I thought the loving-kindness exercise was easier for me to focus than the one that I tried on the cd. It was short and easy to repeat. It was also hard for other thoughts to come to mind when I was concentrating on the lines I was repeating, therefore harder for my mind to wander. I still find it harder to really feel genuine when I speak about all individuals in the world. It is so much easier to feel the genuine feelings and emotions when you are speaking of family and close friends. However, I am sure it comes with continual practice and mental exercise.
The integral assessment is an interesting and intriguing idea. It is something that I have been trying to do for the last few years and I do not think I realized it nor knew exactly how to go about it. However, a few years ago I became ill and I still really do not know what it was. However, I lost about 20 pounds in a month, because I could not eat. I was nervous, anxious, fatigued, it was crazy. I could not sleep at night, I slept sitting up on the couch in small dozes. I went to the doctor several times. They did tests and could really not find anything wrong. I was really stressed at the time over our business that we owned. I really believe that it was stress related. Anyway, I began to try self-help and alternative ideas to try and get better. So, I bought some Deepak Chopra books and cds, along with, Andrew Weil, and Eckhart Tolle. I started reading and listening to meditation exercises and reading about better diet and nutrition. I actually had started a physical workout routine a couple years before this. After a few weeks things started getting better. I was less anxious, and nervous and was able to eat alittle better. I slowly began gaining some weight back and overall as time went on I really did feel better than I had before all this happened.
I am glad that this class has helped remind me of the benefits that I gained from that experience so I will get back into a regular routine again of mental exercise and meditation. This time I feel that my physical workout, my nutrition, and work relations are good. However, I need help and improvement in some family relationships. Because of our family business some relationships have been strained and really need improvement so that is what I want to concentrate and improve on.
I think the loving-kindness exercise is one of the best ones to help improve this relationship as well as all relationships in the world. If we all practiced loving-kindness there would be no wars or need for armies. We discover that we get love by giving love and that love is abundant rather than scarce. We flourish in our relationships (Dacher, 2006).
In Whole Health
Michelle C.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
Subtle Mind Exercise
So I just completed listening to the subtle mind exercise by Dacher. I feel like I responded to this one alittle bit better the first time than I did the loving-kindness exercise. I liked how the speaker asked questions or commented during the exercise so you could work on visualizing what you were working on. She talked but yet gave you plenty of silent time to practice what she had talked about. It was hard for my mind to stay focused on my breath especially in the beginning and at the end. I was anxious in the beginning and at the end I lost focus but in the middle I did very well with it. The loving kindness exercise was harder to visualize and feel when she was talking about other people but when she talked about family members the feelings of love would return. The subtle mind exercise was all about breathing and not so much about emotion.
She did comment on the fact that in the beginning of mental exercises it is typical to literally have to force yourself to stay focused but just as with anything else, practice makes it easier. I certainly can see where mental fitness and mental awareness can and will help you in your life in every aspect. Overall, to make a simple statement I think mental fitness makes you healthier because your mind is healthy and happy and the mind controls the body...simple. right? Of course, its not as simple as it sounds. It takes a regular committment to becoming mentally fit just as it does to becoming physically fit. I would like to make these exercises a daily routine for myself. I feel that this will help me and also I can pass the experience to my clients and hope that it can help them as well. I have a physical workout routine that I do daily and have for many years, so I know I can make the committment to do the workouts, I just have to get it started.
In Mental Health
Michelle
She did comment on the fact that in the beginning of mental exercises it is typical to literally have to force yourself to stay focused but just as with anything else, practice makes it easier. I certainly can see where mental fitness and mental awareness can and will help you in your life in every aspect. Overall, to make a simple statement I think mental fitness makes you healthier because your mind is healthy and happy and the mind controls the body...simple. right? Of course, its not as simple as it sounds. It takes a regular committment to becoming mentally fit just as it does to becoming physically fit. I would like to make these exercises a daily routine for myself. I feel that this will help me and also I can pass the experience to my clients and hope that it can help them as well. I have a physical workout routine that I do daily and have for many years, so I know I can make the committment to do the workouts, I just have to get it started.
