Unit 8 post

Greetings all,

Is is difficult to choose just two practices that we have reviewed. However, Loving-Kindness and Subtle Mind have been two practices that I have found very beneficial.

Loving-Kindness has been a great way for me to take a look at the bigger picture and has allowed me to take a look at how I sometimes perceive others. Instead of getting angry, or returning cruelty that is being shown to me, I can take a breath, step back and reassess my chosen response. With practice, Loving-Kindness will allow me to reduce unnecessary stress by eliminating the frustration of dealing with outside complications, anger or hurt feelings. I will learn to replace these responses with patience and understanding.

Subtle Mind has truly been beneficial in assisting me with relaxation and sleep. I live a hectic lifestyle, that offers a great deal of unexpected situations. Subtle Mind practices have helped me to reduce and control my wandering mind. Instead of allowing my random thoughts to consume me, I can acknowledge them and let them pass. Better concentration and deeper, quicker sleep has been the results thus far. I look forward to the results of continued practice.

Meeting Aesclepius

The "Meeting Aesclepius" module was a great way to focus on balancing energy movement. I integrated the "Meeting Aesclepius" practice into my regimen every day this week, and I enjoyed its benefits.

I believe that the concept behind the statement, "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself,” is very important in our ability to offer the best possible outcome for our clientele. AS a health care professional, or patients come to us for an explanation and thorough understanding of the improvement programs we present to them. Therefore, I do believe it is my responsibility as a health care professional to implement practices in my life that offer me a better understanding of psychological, physical and spiritual wellness. By taking the opportunity to implement different types of practices, then disciplining myself in those that work for my specific situation, I will have a better understanding of providing guidance to others as they seek optimal flourishing.

Unit 6 blog

The loving-kindness exercise from the Integral Health book was an interesting and relaxing experience. With the use of some relaxing background music, I worked on this exercise every afternoon throughout the week. Releasing my personal energy and allowing it to flow freely to others that are experiencing suffering was a wonderful feeling.

The Integral Assessment was nice in the fact that is offered time for an in-depth review of what areas truly needed focus. I decided that my physical health would most benefit my growth and development. I often overlook my exercise routines because I have more important things to focus on. Due to the decreased physical activity lately, I have been experiencing increased back pain, thus causing an increase in stress. In taking the initiative to focus on my physical activity as one of the "important things" that I need to accomplish, I will benefit be reducing both mental and physical stress that occurs because of my current status.

Re-implementing my daily Pilates program will encourage an increase of physical activity while assisting with reducing back pain.

Unit 5 blog post

I have enjoyed implementing both the loving kindness & the subtle mind exercises into my daily routine over the last couple of weeks. The loving kindness practice allows you to open your mind to promote positive energy from ourselves to those that we share our lives with. By taking control of our energy flow, we allow ourselves the benefit of controlling how we react to positive and negative situations, thus maintaining our internal energy. This way we are able to distribute it as we see fit, instead of emotions taking over and depleting energy.

The subtle mind exercise was a bit more difficult. It took a few days of practice. Maintaining focus and not allowing myself to be “absorbed” into my thoughts has become a much easier task. I am able to keep my focus on the present moment, instead of “wandering” with my thoughts.

Spiritual, mental and physical wellness, all go hand in hand. To maintain overall health, the focus should be placed on all of them, and the role they play improving health and wellness. Working in mainstream medicine for so many years has caused me to lose sight of the big picture. In an environment where pinpointing malfunctions in specific body systems and applying the fastest, easiest treatment, is the norm, it is hard to encourage a thought process that includes, a connection between mind, body and spirituality.

Unit 5 Project

Greetings Class,

Here is my PPP. I hope you all enjoy it and I look forward to receiving feedback!

Mental Workout

The concept of mental workout is to enhance the mind to improve personal growth and development. Incorporating practices into daily life such as guided imagery and meditation can improve our ability to understand inner life by training our thought processes to allow for a greater consciousness.

Unit 4 practice

I enjoyed the "Loving-Kindness" practice this week. I did the exercise every evening before bedtime. The experience was fantastic and left me with a sense of peace that remained with me throughout the entire week. At first, it was difficult to imagine "breathing in" the suffering of others; however, as I continued on with the exercise, it was easier to envision myself encouraging the enlightenment of others and improving the quality of life of everyone that I am fortunate enough to encounter.The waves in the background allowed for a sense of being washed clean of thoughts or feelings that did not promote loving kindness. This exercise allowed me the opportunity to "rethink" experiences and realize a better way of handling situations that I face with others. This will be a great addition to my evening journaling.