Unit 8 Blog

Upon reviewing the exercises we have completed, I have found the meditation and visualization to be the most helpful and beneficial for my mind. I tend to have a very busy, scattered "monkey" mind that always has too many things going on at once. When I practice meditation I am able to quiet my mind if only for a few moments. However, I find that I am calmer throughout the day when I continue to meditate on a daily basis. Just like any other skill it has to be practiced. I also find that when I use visualization I am able to replace negative thoughts in my mind and plug in happy thoughts that help me restructure the way my mind is working. It really helps me to be a more positive person.

Unit 7 Blog

My meditation this week has improved. I do not want to promote my own personal problems but it seems like the more burden I am carrying in my mind the easier it is for me to find a meditative state. I have been able to focus on my meditation because of all the stress I have in my life right now with my job, school and a new business.

I think the quote "One cannot lead where one has not gone himself" is very profound especially in health and wellness professions. Since I own a yoga studio now I am very in tune with how I behave from a standpoint of how it will affect my clients. I try to eat correctly and be an example. I cannot ask them to do something I am not willing to do myself.

If I continue down my current path I should be able to grow my meditation practice and become better in tune with my spiritual health.

Unit 6 Blog

I practiced the universal loving kindness meditation exercise and found it to be very peace promoting for me. There are many times when I get caught up in my own life and forget about the problems of others. This helped me overcome that and think about others more. The integral assessment was very enlightening because it showed me what I need to work on from the inside out. The exercise allowed for a quiet meditation that evoked positive feelings and areas that I need to work on. Through the evaluation I found that I need to work on my psychospiritual suffering. I believe meditation and affirmations would help me improve my psychospiritual issues, but it would be something that I would need to practice on a daily basis in order to see real results.

The Subtle Mind

I wish I could say that I was blessed with the gift of a subtle mind, however, I am a very type A, serial multitasker who has worked for years to even have an occasional glimpse of the subtle mind. The loving kindness exercise was not as good for me personally as the subtle mind exercise. This really did help to quiet my mental chatter. I am most definitely going to incorporate this into my daily routine (in between multitasking). I enjoyed the loving kindness track but I feel like I am already practicing this, so essentially it does not help me other than giving me a good feeling. However, the subtle mind practice does work on my constant, and I mean constant, mental chatter. Yoga has helped me as well, but it still is something I must work to control on a daily basis. I have learned the hard way as I have gone through my life that spiritual wellness, mental wellness and physical wellness are all related and if one is out of sync the others will ultimately follow. Yoga was the help I needed and has made a huge difference in my mental, spiritual and physical peace.

Unit 4 exercises

After listening to the tracks and having a previous concept of "loving kindness". I found this a very good exercise for me. I have practiced yoga for over 7 years now and practicing loving kindness is something we try to incorporate into our practice. When we practice loving kindness towards ourself then we can practice it towards others. It is not easy. It takes awareness of every action and thoughtfulness. I still tend to be harder on myself than I should be.

My dad is a good example of someone who needs a mental workout. He is 78 years old and is in excellent physical health, however, his cognition has begun to deteriorate over the past few years. He does not participate in any social activities that require him to be verbal. He does not read or do crossword puzzles. Our mentation needs to be exercised just as much as our body does.

Reflecting on Wellness

When I look at all aspects of my health, looking at spiritual, psychological and physical I can rate these pretty easily. From a psychological standpoint I would give myself a 7. From a spiritual aspect I would give myself a 8 and finally from a physical standpoint I would give myself a 9. Physical exercise has always been my coping mechanism, therefore, it is my strongest rating.

Psychologically I would like to be stronger. I would like to be able to maintain a normal level of mental health without too many fluctuations of my mind. I think by meditating at least 15 minutes a day I could find more stability psychologically.

Increasing my meditation time will help me obtain my goals. Also, by just being more aware and thankful for all the friends and loved ones I have in my life helps me work towards more balance in my psychological state.

The Crime of the Century exercise was very interesting. I did not enjoy it as much as the previous exercise we did. I did find myself a bit more relaxed after the exercise, but again, not as much as I did with the previous exercise.

Journey On Relaxation

The stressors in my life have necessitated my finding ways to relax. Yoga has always been a wonderful way for me to relax, however, lately my practice has suffered because of my business venture. Since I have begun the process of opening my own yoga studio I have found my stress levels through the roof, even to the point of getting sick.

This relaxation exercise was very good. It brought awareness to my circulation which was helpful. I actually felt my limbs warming with this meditation. I feel like it lower my blood pressure and certainly helped calm my currently restless mind.