Hi Everyone!
Wow, I can't believe how fast these past ten weeks have gone by and how much I have learned! It has certainly been a pleasure to work with all of you and I want to thank everyone for how much you have done for me and helped me to grow. That being said, the review activity this week was certainly interesting. The growth from week 3 to now has been steady and it will continue to grow even after the closure of this course.
In week three I scored myself with a five in all three categories, psychological, physical, and spiritual well being. My thought at the time was that I felt that I was probably about average in all of them, but knew there was room for growth. For goals and activities I kept my mind open to the idea of continuing to assess and reevaluate as I progressed through the class and take what I was learning and apply it towards setting and reaching realistic goals. Throughout the course I have been making and implementing new goals. Physically I am more aware of my eating habits and choices and have started switching out the unhealthy food and replacing it with "good for you" food, such as cut up veggies as my side for lunch instead of chips. For both Psychological and Spiritual the meditation practices have helped me to focus on my well-being and embrace the inner soul.
I believe I truly have grown in my overall well-being and integral health over the past several weeks. I have found the meditation practices to be especially helpful in calming my mind and soul. The loving kindness, while certainly not mastered, will continue to be a "work in progress" for me to practice and continue to integrate into my everyday life. I feel that I have already improved both professional and personal relationships by bringing into my life the everyday practical exercises and practices. I am more calm, open, and relaxed and this in turn helps me in my relationships by being welcoming, understanding and loving.
Sandy
Monday, February 20, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Unit 9 Blog Exercise: My Personal Integral Health Plan
Hello Everyone!
Thanks to you for all your help during the past nine weeks! Each and every one of you have helped me to be able to prepare my personal Integral Health Plan. I hope you will enjoy reading through it and welcome any comments and suggestions you have for me!
Introduction: It is important for professionals in the health and wellness field to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically in their own personal health plan and their practice in order for them to truly understand the benefits themselves. In this way, they will have embraced integral health and it prepares and assists them to fully work in partnership with their patients and help them to determine the real source of their suffering and needs.
My personal integral health plan shows a need to develop in all the areas to achieve the goals I have for myself. However, I now know that if I can really get a handle on the mind-body-spirit aspect and grow and strengthen the psychological health, it will in turn help me improve the other two. By working on all three, I will be able to achieve integral health, and my mind is key. Developing and keeping it open will in turn provide for me a calm and welcoming environment to relieve stress, welcome the spiritual connection, and motivate me to meet my physical needs.
Assessment: To help assess where I currently am in my personal health for each of the domains I reviewed the personal assessment guide and the levels/lines of development model (Dacher, 2006, p. 111 – 114). Using a scale of one to ten, I think that I would fall at about a four in spiritual (below average) because although I have a basis for my spirituality, I need to reconnect and work on improving my belief system. Physically, I am probably at about a five (average) because I do recognize and work on making good choices regarding dietary needs and trying to follow an exercise routine. Psychologically I am probably a little higher at a six (above average) because I have a strong desire to always continue learning, am very open to new ideas, and exploring new possibilities.
Goal Development: For my spiritual goal I plan on reconnecting with my religious practices and community. I have somewhere along the line fallen out of the habit of weekly attending church and interacting with the community in prayer and fellowship. Fortunately I have a very solid foundation to build and grow on and for now it is just initially finding a new “home” to feel welcome in, find comfort, and to provide direction for future growth.
I have definitely taken a step backwards in my physical well being. Having been in the military I was at one time in my life in top physical form relating to my exercise routine and program. Having to adjust my routine due to not only age, but also the restrictions caused by the tumor removal and bone repair in my leg did contribute to the break in my routine and pattern. I am now exploring new opportunities for my exercise program and found that swimming, bike riding, elliptical training and walking all fall within my new physical exercise parameter.
Psychological goals include continuing the meditation practices introduced to me over the past several weeks. I have found these practices to be very beneficial in reducing my stress levels, relaxing my body and opening my mind to a sense of well being that I have not previously experienced and enjoyed.
Practices for personal health: Physically the strategies I have devised are centered on continuing to improve my overall body strength while focusing on exercise and healthy eating styles. I have set myself up for variety in my exercise program by joining the YMCA to allow me access to their pool, equipment, and classes. In my home I have set up a treadmill and elliptical machine in my basement for when I don’t want to go out to exercise. With the warmer weather coming I will also be taking longer walks to exercise my dogs. To ensure I continue to take care when choosing my dietary needs I have once again joined weight watchers. This provides me with the opportunity to be with people who share ideas as well as their struggles and there is also a sense of community and support that does not criticize or judge.