In Mental Health
Michelle
Friday, November 11, 2011
Psychospiritual Flourishing
Wow! This class that I am taking has become to be an exciting, interesting, and truly amazing experience. During this unit we are beginning to practice mental exercises. I listened to an audio cd by Elliott Dacher with the loving-kindness practice mental exercise.
I did not find it as beneficial as some of the short meditation mental exercises we have done in our seminars. This however, was longer and I had a harder time staying focused. Part of my problem seemed to be the voices. My mind and body did not seem to respond as willingly and easily to their voices. I did like part of the exercise where you thought about someone you loved very much and thought about that love and tried to pour that love into yourself and others. It did make you think about the love that you had for that person and how you felt about them and try to spread that love to other people and yourself, and tried to make you feel that same feeling come over you like it would with that person you loved so much. It is hard to describe this exercise and the feelings that you have when you are doing the exercise but it is an experience.
The breathing exercise at the end and trying to take away the suffering from someone you know who is ill
and breathing health and wellbeing into them was a great feeling. I actually felt as I inhaled I was taking their illness away and I was breathing life into her while I was exhaling.
Overall, I liked the exercise and the experience. I will do it a few more times and see how the experience unfolds. It could be a beginning to a good mental workout. A good mental workout has been proven to
unfold a sharper, clearer mind yet calmer and relaxed. In order to develop our mind and our mental fitness we must practice just as we do for many other things in life like our physical workouts, or our music lessons, anything that we want to develop and get better at. Mental workouts which bring about loving-kindness and wisdom which are the essential elements that heal at the source and drive human flourishing (Dacher, 2006).
In whole health
Michelle
Dacher, E.S. Integral Health, The Path to Human Flourishing, (2006) Basic Health Publications: Laguna
Beach, CA
I did not find it as beneficial as some of the short meditation mental exercises we have done in our seminars. This however, was longer and I had a harder time staying focused. Part of my problem seemed to be the voices. My mind and body did not seem to respond as willingly and easily to their voices. I did like part of the exercise where you thought about someone you loved very much and thought about that love and tried to pour that love into yourself and others. It did make you think about the love that you had for that person and how you felt about them and try to spread that love to other people and yourself, and tried to make you feel that same feeling come over you like it would with that person you loved so much. It is hard to describe this exercise and the feelings that you have when you are doing the exercise but it is an experience.
The breathing exercise at the end and trying to take away the suffering from someone you know who is ill
and breathing health and wellbeing into them was a great feeling. I actually felt as I inhaled I was taking their illness away and I was breathing life into her while I was exhaling.
Overall, I liked the exercise and the experience. I will do it a few more times and see how the experience unfolds. It could be a beginning to a good mental workout. A good mental workout has been proven to
unfold a sharper, clearer mind yet calmer and relaxed. In order to develop our mind and our mental fitness we must practice just as we do for many other things in life like our physical workouts, or our music lessons, anything that we want to develop and get better at. Mental workouts which bring about loving-kindness and wisdom which are the essential elements that heal at the source and drive human flourishing (Dacher, 2006).
In whole health
Michelle
Dacher, E.S. Integral Health, The Path to Human Flourishing, (2006) Basic Health Publications: Laguna
Beach, CA
Saturday, November 5, 2011
My Goals and My Health
Some interesting questions to reflect on this week and try to answer. I think that my physical wellbeing is at an 8. I exercise daily with at least 45 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity and do strength training at least 2 and sometimes 3 days per week. I have been doing this for over 10 years. I also watch my diet, and do not eat red meat at all, no pork, and only chicken breasts, fish, and nothing fried. My diet is high in fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. However, I am still having issues with hormones. I am going to be 49 very very soon and I have tried many alternative and natural remedies for sweats, hot flashes, and just overall irritability and they have not helped. I am going to see my doctor next week to see what he recommends. I have a great doctor. Which by the way, I think is important to overall health, is that you have a great doctor that you feel comfortable talking about your health concerns.
