Unit 8

I really enjoyed all of the exercises and feel as though with time and patience they could all be very beneficial. I really enjoyed sitting quietly listening to the speaker, the background sounds (waves and flutes) and trying to visualize the colors from each body part, as well as seeing the wise person, allowing their wisdom to become our own. I think the two I will implement for my regular mental fitness will be practicing loving kindness, even when I am frustrated in my daily life I am going to put kindness and love in my heart for others, also I would like to practice meditation daily. I have been working on my meditation, mostly in the car on my commute to work as well as the drive home. I turn off the radio and hear only background sound, clear my thoughts and just drive. I feel as though clearing my mind is becoming easier it keeps me focused on things I can control at the moment allowing the worry and stress to melt away.

Unit 7: Meeting Aesclepius.

My experience this week was difficult, when asked to picture a wise loving person I could not stop picturing my great grandmother. I can only remember small bits of her but when we were to sit imagine sitting across from this person I became emotional. I then made up this person, I thought of someone who had no worries, no stress and was very loving and kind. I imagined that the light from their head, throat and heart beamed from them into me and then that their energy and being poured into me from the top of my head to the bottoms of my feet. This was very soothing and made me feel very calm, as well as the sounds of the waves crashing in the background. I do feel that these exercises have increased my psychological and spiritual wellness because I am dealing with situations in my day differently allowing things that would upset me greatly to rush over me like water and I am letting go easier rather than holding on to them. To continue my health & wellness I will practice these exercises and allow myself to cultivate good thoughts and abandon bad ones.

The saying "one cannot lead another where one has not gone himself " is like the old saying " practice what you preach " if you tell others they should get more exercise and eat healthier foods while sitting on the couch with greasy fast food you not practicing the advice you are providing. In the healthcare profession this is very common, doctors and nurses work odd hours, get little sleep, little exercise and poor nutrition then they tell their patients that all these things are bad and lead to poor health.
I do feel as though I have an obligation as a professional to do the things that I advise these clients to do in their lives. You can only describe experiences you have had which will ultimately assist clients in their goals and help us support them with their struggles if we understand and have dealt with the same.

Unit 6.

May all individuals gain freedom from suffering.
May all individuals find sustained health, happiness, and wholeness.
May I assist all individuals in gaining freedom from suffering.
May I assist all individuals in finding health, happiness, and wholeness.

I really enjoyed this exercise, I found that just saying these things made me smile and feel something inside. That to me is what Loving Kindness is all about, "feeling" something inside us and sharing it with others. This is an exercise I want to use more often I think it will continuously remind me of my goals and will keep feeling happy, healthy, and whole.

The Integral Assessment was interesting, I quietly sat and asked which aspect in my life: psychospiritual, biological, interpersonal, or worldly is causing me suffering or difficulty.  I then realized that it is a combination of all four that I struggle with sometimes at the same time and separately at other times. I believe that discovering that we need some focus and change is our first step to growth and development. I am focusing at the moment on reducing the amount of daily stress in my life, more quiet, calm and stillness to refocus my goals and set them clearly in my mind.

Dacher, E. (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Basic Health Publications, Inc.

Ali

The Subtle Mind.

I liked the subtle mind exercise, it was very relaxing and I adore the sound of the waves it takes me to the beach and I can almost smell the saltwater. I have difficulties staying still, as well as the breathing but I am working on them. Both of these exercises allowed me to sit quietly and slip into my mind, focusing on the words of the speaker which was quite relaxing and calming to me. I was uncomfortable with the loving kindness exercise due to all the love thoughts, and found it easier with the subtle mind exercise to tame my busy mind for a bit. I really enjoyed the flute sounds that played in the background.

I believe the connection of mental wellness to spiritual wellness is very important, with an open mind we are more aware and embracing spiritually. When our mind is free of chatter, thoughts, and feelings we allow clarity to shine through like sun through a window.
When we have physical wellness our body is calm, our mind still and worry free and spiritually well. This is when we have found wholeness when mind, body, and spirit all have balanced wellness.

In my personal life I struggle a bit with the balance and staying well. I let people's thoughts and words affect me way more than I should. I do however pride myself on the progress I have made I have lessened my temper, focused on goals and achieved inner strength.