Psychological strategies will definitely include working with the mediation exercises that I have learned over the past several weeks. Another thought I am exploring is looking into the assistance of a life coach to help me with the exercises to be able to get more value from them. I am very open to learning new practices to help me with my journey and accepting that not everyone has the same beliefs and/or needs. I will continue to work to find what is best for me and how I can then in turn help those with what I have learned.
Spiritually I think the loving kindness exercises and practice will really help me to grow. This is an area that I am currently struggling to learn and incorporate as a “natural” state or presence in my life. I tend to be open minded and have loving nature, but there is a basic resistance to strangers that makes me “hold back” and be somewhat reserved. Although I do have my religious beliefs, I do not practice them as well as I could. Even though I spend many hours in volunteer activities, I need to be more directly involved in activities that will benefit the religious community; that will in turn also provide spiritual growth.
Commitment: Over the next six months I am going to keep a journal. I will record my activities, chart my progress and write down my thoughts. I will continually evaluate what is working well, what could be improved upon, and what is not working at all, and make adjustments. At the end of the six months I am confident I will find myself moving nicely along the path to my integral health. I want to be working my mind, body, and spirit in unison, and I will be finding myself reaping the benefits of all my hard work and dedication.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Week 8 Bogging Exercise
Hello Everyone!
For this weeks exercise we have to choose two practices that we think are the most beneficial to us. Although I think I have learned a tremendous amount over the course of the weeks and they will all help me, I think the two that I find I am actually using the most are the ones from Week 5, Subtle Mind and now from Week 7, Meeting Aesclepius. The subtle mind has me focusing on my breathing, evenly, deeply, and pushing aside random thoughts. I think this is really important to clear the mind and allow yourself time to relax and truly get in tune with the mind, body and spirit. I think I liked the Meeting Aesclepius a lot because it asked us to focus on our personal "wise one". For me, thinking about my Grandmother and bringing her mind, body, and spirit really helps me to associate and visualize through her wisdom, strength and loving kindess entering me.
Overall I believe that practicing the various exercises and becoming adept at them will enhance the overall wellness of ones mind, spirit, and body. I can feel the tenseness ease and move out of my body when I practice the medidation practices and this in turn allows me to be more open and welcoming. I continue to practice the loving kindness exercises, but I still struggle with them, but have not given up hope!
For this weeks exercise we have to choose two practices that we think are the most beneficial to us. Although I think I have learned a tremendous amount over the course of the weeks and they will all help me, I think the two that I find I am actually using the most are the ones from Week 5, Subtle Mind and now from Week 7, Meeting Aesclepius. The subtle mind has me focusing on my breathing, evenly, deeply, and pushing aside random thoughts. I think this is really important to clear the mind and allow yourself time to relax and truly get in tune with the mind, body and spirit. I think I liked the Meeting Aesclepius a lot because it asked us to focus on our personal "wise one". For me, thinking about my Grandmother and bringing her mind, body, and spirit really helps me to associate and visualize through her wisdom, strength and loving kindess entering me.
Overall I believe that practicing the various exercises and becoming adept at them will enhance the overall wellness of ones mind, spirit, and body. I can feel the tenseness ease and move out of my body when I practice the medidation practices and this in turn allows me to be more open and welcoming. I continue to practice the loving kindness exercises, but I still struggle with them, but have not given up hope!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Week 7 Blogging Exercise
Hi Everyone....
This has been a "strange" week for me and my studies. In attempting to concentrate with my homework, I have found myself distracted, unfocused and even a little anxious. So, what better time than to try to the meditation practice to see if I can bring myself back into balance? Finally I have the house to myself, it is quiet and there will be no interruptions.
I began listening to the meditation practice and envisioned an individual that I have always thought to be my "wise one" - my grandmother. It was wonderful to close my eyes, relax and bring her image into my mind. Her kindness, her love, her wisdom and her smile, all helped me to focus on the exercise. I still had points where I would drift away from the actual exercise of feeling the white energy from her to me through the mind, throat and heart, but those side thoughts were still of my grandmother and all she had brought to my world. She has been gone 20 years now, but she is still my "wise one". Through this exercise, as well as many of the others we have practiced, I did feel a sense of calm come over me. In particular with my grandmother, I felt a sense of warmth and definitely her loving kindness entering me and circulating. I believe if I truly want to practice and master loving kindness, thoughts of her and this exercise would be key. As I am writing this I no longer feel anxious and unsettled. I am feeling more balanced and calm.
