to manage stress, negative emotions, and the negative aspects of our lives that place wear and tear on our minds. It also teaches us to be calm, understanding, forgiving, and connected to all around us. Preventing the wear and tear on our minds leads to healthy physical health. Our thoughts send neuropeptides that carry messages to different parts of our bodies. If the thoughts our unhealthy, the message carried is unhealthy, leading to illness, disease, pain and other negative aspects. Doing mental workouts before my day has helped me manage my stress levels and mood. Exercises such as the subtle mind exercise help me at night when im trying to fall asleep. My racing mind is shut off and I sleep so much better.