Unit 7 Blog: Meeting Aesclepius

Hello Everyone,

Complete the Meeting Aesclepius mp3 (located in the Doc Sharing area). Describe your meditative practices 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?

The meditative practice for this week was focused on the “Meeting Aesclepius” exercise. I was able to close my eyes and visualize my mentor which is my Grandfather who had passed on 17 years ago.  Tears were streaming down my face because I was in his presence and I could embrace him and tell him how much I miss and love him.  Being in close proximity to him I could felt his body permeating my entire being, and erasing all sense of isolation, confusion, and pain, by giving me the profound gift of health and happiness.  Mediation has definitely fostered an increase in my psychological and spiritual wellness by improving my mental health as well as giving me a peace of mind, and allowing me to love myself more. I will continue to apply these practices in my life to foster greater health and wellness by implementing meditative practices and retraining my mind.

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?

Personally the saying: “One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself” (Schlitz, Amorok & Micozzi, 2005), means that a person cannot give another an advice about anything if that person has not experience or undergone the same thing, and for the health and wellness professional advice can’t be given based on opinions.  Yes I do believe that I do have an obligation to my clients by developing my health psychologically, physically, and spiritually because a sick person cannot provide healing to another sick if they are both suffering from the same ailments.  One must be whole before administering assistance to another.  I can implement psychological and spiritual growth in my personal life by memorizing scriptures from the Bible daily, listening to uplifting music, practice meditative exercises such as prayer, yoga, Qi gong, physical activities such as playing soccer, riding a bike, running etc., and playing mind bubbling games.

Reference:

Schlitz, Amorok & Micozzi. (2005). Consciousness & Healing: Integral Approaches to Mind-Body Medicine.

Unit 6: The universal Loving Kindness (meditation)

Hello Professor and Class,

After practicing the universal Loving Kindness (meditation) exercise as outline in the text I found this very fulfilling and rewarding.  From the past couple of weeks, I have undergone some serious experiences and the only thing left for me was to give up and let go of everything.  Currently my mom, sister, and her son are all living with me and neither one are bringing any income in, and I also have to be paying for school and this semester my tuition increased tremendously and this was very burdensome to me.  I realized that things were occurring inside my body that wasn’t there before.  One night I came home from work with intense pain within my chest cavity so I had to call 911 and after careful examination they told me they don’t understand what was happening since all my numbers seemed normal.  They asked if I wanted to go to the emergency room but I detested.  So I went to see my doctor the next day and told him what had happened, and he said he couldn’t find anything wrong.  He then sent me to a specialist and all the results came back normal, and then he reevaluate me and told me that stress was a huge factor for all that was occurring inside my body.

I then discovered that as my consciousness expands, it also affect my surroundings, and for me to develop to my full potential I have to take charge of my situation by embracing and loving myself to the utmost which will enable me withdrew myself from others and circumstances that are a deficit to my health, wholeness, and happiness.  The loving kindness exercise allow me to shift all my attention as a gift in loving myself more before loving others and also not to let anything septic to seep into my domain (Dacher, 2006).  My health is my responsibility. I am the only person who can make the lifestyle decisions that will contribute to my well-being, and I am the one who must take the steps to preserve my health and promote my wellness since the power lies within me.

I know it is difficult to get where I needed to be, but I have purposed within my heart that no matter what life throws at me I will be triumphant.  I have started to take mini steps by incorporating physical activities on most days of the week as will enhance my mental well-being and put me on path to a healthier life.  Some days I go running or jogging, other days I pray and meditate, and I also choose to forgive myself and others.  The issues or grievances that I with others I intend to face them head-on and recover lost emotional closeness.

Reference:

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral health the path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic

      Health Publications, Inc.

Unit 5: Loving kindness Exercise & Subtle mind Exercise

Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc.

