1. Practice the universal Loving Kindness (meditation) exercise on p. 93.
2. Complete the Integral Assessment discussed in chapter 11 (p.115).
3. Describe the exercise and assessment process. What did you discover about yourself? What area have you chosen to be a focus of growth and development? Why? What are some specific exercises or activities that you can implement to foster greater wellness in this area?
I found both the exercise and the assessment to be very interesting to do. However, I found that I really haven't made as much progress as I would have liked to by this point of the class. I think it is because I have not had much mental energy to spend on these exercises and for that I feel very bad. I have noticed a little bit of change, mainly in my ability to realize when I am losing my patience (with my kids, people at my job, my husband, my schoolwork, etc) and to calm myself down and not get as agitated and frustrated as I used to. This is great for my new job which is at the front desk of a very busy chiropractic office. I have to deal with lots of people and paperwork and so the ability to remain more calm is hugely helpful. Working on ever increasing my ability to recognize my emotions and thoughts and decide which of them are worthwhile and which I can ignore will be what I will be working on for a while now.
I want to continue doing meditations and focusing and increasing my awareness of myself. I know that it will make a difference in every aspect of my life and, as I continue to work on it, others will be able to tell. Maybe I'll even be able to inspire someone else to work on their personal awareness and inner health!
Thanks for reading!
Heidi
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Unit 5 Post
Your mental fitness practice this week incorporates the concept of the subtle mind (Dacher p.75). This week, replace the Loving Kindness exercise of unit four with Practice 2: The subtle mind exercise and listen to track #3 on the Dacher CD.
1.Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc.
Although I enjoyed listening to the Subtle Mind practice and did my best to quiet my mind and focus I do not think that am quite ready for it. I still have a lot of trouble "taming" my mind and have to repeatedly bring it back to the meditation and feel like I am forcefully holding it there. As a result, even though I like the meditation itself I think it would be more beneficial for me to continue with the Loving-Kindness practice for a bit longer until I have really mastered that. This was frustrating for me because usually I pick things up very quickly and require little practice or study. However, I have never tried to do this kind of mental training before so that is probably why my brain has more difficulty figuring out what it is supposed to be doing. I tend to be very analytical and I think that this is getting in the way.
2. Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life.
Spiritual wellness is a huge part of wellness in every other way. I know the times when I have felt most connected to God have been the times when I have been the most at peace with the things that are going on in my life. This does not mean that these have been the easiest times, in fact the have more likely been the more difficult ones. I was ok with that because I just knew that I was being taken care of. Lately I have been going through I harder time when I don't feel that connection and so life has seemed harder even though the reality of things has stayed about the same. I am less happy with my body and I even seem to have more aches and pains (which might just be my imagination but I don't think so). I am working to get back to that place of close connection but it is hard especially since I don't have a church to attend. Religion has always been an important part of my spirituality and without it I am having trouble finding my way back, which is negatively affecting the rest of my life.
Thanks for reading!
1.Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc.
Although I enjoyed listening to the Subtle Mind practice and did my best to quiet my mind and focus I do not think that am quite ready for it. I still have a lot of trouble "taming" my mind and have to repeatedly bring it back to the meditation and feel like I am forcefully holding it there. As a result, even though I like the meditation itself I think it would be more beneficial for me to continue with the Loving-Kindness practice for a bit longer until I have really mastered that. This was frustrating for me because usually I pick things up very quickly and require little practice or study. However, I have never tried to do this kind of mental training before so that is probably why my brain has more difficulty figuring out what it is supposed to be doing. I tend to be very analytical and I think that this is getting in the way.
2. Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life.
Spiritual wellness is a huge part of wellness in every other way. I know the times when I have felt most connected to God have been the times when I have been the most at peace with the things that are going on in my life. This does not mean that these have been the easiest times, in fact the have more likely been the more difficult ones. I was ok with that because I just knew that I was being taken care of. Lately I have been going through I harder time when I don't feel that connection and so life has seemed harder even though the reality of things has stayed about the same. I am less happy with my body and I even seem to have more aches and pains (which might just be my imagination but I don't think so). I am working to get back to that place of close connection but it is hard especially since I don't have a church to attend. Religion has always been an important part of my spirituality and without it I am having trouble finding my way back, which is negatively affecting the rest of my life.
Thanks for reading!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Unit 4
1. Describe your experience. (Did you find it beneficial? Difficult?) Why or Why not? Would you recommend this to others? Why or Why not?
I enjoyed the contemplative exercise though I have to admit I found it really hard to focus for 20 minutes. There isn't any place in my house where I can completely shut out all noise and distraction so I could always hear children yelling and running around; not the best for meditation! I hope for future exercises I can record it or copy it onto a CD so that I can practice while I am running. The time when I am out for a run is pretty much the only quiet and alone time that I get so I really want to make the most out of it! I would definitely recommend it to other people because I know that, given time and practice it can have a profoundly positive effect.
2. What is the concept of �Mental Workout? What does the research indicate are the proven benefits of a Mental Work Out? How can you implement mental workouts to foster your psychological health?
A "mental workout" refers to consciously training the mind to work towards achieving a higher sense of awareness and control over the thoughts, emotions, impulses and images that fill our everyday lives. Research has shown that individuals that practice mental fitness have brains that show greater organization and a heightened awareness. These mental workouts have to be scheduled just like anything else and, like physical workouts, can be very hard at first. The key is to keep plugging away even when it is hard and eventually it will become much easier and even very enjoyable. This needs to be a conscious effort that each of us makes to improve our daily lives and work towards living our full potential.
