Unit 7

I thought the "Meeting Asciepius" exercise put me in a very relaxing state of mind, except when the direction called for a beaming light! For some reason, I lost a little concentration and squinted my eyes. My eyes are sensitive to the sun and I believe there is a connection there. I can say that mindfulness has increased my spiritual health, by my food intake. Knowing that the body defends itself against the everyday processed foods that most people eat. Sugar, dairy, meat, white refined foods and the cooking process, cause acids and toxins to form in our bodies. They affect our PH balance and so the body stores fat around our vital organs to protect them. So the truth is people aren't fat, they are over-acid. When the body takes on alkaline foods and drinks, i.e. raw fruits and vegetables then the body learns to let go of the need to protect the organs and the fat literally drops off.

I think that the saying "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself” means to practice what you preach, or even do as I say, not as I do.  I won't be a registered dietician giving food plans, tips and educate my clients if I am not doing it myself. I want to be very healthy for the rest of my life and I feel that if I people also see that, they will repect me and trust me.

Unit 6: A frustrating assessment & meditation.

         The practice for the universal loving kindness meditation exercise, I didn’t like. It was kind of hard to get focused and relaxed. Plus, no music or voice to go with it! They were both a big reason why I was very much into the track meditation. So I became a bit frustrated and can promise not to do it again. The assessment was another disappointment to me. I don’t have a photographic memory and can’t focus on an area and follow instructions without having to read the assessment over and over again. So there is no way I can get focused and relax during this. I tried and became irritated. The area I tried to focus on for growth and development was not letting my Chrone’s Disease get to me and spend more time with my kids. When I am in pain, I tend to draw away from kids because I don’t want them to see in that condition.  I also tried to focus on doing well in school.  Some specific exercises that can implement to foster greater wellness in this area, is Yoga.

Unit 5 Project

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0Bzr6Zt7QJZ1tYjkwZmU4Y2EtYTE0My00YWQxLTk4NTgtMThiNTliMzY2YzJh&hl=en

Unit 5: Wellness and Healing

         I think Dacher’s message is that love is the most powerful thing in the world and it cuts through all hate, our fears and barriers. Every relationship that exists has their problems, which can result from the lack of love between you and that other person.  Love and Kindness gives you an understanding of the needs and concerns of other people which will develop in time and your heart fills with love and kindness. Subtle mind exercise is to make the mind subtle at a deeper level. As if you were entering a world of energy that is beyond description. This makes a subtle experience a very spiritual experience. Both exercises give you rest, peace and heals your body and mind from harmful or depressing effects of stress among other problems (Dacher, 2006).

        How the connection is manifested into my personal life. My physical and mental wellness is still a working progress because of my illness. I find my spiritual wellness helps with the other two that I took a few steps back on, and without my spiritual side which helps me get through a lot, I would be a big mess and need much healing. In order to feel lively, energetic and open to life’s opportunities you have to look at your physical, mental, and spiritual health.  We need to identify our shortcomings and make those changes we need so that we are truly vibrating at the highest level and enjoying life to the fullest (Dacher, 2006).

References:

Dacher, E. (2006) Integral Health: The path to human flourishing

Unit 4: Loving-Kindness and Mental Workout

We must open our heart to others and open our mind to reveal an insightful wisdom that knows the truth of our life and of existence. This power gives us an insight and understanding that is not available to lesser levels of consciousness. Loving-Kindness and the Subtle mind combined train the mind, open the heart, expand consciousness, and progress us toward psycho-spiritual flourishing.  As meditation deepens during these mental workouts, theta waves also increase, bringing even deeper relaxation, more creative thinking and intuition, enhanced problem solving abilities, and an openness to spiritual insight and illumination.

I have already incorporated these exercises into my life. Late night relaxation would be best for me due to my two toddlers and a husband who keeps me on my toes. I call it “mommy time”!  This will help me become more relaxed and less stressed.

Unit 3: Wellness; physically, psychologically, and spiritually.

Based on my reflections starting with my physical well-being, I would rate myself an 8. I no longer have high blood pressure and my weight is dropping quickly since I have cut out red meat, dairy and I only eat products that are Gluten-free. As soon as I did that, the weight came off quickly; since August 17, 2010 to now, I have lost 20 pounds and dropped 6 pants sizes! I still have 6 more pounds to lose to be in the healthy range, as far as my weight goes. I also research deeper about people like me can and can’t eat. It’s the big words we don’t understand on the labels that can really hurt us. For example, there is jet fuel that has small leaks while flying over crops and contaminates our produce. It is in our grocery stores and if we don’t wash the produce correctly and thorough, we can get very sick.  It is mainly found in watermelon and leafy greens. I still have Crohn’s Disease and Hypothyroidism to deal with, but, I take medications and everything is under control which makes me feel great.  My spiritual well-being I feel I am well connected with and rate myself 9.  I am a very spiritual person and I am still learning a lot thru personal experiences and materials. I also go to church every Sunday and attend a Women’s Bible Study once a week. I also see a Naturopathic Doctor a Masseuse every three months for more healing, inside and out.

               My psychological well-being is rated a 6 because I don’t believe that anyone can be 100% happy. There is always something in a person’s life that keeps you from being either content, satisfied with all life’s essentials, achieving something, and happiness.  It is a never ending story, I am happy and satisfied for right now, but I am in the process of achieving my goal to graduate from school, and I am not content.  I intend on taking 45 minutes to an hour every other day to meditate and do Yoga. I find both to relax me and take any stresses off my shoulders.  I don’t know how much spiritual goals I need, but to keep doing what I do already. I would also like to get back on my Elliptical and regain my cardio. Haven’t been on it for two months now and my husband tells me since I lost so much weight, I won’t be able to do the same routines I use to. I had more muscle than fat and I have lost a lot of both. So we will see, I will make it my goal to also get back on track.

             Who ever created the idea of the relaxation exercises should be highly praised! They get better and better and this last one “The Crime of the Century” truly reached my innerness, my mind, my body and my spirit. My favorite parts of the audio were the warm images and the seven different body regions one for each color of the rainbow. Each meditative thought I did without changing anything, it really guided me think of these areas and wonderful colors. I felt this did benefit my physical, spiritual and psychological well-being.