Regarding the text quote "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself", I believe this relates and applies to the health and medical community to look to themselves for where they are relating to their own integral health. If they themselves are not advocates of or understand the importance of the mind, body, spirit connection how can they hope to understand and help those who come to them for healing? By implementing this themselves, they can come to understand its importance and truly help integrate it with their medical practice and begin the total healing process.
Sandy
This has been a "strange" week for me and my studies. In attempting to concentrate with my homework, I have found myself distracted, unfocused and even a little anxious. So, what better time than to try to the meditation practice to see if I can bring myself back into balance? Finally I have the house to myself, it is quiet and there will be no interruptions.
I began listening to the meditation practice and envisioned an individual that I have always thought to be my "wise one" - my grandmother. It was wonderful to close my eyes, relax and bring her image into my mind. Her kindness, her love, her wisdom and her smile, all helped me to focus on the exercise. I still had points where I would drift away from the actual exercise of feeling the white energy from her to me through the mind, throat and heart, but those side thoughts were still of my grandmother and all she had brought to my world. She has been gone 20 years now, but she is still my "wise one". Through this exercise, as well as many of the others we have practiced, I did feel a sense of calm come over me. In particular with my grandmother, I felt a sense of warmth and definitely her loving kindness entering me and circulating. I believe if I truly want to practice and master loving kindness, thoughts of her and this exercise would be key. As I am writing this I no longer feel anxious and unsettled. I am feeling more balanced and calm.
Regarding the text quote "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself", I believe this relates and applies to the health and medical community to look to themselves for where they are relating to their own integral health. If they themselves are not advocates of or understand the importance of the mind, body, spirit connection how can they hope to understand and help those who come to them for healing? By implementing this themselves, they can come to understand its importance and truly help integrate it with their medical practice and begin the total healing process.
Sandy
Monday, January 23, 2012
Week 6 Blogging Exercises
Hello Everyone!
The first part of our exercise this week dealt with the Loving Kindness exercises on page 93 of the Dacher book. I tried this exercise several times before I got comfortable with it. I think I like the guided exercises better in some ways because they "nudge" you through, can bring you back when your mind wanders, and help you to stay with it easier. Initially the difficulty I had was remembering all four lines to repeat over in my mind. I actually had to break them down and take them one at a time, because my mind would wander and I would forget the phrase. This meant I would have to open my eyes, re-read the phrase and start over again. It was very start/stop at first. Eventually I was able to perform the exercise and can see how it would be very helpful in shifting towards universal loving-kindness.
For the second part of our exercise and the integral assessment process, I found this to be one that I will definitely need to keep working on and will be an ongoing process. I was able to identify some areas that I can start working on right away, such as I know that my body needs help both nutritionally (I really need to eat more balanced meals) and my fitness program needs to be taken up a notch. Spiritually I would like to get back into the habit of going to church and this is definitely an area in my life that is ready for growth and development.
Sandy
The first part of our exercise this week dealt with the Loving Kindness exercises on page 93 of the Dacher book. I tried this exercise several times before I got comfortable with it. I think I like the guided exercises better in some ways because they "nudge" you through, can bring you back when your mind wanders, and help you to stay with it easier. Initially the difficulty I had was remembering all four lines to repeat over in my mind. I actually had to break them down and take them one at a time, because my mind would wander and I would forget the phrase. This meant I would have to open my eyes, re-read the phrase and start over again. It was very start/stop at first. Eventually I was able to perform the exercise and can see how it would be very helpful in shifting towards universal loving-kindness.
For the second part of our exercise and the integral assessment process, I found this to be one that I will definitely need to keep working on and will be an ongoing process. I was able to identify some areas that I can start working on right away, such as I know that my body needs help both nutritionally (I really need to eat more balanced meals) and my fitness program needs to be taken up a notch. Spiritually I would like to get back into the habit of going to church and this is definitely an area in my life that is ready for growth and development.
Sandy
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Week 5 Blogging Exercise: The Subtle Mind
Hello Everyone!
This weeks exercise was a much more positive experience than last weeks of Loving Kindness. I found it so much easier to focus on breathing in and out, using my nose as the focal point. I could feel the air come through and then feel it release back out. The sounds of the waves coming in and out were much less distracting for me, and frankly less annoying than I found them to be with the Loving Kindness exercise. I had an easier time pushing the random thoughts aside during the Subtle Mind exercise as opposed to trying to bring in thoughts (especially the pain or anger ones) with the Loving Kindness exercise.
Throughout the Subtle Mind exercise I felt myself more relaxed, yet more in tune to the mind, spirit, and body experience. In letting go of the random thoughts, I was able to "feel" and visualize the softness of waves moving in and out as if on the shore, or maybe comparing it to feeling like clouds were gentling moving. Another visual was one of a whirlpool. When pushing away the thoughts and visuals, it still "felt" as if there was a gentle swirling sensation.