I enjoyed the loving-kindness experience much easier exercise than the subtle mind exercise.  With the loving kindness exercise I allow the feeling of loving kindness to flow within my heart as a faucet that’s been turned on.  My heart was opened fully to experience the feeling of care and affection with both the pleasant and unpleasant entities.  Peace was welcome within my heart and soul as I know how essential it is to love myself before extending it to others.  All the emotions of loving kindness could be felt when I thought about seeing my mom for the first time within the trauma room at the hospital after she experienced a serious car accident.

With the subtle mind exercise, I had to train my mind to remain focused on what was occurring at the present moment, I also try to remain attentive at all times whenever my mind seemed to wander.  It was a very forceful process in trying to tame the busy mind (Dacher, 2006).

Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life.

The connection of the spiritual wellness and physical wellness are intertwining as they go hand-in-hand with the other.  One cannot achieve the goals of human flourishing unless mental and physical wellness is implemented.  Spiritual wellness allows us to maintain a constant line of communication between our Creator and ourselves through active prayer and meditation.  Prayer is a communication process that allows us to talk to God.  It is the place where pride is abandoned, hope is lifted, and supplication is made.  Prayer is also the place of admitting our need, of adopting humility, and claiming dependence upon God.  Prayer is the needful practice of the Christian.  Prayer is the exercise of faith and hope.  Prayer is the privilege of touching the heart of the Father through the Son of God, Jesus our Lord (carm.org, 2014).

Regular exercise and the consumption of a healthy diet can lead to a host of benefits, including increased energy, happiness, health and even a long life. Exercise and diet are pivotal to determining a person’s overall health, and making them both part of your lifestyle can make a dramatic difference in how you look and feel. 

This connection is manifested in my personal life by engaging within a constant communion with my Heavenly Father.  With all the pain, abuse, sufferings, disappointments, and humiliations that I have experience in life by implementing spiritual wellness alongside physical wellness I have experienced such peace, joy, humility, love, forgiveness, and appreciation towards myself as well as others.  Spiritual practices tend to improve my coping skills and social support, foster feelings of optimism and hope, promote healthy behavior, reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, and encourage a sense of relaxation.

References:

http://carm.org/christianity/prayer-ministry/what-prayer

Dacher, E. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications.

Unit 4 Blog: Loving-kindness and The Subtle mind

Describe your experience. Did you find it beneficial? Difficult? Why or why not? Would you recommend this to others? Why or why not?

This exercise took me to place in my life when I was very vulnerable, as I felt a strange breath of emotion hovering over me. It was not too long when I was feeling a sharp pain above my right chest cavity area, and amidst the entire multiple doctors’ visit and extra test and still all the results came back negative.  I was a bit worried for a while.  I had a premonition about death (as most people do when they’re sick), and it took me back to the year when I lost my grandfather to cancer.  I thought about seeing him on the other side, and would he recognized and welcomed me there.  My experience with this exercise reminded me of the love we had for each other, and how I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye to him with all the sadness that was associated with the pain he was enduring. During this practice I followed all the suggestions with ease, observing all the emotions, while synthesizing them one by one. I was able to achieve reaching that place of giving myself and him total care, love, kindness, spaciousness, and a place of peace and tranquility. I am going to save this practice so that I can do it over again, while encouraging others to try it. I was mesmerized by the voice of the woman as she spoke with such calmness and peace.  I would definitely recommend this exercise to all those who want to have a calming, soothing, transitional experience, as well as obtaining a optimal meditative state of mind. Love and kindness are feelings that are readily available, especially when relating these emotions to my loved ones.

What is the concept of "mental workout"? What does the research indicate are the proven benefits of a mental workout? How can you implement mental workouts to foster your psychological health?

Daily practice is the mental workout required to psychospiritual growth and prosperity. Similarly to regular exercise, a few hours every day, lead to positive results. Achieving the endless possibilities of meditation is the goal of the practice, attaining confidence; peace and wisdom are a derivative of this practice. A few hours per day, even if one can’t stay still, will strengthen the practice, until the point where one doesn’t want to get up is reached.

