Visualization and Mediatation

These are two exercises that are often overlooked when it comes to improving health and happiness. Too many times people do not take the time to reflect on themselves and where they fit in the world and how they can make it a better place. All of this can have a profound impact on reducing our stress levels which can lead to increased health and wellness. Taking time out each day to meditate allows us to quiet the mind and to reflect on us as a person and how we fit into our world. This allows for an inner viewing of who we are and how this impacts our daily lives. Visualization is a great exercise on many fronts. This can be an important tool in improving our physical traits such as through envisioning success in changing our bodies through diet and exercise or improving in a sport. If we do not believe that we are able to change and cannot visualize this change then it becomes more difficult to improve our physical situations. Having the belief and visualizing health and vitality are important when looking to make improvements in ones health.

Unit 7 Blog

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?

Currently I am not doing a regular practice concerning meditation. I did listen to the exercise and yet could not get into the cd. I have really looked at what I have been doing for myself on a spiritual level and I really have to make more of an effort. I have been focusing on improving my prayer life and making a better effort on being in touch with my inner self. Making sure that I have time set aside each day for myself will help me to continue with my spiritual growth.

1. 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?

This saying is referring to how it is difficult for someone to lead in a direction when they do not know where they are going. It is much easier to lead someone down a path that you yourself have experienced. This is important for the health professional is to be able to lead by example. It is difficult to have a client eat properly or to exercise regularily if the health care professional is not doing this too. We have an obligation to our clients to always be improving ourselves and to always be learning. Life is constant change and we need to make sure that we are always improving and able to share this with our clients. I can implement spiritual growth by making it an important part of my life concerning improving my own health and wellness.

Integral Assessment

For this exercise I completed a "loving kindness" meditation that allowed me to focus on myself and be able to help project out to those around me. This allowed me to find focus and to quiet myself to really listen and work on being more loving and caring to myself and to those around me. I then did a integral assessment which looked at the four aspects of the human experience; psychospiritual, biological, interpersonal, and worldly. For each of us there is a different level of development concerning the lines in these quadrants. The one area that I am currently focusing on is the biological sector. I am trying to get a handle on my diet and to not be persueded to deviate from what I should be eating to improve my health. I am also looking at getting back into shape and finding space and time to be physically active again. This I have started by joining a tennis league. As for the psychospiritual piece I am still looking at finding a church and making time to be in communion with my Creator and to listen to His direction. My interpersonal is always growing and being challenged through the fact that I have guardianship of my nephews and they are always challenging me to be better. As for the last quadrant; worldly, I am trying to lead by example when I can in offering a free meal or donating money to the local rescue mission. There is always room for growth and we should always be growing on a daily basis. I find that as I near the age of 40, I already know quite a bit and there is still much more to learn.

Subtle Mind Practice

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

So I was able to listen to the Loving Kindness exercise yet was not able to listen to the Subtle mind exercise all the way through. It became static around 7 minutes into the exercise. When I forwarded it to the end it was still static. I do not practice these types of exercises normally so this is always an experience for me when I listen to the CD. I was looking forward to the Subtle Mind exercise and was just starting to relax into my breathing when the static happened. I listened for another 3 to 4 minutes to make sure that it was not part of the exercise before forwarding through to see if it got back on track.

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

I think that we are all spititual beings that need to connect and acknowledge this part of our lives. I myself am a Christian and have a belief in Jesus Christ as my Savior. This allows me freedom to not let some of lifes smaller concerns weigh me down as I know and believe that I am saved and watched over and protected. No matter what happens I know that I will be looked after and have seen this in my life. I think that this helps me to control the stress in my life. Stress can be very damaging and once you learn to let go and just believe that what is meant to happen is meant to happen then the little things do not take such a toll physically or mentally.