1. Complete the "Meeting Asciepius" exercise on track #4 of the Dacher CD. Describe your meditative practice(s) for the week and discuss the experience. Explain how mindfulness or meditation has fostered an increase in your psychological or spiritual wellness. How can you continue to apply these practices in your life to foster greater health and wellness?
I have really focused on clearing my mind of negative thoughts and energies. I was almost reluctant to share my thoughts on this topic because I did not want to come off as cliché. I use the exercises to help clear my mind but I must admit that I struggle with some of them. The exercises where you must place a white light around someone and then have that light shine on you is hard for me to do. To me they are almost placing a god-like persona on a human being and I struggle to do that aspect. However, I find myself using the principles of calming my mind in my everyday life. I have bouts where I get very angry for whatever reason on a day to day basis but I use our exercises to remain calm or to easily let the moment pass. I have assimilated those aspects of calming my mind into my life. The next step for me is to pass these lessons on to my family, friends, co-workers, and clients.
2. Describe the saying: "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself” (P.477) How does this apply to the health and wellness professional? Do you have an obligation to your clients to be developing your health psychologically, physically, and spiritually? Why or why not? How can you implement psychological and spiritual growth in your personal life?
I have a personal story about this very saying. Before we can issue out work-out plans for the military we must be properly trained and at the time there was only on person. My co-worker and I who was also un-trained was approached by a patron in regards to a routine. Since we were not able to we referred them to someone on our staff who could assist them. This person was out of shape themselves and the client politely declined their help. This is my first hand experience with this phrase. I can not help someone change if I have not been there myself. There is no credibility in someone who does not practice what they preach. I have used our exercises and readings and tailored them to my beliefs. I have taken the god-like qualities out of the exercises and made them my own. I now take time out of the day to relax and clear my mind and make a huge effort to control my thoughts. I have also taken to thinking out what comes out of my mouth which was a huge issue for me in the past.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Unit 6 blog entry
The first exercise deals with helping others and exploring our hearts and minds. The second exercise deals with our level of development be it psycho spiritual, biological, interpersonal or worldly. I learned that it is easier to focus on helping others than it is to help myself. I am not saying that I am a person who runs out and tries to save the world. I am saying that focusing upon myself is scarier because it exposes flaws or not flaws but areas for improvement. I am more harshest critic and I hate to have to look at an aspect of myself to change. I am not against change as I feel that I have done a lot of change for the better in the past.
All of my analysis comes back to the fact that I need to grow spiritually. This is not purely in the religious sense but in the sense of being able to control my thoughts and to see things from the outside. I think that the subtle mind exercise is the way to go for me. Which allows one to witness life, have a calm mind, and finally realize the connection of all beings, but more so the connection of my mind and body. I need to focus more on the inside and attack that aspect with the same zest that I have for my outside.
All of my analysis comes back to the fact that I need to grow spiritually. This is not purely in the religious sense but in the sense of being able to control my thoughts and to see things from the outside. I think that the subtle mind exercise is the way to go for me. Which allows one to witness life, have a calm mind, and finally realize the connection of all beings, but more so the connection of my mind and body. I need to focus more on the inside and attack that aspect with the same zest that I have for my outside.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Unit 5 Blog entry Sublte Mind
1.Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc.
Both exercises aim to bring peace to the mind. The first exercise aims to remove us from a self centered view on life. The exercise begins by moving from pain locally to a loved one and finally to a complete stranger. Caring for others in many minds is the key to integral health. The other exercise is different in the fact that it uses just the mind to control our lives. It begins from the ability to see thoughts to the ability to control thoughts and finally ends with the ability to use our minds to realize we are all connected. I think that both exercises have been beneficial. They relax me and helps to clear my mind. I do not necessarily agree with all aspects of the exercises but I believe they are beneficial none the less. They also frustrate me because I tend to become too calm and struggle to stay awake. I think that this is due to the fact that I am either doing them after a long days work or in the morning when I have to open at my job.
2. Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life.
To me they are all in the same there can be no true wellness without each of these aspects. Personally I feel that the spiritual wellness can become better and I am working on this daily. I have noticed that on the days that I exercise my mind becomes at ease and it is easier for me to rest and concentrate. Conversely, when my mind is pained or stressed it is harder for me to focus on my workouts and I end up stopping to deal with the issues. Then it becomes even harder to continue with the previous workouts.
Both exercises aim to bring peace to the mind. The first exercise aims to remove us from a self centered view on life. The exercise begins by moving from pain locally to a loved one and finally to a complete stranger. Caring for others in many minds is the key to integral health. The other exercise is different in the fact that it uses just the mind to control our lives. It begins from the ability to see thoughts to the ability to control thoughts and finally ends with the ability to use our minds to realize we are all connected. I think that both exercises have been beneficial. They relax me and helps to clear my mind. I do not necessarily agree with all aspects of the exercises but I believe they are beneficial none the less. They also frustrate me because I tend to become too calm and struggle to stay awake. I think that this is due to the fact that I am either doing them after a long days work or in the morning when I have to open at my job.
2. Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life.
To me they are all in the same there can be no true wellness without each of these aspects. Personally I feel that the spiritual wellness can become better and I am working on this daily. I have noticed that on the days that I exercise my mind becomes at ease and it is easier for me to rest and concentrate. Conversely, when my mind is pained or stressed it is harder for me to focus on my workouts and I end up stopping to deal with the issues. Then it becomes even harder to continue with the previous workouts.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Unit 4 Blog The Loving Kindness
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 found this exercise to be very helpful. It allowed me to take negative issues and feelings and associate them with positive ones. It was kind of difficult for me just for the simple fact that I normally have a million and one things running through my mind at one time. It took a great deal for me to focus and clear my mind which is always an issue for me. Like I mentioned earlier it was very effective because it allows me the control of my thoughts; it also links others issues to my own being. It began with loved ones and then expanded to strangers this allows a greater connection to other human beings.
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?
The concept of the mental workout is similar to a physical one. The mind must be trained as well as the body. One famous study was used on people who were "mental Olympians" and one of their common denominators was compassion for their fellow human beings. There was increased brain activity in the people who practice compassion and a greater control of the conscious mind. I plan to use the workouts provided by Dacher to help improve my mental fitness. I would and will however caution to not stress but understand other's issues. I feel that I am able to deal with my issues fairly well but we all know that one person that does not. Every issue that they encounter is a huge one and the end of the world. I think that I will try to empathize with them but not totally absorb their issues, just be aware of them.
I found this exercise to be very helpful. It allowed me to take negative issues and feelings and associate them with positive ones. It was kind of difficult for me just for the simple fact that I normally have a million and one things running through my mind at one time. It took a great deal for me to focus and clear my mind which is always an issue for me. Like I mentioned earlier it was very effective because it allows me the control of my thoughts; it also links others issues to my own being. It began with loved ones and then expanded to strangers this allows a greater connection to other human beings.
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?
The concept of the mental workout is similar to a physical one. The mind must be trained as well as the body. One famous study was used on people who were "mental Olympians" and one of their common denominators was compassion for their fellow human beings. There was increased brain activity in the people who practice compassion and a greater control of the conscious mind. I plan to use the workouts provided by Dacher to help improve my mental fitness. I would and will however caution to not stress but understand other's issues. I feel that I am able to deal with my issues fairly well but we all know that one person that does not. Every issue that they encounter is a huge one and the end of the world. I think that I will try to empathize with them but not totally absorb their issues, just be aware of them.
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