To me, the concept of “Mental Workout” is to exercise the mind to its full capacity in becoming much healthier than it was before.  According to Dacher (2006) “Mental Workout” means utilizing contemplative practices to explore the inner world and evolve our psychospiritual life.  The goal is for progressive development of an expanded consciousness and healing within the mind, body, and spirit.  There are two contemplative practices; they are loving-kindness and subtle mind. 

Loving-kindness opens our heart to others and gradually diminishes self-centeredness, priming our mind for further development.  When we attract loving-kindness, our mind is calmer and a far better candidate for contemplative practice.

The contemplative practice of the subtle mind addresses three levels that opens the mind and reveals insightful wisdom of truth of life and existence.  Research indicates the proven benefits of a mental work out results in awareness and experiences of the mind and its many levels and capacities in healing and the development of the qualities of human flourishing which are health, happiness, and wholeness. 

So in order for me to implement mental workouts that will foster my psychological health, I will need to devote at least one hour a day of my time and effort towards incorporating one of the contemplative practices of either loving-kindness or subtle mind.   By doing so, I will definitely be more than able to still the mind and develop a witnessing consciousness that subsequently progresses toward the stable and facile mind of calm-abiding (Dacher, 2006).

Reference:

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications

Unit 3: Relaxation Exercise - The Crime of the Century

Hello Professor and Class,

1.      Based on your reflections, and on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being optimal wellbeing), where do you rate your A-physical wellbeing, B-spiritual well-being, C-psychological well-being? Why?

For my optimal wellbeing I would rate myself at being a 6.  The reason I choose 6 is because I am just getting back on track with my physical fitness regime.  Over the past six months ago I was diagnosed with costochondritis which is a common form of inflammation of the cartilage where ribs are attached to the breastbone, the sternum.   Since I haven’t been exercising like before, I try to do it at three days of the week to keep my body and my mind active, and also because I don’t want to irritate my cartilage.  I only incorporate jogging for at least three days per week because of my work schedules and the duties that I have to perform for my family.

For my spiritual wellbeing I would rate myself at an 8.  Every day as I am awake I begin my day with reading the Bible and prayer, and throughout the day I tried as much as I possibly can to keep my mind spiritually uplifted by listening to uplifting music, and memorizing scriptures.

For my psychological wellbeing I rate myself at a 5. I am learning more about myself each day in dealing with stressful situations.  I have the tendency in getting irritable whenever I can’t figure something out, and reluctant in asking for help when needed because I am often fearful of others rejection.

2.      Develop a goal for yourself in each area (physical, spiritual, psychological).

My physical goal is to incorporate exercise more for at least five days for week, as well as engaging myself more in other physical activities

My spiritual goal is to implement different meditative practices daily within my life on a daily basis.

My psychological goal is to make sure that I ask for help whenever the need arises, believe that not everyone will say yes to me, and don’t give others the power to lower my self-perception.

3.      What activities or exercise can you implement in your life to assist in moving toward each goal?

In moving towards each goal I plan to implement finding a person trainer in getting where I needed to be with my exercise, I will also read more inspirational books and surround myself with individuals that are on a high spiritual level, and for my psychological goal I plan to value myself more by treating myself with kindness and respect, and avoid self-criticism. Make time for my hobbies and favorite projects, or broaden my horizons by doing a daily crossword puzzle, planting a garden, taking dance lessons, learning to play an instrument or become fluent in another language

Complete the relaxation exercise The Crime of the Century. To hear this exercise, click here. Describe your experience. (What it beneficial? Frustrating? etc.)

I was truly mesmerized after listening to this exercise as it puts me into a relaxing atmosphere.  I was completely taken into the rainbow technique.  I was seeing a beam of light going through a prism with the colors separated by each body regions that coincide with each color.  I felt grounded and secured by the color red., and also I could relate to the color yellow because it confirms my affirmation of being loved by others.  After completing the exercise, I felt really rejuvenated, refreshed and focused.