Thanks for reading!
Heidi
I enjoyed the contemplative exercise though I have to admit I found it really hard to focus for 20 minutes. There isn't any place in my house where I can completely shut out all noise and distraction so I could always hear children yelling and running around; not the best for meditation! I hope for future exercises I can record it or copy it onto a CD so that I can practice while I am running. The time when I am out for a run is pretty much the only quiet and alone time that I get so I really want to make the most out of it! I would definitely recommend it to other people because I know that, given time and practice it can have a profoundly positive effect.
2. What is the concept of �Mental Workout? What does the research indicate are the proven benefits of a Mental Work Out? How can you implement mental workouts to foster your psychological health?
A "mental workout" refers to consciously training the mind to work towards achieving a higher sense of awareness and control over the thoughts, emotions, impulses and images that fill our everyday lives. Research has shown that individuals that practice mental fitness have brains that show greater organization and a heightened awareness. These mental workouts have to be scheduled just like anything else and, like physical workouts, can be very hard at first. The key is to keep plugging away even when it is hard and eventually it will become much easier and even very enjoyable. This needs to be a conscious effort that each of us makes to improve our daily lives and work towards living our full potential.
Thanks for reading!
Heidi
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Unit 3 Post
Hi everyone! This is my first post to my blog; thanks for reading!
1. Based on your reflections, and on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being optimal wellbeing), where do you rate your A-physical wellbeing, B-spiritual well-being, C-psychological well-being? Why?
I would rate my physical well-being as a 7, though my husband is always insisting that I am in optimal health. I tend to be very hard on myself and never feel like I have done enough to keep myself healthy. I don't think that I would ever rate myself as a 10 just because it seems like there is always more that I could be doing.
I would rate my spiritual well-being as a 6. I grew up going to church every Sunday but find it very difficult to go now because my job requires me to work on Sunday mornings. Religion has always been a big part of my spirituality so not having that to help support me makes spiritual growth and maintenance very hard.
I would rate my psychological well-being as a 7 as well. My personal life is very stressful right now: I have a 2 year old, a 5 month old and a husband whose state of employment has been very erratic. I have a lot of trouble finding time for me around family, work and school. I am very happy to be back in school, so although it does make for one more thing to think about I consider it a very positive point in my life.
2. Develop a goal for yourself in each area (physical, spiritual, psychological).
Physically I would like to make exercise a more consistent thing. I do some sort of workout every day but I would like to push myself more and really feel the workout the next day. Spiritually I would like to find a way to return to church since that has always been a source of spiritual grounding for me. Psychologically I need to make more time just for me. This can go hand in hand with my physical development since I find physical exercise very relaxing and meditative.
3. What activities or exercise can you implement in your life to assist in moving toward each goal?
Physically I just need to step up my workouts and make more time for them so I can increase my endurance.Spiritually, aside from going to church it would be a good idea to make time everyday to talk with God and pray informally. Psychologically I need to schedule time for just me.
4. Complete the relaxation exercise The Crime of the Century. To hear this exercise, click here. Describe your experience. (What it beneficial? Frustrating? etc.)
I enjoyed this exercise and found it to be very grounding, but at the same time I had difficulty giving it all of my attention because I had so many other things running through my head.
Thanks for reading!
1. Based on your reflections, and on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being optimal wellbeing), where do you rate your A-physical wellbeing, B-spiritual well-being, C-psychological well-being? Why?
I would rate my physical well-being as a 7, though my husband is always insisting that I am in optimal health. I tend to be very hard on myself and never feel like I have done enough to keep myself healthy. I don't think that I would ever rate myself as a 10 just because it seems like there is always more that I could be doing.
I would rate my spiritual well-being as a 6. I grew up going to church every Sunday but find it very difficult to go now because my job requires me to work on Sunday mornings. Religion has always been a big part of my spirituality so not having that to help support me makes spiritual growth and maintenance very hard.
I would rate my psychological well-being as a 7 as well. My personal life is very stressful right now: I have a 2 year old, a 5 month old and a husband whose state of employment has been very erratic. I have a lot of trouble finding time for me around family, work and school. I am very happy to be back in school, so although it does make for one more thing to think about I consider it a very positive point in my life.
2. Develop a goal for yourself in each area (physical, spiritual, psychological).
Physically I would like to make exercise a more consistent thing. I do some sort of workout every day but I would like to push myself more and really feel the workout the next day. Spiritually I would like to find a way to return to church since that has always been a source of spiritual grounding for me. Psychologically I need to make more time just for me. This can go hand in hand with my physical development since I find physical exercise very relaxing and meditative.
3. What activities or exercise can you implement in your life to assist in moving toward each goal?
Physically I just need to step up my workouts and make more time for them so I can increase my endurance.Spiritually, aside from going to church it would be a good idea to make time everyday to talk with God and pray informally. Psychologically I need to schedule time for just me.
4. Complete the relaxation exercise The Crime of the Century. To hear this exercise, click here. Describe your experience. (What it beneficial? Frustrating? etc.)
I enjoyed this exercise and found it to be very grounding, but at the same time I had difficulty giving it all of my attention because I had so many other things running through my head.
Thanks for reading!
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