My spiritual life is less adequate at this time I think. I would say I am at about a 6 or 7. I believe in god and have attended a few different churches in my life. A couple that I attended for many years and enjoyed. However, at this time I pray daily but do not attend a church and being around people with similar beliefs is important support. I have friends and family but do not have a spiritual group that I belong to right now.
Psychological wellness is think is about the same as my physical wellness probably about an 8. Overall, I feel centered, balanced, and grounded. I am overall happy with my life and the way things are going. Of course, there are things I do not like but just have to deal with them. I do try and do a yoga class or breathing exercise at least a couple of days a week to help with calming and relaxation. I do need stress relief now and again.
My goals for myself in the three categories that I talked about above would be to contine my daily exercise regimen and to see my doctor to help alleviate my menopause symptoms. Of course incorporate his suggestions into my life to help these symptoms. For the spiritual goal, I have been thinking and looking into a church that I would like to begin attending. I would like to find a church home again like I have had in the past. Ultimately, my mental goal is to take time daily to a relaxation or breathing exercise to help keep my wellbeing calm, peaceful, and less stressed.
I think by continuing my daily exercise routine, adding a regular church attendance, and doing my relaxation and breathing exercise daily I will begin to get all three of these important qualities in my life closer to the 10.
After listening and trying the relaxation exercise for unit 3 I did not like it as well as I thought I would. I think the color thing did not do well for me. The mans voice was rather irritating to me as well. I guess some times some voices are more soothing and calming than others. I did not find his to be either for me. Also, normally when I concentrate on my breath it relaxes me and I feel like my body is relaxing and following along smoothly and easily to the commands without me even trying. However, this time I tried to image the colors along with the origin of these colors like at the base of the spine and just below the belly button. When I tried to concentrate on the colors I could not relax and my visualization was not working. I think part of it was I was trying to do it in the middle of the day when maybe I felt I should be doing other things. I will try it again one evening when I am more ready.
In Health
Michelle
My spiritual life is less adequate at this time I think. I would say I am at about a 6 or 7. I believe in god and have attended a few different churches in my life. A couple that I attended for many years and enjoyed. However, at this time I pray daily but do not attend a church and being around people with similar beliefs is important support. I have friends and family but do not have a spiritual group that I belong to right now.
Psychological wellness is think is about the same as my physical wellness probably about an 8. Overall, I feel centered, balanced, and grounded. I am overall happy with my life and the way things are going. Of course, there are things I do not like but just have to deal with them. I do try and do a yoga class or breathing exercise at least a couple of days a week to help with calming and relaxation. I do need stress relief now and again.
My goals for myself in the three categories that I talked about above would be to contine my daily exercise regimen and to see my doctor to help alleviate my menopause symptoms. Of course incorporate his suggestions into my life to help these symptoms. For the spiritual goal, I have been thinking and looking into a church that I would like to begin attending. I would like to find a church home again like I have had in the past. Ultimately, my mental goal is to take time daily to a relaxation or breathing exercise to help keep my wellbeing calm, peaceful, and less stressed.
I think by continuing my daily exercise routine, adding a regular church attendance, and doing my relaxation and breathing exercise daily I will begin to get all three of these important qualities in my life closer to the 10.
After listening and trying the relaxation exercise for unit 3 I did not like it as well as I thought I would. I think the color thing did not do well for me. The mans voice was rather irritating to me as well. I guess some times some voices are more soothing and calming than others. I did not find his to be either for me. Also, normally when I concentrate on my breath it relaxes me and I feel like my body is relaxing and following along smoothly and easily to the commands without me even trying. However, this time I tried to image the colors along with the origin of these colors like at the base of the spine and just below the belly button. When I tried to concentrate on the colors I could not relax and my visualization was not working. I think part of it was I was trying to do it in the middle of the day when maybe I felt I should be doing other things. I will try it again one evening when I am more ready.
In Health
Michelle
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