What was also interesting was that at one point during the exercise one of my dogs jumped into my lap. At some level I knew he was there, but contrary to what I normally do (acknowledge, pat his head, etc.), this time I was just able to keep myself in my mind. I didn't automatically reach out to scratch his head, or even acknowledge his presence. It was as if I was able to push that thought away too. My hands just stayed relaxed my lap, and eventually I knew he had jumped back off the chair, but again, it was a thought that was easily pushed away.
Overall this exercise for me was much easier. I truly struggled with my attempts at the Loving Kindness exercise last week each time I attempted it. I believe the connection of the Subtle Mind exercise for me would be much more integral for my overall wellness and could be easier to integrate. It is something that could easily be done in small periods of time and in various locations.
This weeks exercise was a much more positive experience than last weeks of Loving Kindness. I found it so much easier to focus on breathing in and out, using my nose as the focal point. I could feel the air come through and then feel it release back out. The sounds of the waves coming in and out were much less distracting for me, and frankly less annoying than I found them to be with the Loving Kindness exercise. I had an easier time pushing the random thoughts aside during the Subtle Mind exercise as opposed to trying to bring in thoughts (especially the pain or anger ones) with the Loving Kindness exercise.
Throughout the Subtle Mind exercise I felt myself more relaxed, yet more in tune to the mind, spirit, and body experience. In letting go of the random thoughts, I was able to "feel" and visualize the softness of waves moving in and out as if on the shore, or maybe comparing it to feeling like clouds were gentling moving. Another visual was one of a whirlpool. When pushing away the thoughts and visuals, it still "felt" as if there was a gentle swirling sensation.
What was also interesting was that at one point during the exercise one of my dogs jumped into my lap. At some level I knew he was there, but contrary to what I normally do (acknowledge, pat his head, etc.), this time I was just able to keep myself in my mind. I didn't automatically reach out to scratch his head, or even acknowledge his presence. It was as if I was able to push that thought away too. My hands just stayed relaxed my lap, and eventually I knew he had jumped back off the chair, but again, it was a thought that was easily pushed away.
Overall this exercise for me was much easier. I truly struggled with my attempts at the Loving Kindness exercise last week each time I attempted it. I believe the connection of the Subtle Mind exercise for me would be much more integral for my overall wellness and could be easier to integrate. It is something that could easily be done in small periods of time and in various locations.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Another attempt at loving kindness exercise
Hello Everyone!
Today I took just a portion of the loving kindness exercise and practiced it again. This morning I found myself at the hospital with my daughter who is 21. She needed outpatient surgery and we spent the better part of the day in an emotional and at times scary state of mind. When we first got her there and were waiting for her surgery, I just kept thinking about the classes I have taken on relaxation, breathing and calming my mind. I didn't allow any negative thoughts to enter my head, kept myself calm, and let the events unfold.
After the surgery when she was in the period of observation before going home, I really could feel all the love for her and drew that emotion into my heart. I concentrated on trying to draw in her pain, wanting to neutralize it in my heart, and then pushing back the warm, calming effect to ease her. Honestly, I don't know if it worked or not, but there definitely was a "quietness" that we felt. At one point she was able to nod off and just rest, and this was before any pain medication was administered (she was too sick to her stomach to add pain meds on top of it).
Just thought I would share. I am trying to keep an open mind about all we are learning in this class! Maybe the key for me is to take some of these harder exercises a little part at a time. More to come... and share... in future weeks I'm sure!
Sandy
Today I took just a portion of the loving kindness exercise and practiced it again. This morning I found myself at the hospital with my daughter who is 21. She needed outpatient surgery and we spent the better part of the day in an emotional and at times scary state of mind. When we first got her there and were waiting for her surgery, I just kept thinking about the classes I have taken on relaxation, breathing and calming my mind. I didn't allow any negative thoughts to enter my head, kept myself calm, and let the events unfold.
After the surgery when she was in the period of observation before going home, I really could feel all the love for her and drew that emotion into my heart. I concentrated on trying to draw in her pain, wanting to neutralize it in my heart, and then pushing back the warm, calming effect to ease her. Honestly, I don't know if it worked or not, but there definitely was a "quietness" that we felt. At one point she was able to nod off and just rest, and this was before any pain medication was administered (she was too sick to her stomach to add pain meds on top of it).
Just thought I would share. I am trying to keep an open mind about all we are learning in this class! Maybe the key for me is to take some of these harder exercises a little part at a time. More to come... and share... in future weeks I'm sure!
Sandy
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