Hello all,
Well, to start I must say that I have learned a great deal from unit 3 to now in this class. When I look back to my assessments then I realized I was not really looking as closely as I should, my ratings were actually higher then than they are now because I have started to understand the concepts and am utilizing the practices more so now than in unit 3's day. I actually see this as a progression rather than a regression because the first real step is truly understanding what needs to be changed in one's life.
As for my goals I set myself, I have cut back in my cigarette smoking significantly and plan to keep to that goal of quitting completely by graduation date of September 11, 2012. I have not yet began to do yoga for flexibility exercises but have continued to eat healthy and exercise every day. I have, however, been able to begin my journey of reconnecting to that higher being and undergo my spiritual awakening, which has proven to be an everlasting process. As for my goal of learning a new language every year I am waiting to finish this semester to go full speed in learning Spanish and am very confident that I will succeed by my deadline.
Overall, I have had a wonderful time taking this course, it has allowed me to undergo much needed assessment as well as giving me the tools and techniques to further enhance my life. I feel a difference already and can't wait to continue and meet my immediate goals to integral health and wellness.
Take care.
Stacey Smith
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Unit 9 Project
Introduction:
Integral health and wellness is a broad subject which includes a vast number of methods, ideals, philosophies, techniques, and internal/external developments, most of these areas take time, patience, and understanding to accomplish much less undergo. Each of us are unique in the way we develop and integrate overall integral health into our lives, some may need more practice or have more trouble initially than others, some may learn many things about themselves which may take time to fully comprehend, while others already have some practices and techniques underway and simply need a guiding hand to the next step. Whatever the walks of life we all take, whatever paths we have individually chosen to pursue, the key to integral health is individuality. This is where, as health and wellness professionals, it is imperative that we practice what we preach. The unknowns of possible exploration must start with the teacher or healer, or they may never fully be able to understand let alone teach the art of integral health and wellness. It is the professional’s job to know the practice like the back of their hand, which in this practice it takes self exploration and integral practices in one’s own life to grasp the full content of the practice. In essence, this is why it is crucial for all professionals in this field to develop in the aspects of their lives before teaching the practice to others.
When it comes to my life, I feel I always have room to progress and develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically. I am currently working toward further developing my mind and skill as I am going to school and trying to learn something new every day, but I feel that this is a constant process that, hopefully, will never be over. Spiritually, I am a nature child. I feel that the greater being that made us all is in everything around us, even the air we breathe. I think I would like to further develop a personal relationship with that being, like having a relationship with God. I feel that when I have consistently prayed and given thanks for my blessings in the past I have been showered with wonderful feelings and the world seemed brighter. I would like to get back to that state of being. Physically, I do work out for an hour five days a week and eat very healthy, but I am a smoker. I think this is one hurtle I need to overcome so I can be in optimal health.
Assessment:
When going through my assessment of the different domains in my life, I realized first that I was missing something psychologically. I used to read books and health magazines every day, finishing a book every two weeks, but now I have become so busy in life I have let my love of reading fall by the wayside. Although I am currently working hard to learn all I can in work and make it a point to learn something new every day, I find myself missing my comfort reading. With this in mind, I think I would score my psychological development at a 7, I feel that I work hard to learn every day and keep my mind sharp but miss the creative juices that flow when I read for pleasure, this is one area I hope to progress in.
As for my spirituality, I feel that through my everyday meditation and loving-kindness practices I have a wonderful sense of connectedness and being able to listen to my inner voice, but I do feel that life’s daily grind still has its way of getting to me sometimes. I feel that I need to progress with my personal relationship with the higher being around us, that I need to pray more and give thanks more often for any little happy occurrence throughout my day. With this being said, I think I would score my spirituality at a 6, there is much need for improvement and further development here, but I do feel I am on the right path.
With my physical wellness I can say I am pretty healthy. I exercise five days a week for an hour, my husband and I are eating mostly organic and very healthy selections from our own garden, and I make sure to keep active and outside as much as possible throughout the day. The only real detriment to my health that I feel needs to change fast is my addiction to smoking cigarettes. My smoking has not yet caused any health issues but I know the harm it can cause after so many years, which is why this habit must go. I would have to score my overall physical health at a 6; there is always room for improvement such as quitting the smoking for good.
Goal Development:
Physically: As I stated above, the number one goal I have for myself physically is to stop smoking. I would like to put a time limit on this goal as I have been good with completing goals when I give myself a time frame. So, I think I will set my “stop smoking” goal to stop by the time I graduate from Kaplan, which is September 11, 2012. Another physical goal I would like to set is becoming more flexible. I already work out consistently and eat healthy, but I must admit I have never been very flexible. I would like to set a goal to start stretching in a regular routine for an hour three days a week and working out four days instead of five, this being because flexibility is equally important as working the muscle groups for strength and fitness. I think I will set this goal for, again, at the time of graduation on September 11, 2012.
Spiritually: I am by nature a very spiritual person, but I must admit to not having the connection to certain elements as I would like to. With this being said, I feel that my spiritual goal would be to, once again, connect with earth and universe and form a personal relationship with our creator. Prayer has never been my strong suit, but I think this is the element that I am missing in my daily routine of meditation and loving-kindness exercises. I don’t want to put a time frame to this goal as I know it may always improve and develop through time, I simply wish to begin the process now.
Psychologically: As I mentioned above, I try to learn something new every day and am very consistent with my studies as a Kaplan student, but I feel there is certain level of creativity I have left behind since I started school, which reading for pleasure always gave to me. One of my mental health goals is to start reading for pleasure again, whether it is a novel, biography, or a wellness/gardening magazine. I feel that setting time aside every day to indulge in my reading will help my creative side come to life once more. Another goal in this area is to learn a new language, which I have never been able to do. I love to listen to other languages being spoken, but have never been able to speak them, I think this is a perfect goal to strengthen my mental health. The first language I would like to learn would be Spanish and I want to set this goal of becoming fluent in Spanish by the beginning of next year, 2013. At this point, I want to learn Italian; I will set this goal for the end of the following year, 2014. I’d like to progress each year with learning a new language and see how many different languages I can become fluent in within my life time.
Practices for personal health:
Physical: For my first goal to stop smoking, I can think of several strategies to implement that would help me reach my goal; first being a mindset of mind over matter. I have to understand what triggers me to want a cigarette, I need to delve into the witnessing mind and identify my reactions to situations and events when the craving comes on, am I stressed out, did I just eat, am I driving in my car, am I sad or depressed about something. First understanding the triggers can then lead me to dealing with the negative reaction of smoking a cigarette. I can then use intention to replace those cravings with feelings of being satisfied, calm, and happy. Another strategy is to use the visualization to overcome my cravings and help me to stay focused on the goal. In this way I can visualize my body feeling so much healthier, my lungs feeling cleaner after I have reached my goal. I will visualize myself never wanting a cigarette again and how my life will change after the goal is met. I will do this every time I get a craving in order to help stave it off.
As for my other physical goal of wanting to become more flexible, my strategies will be simple as I will set my schedule to engage in stretching exercise three days a week at home and go to the gym the other four days in the week. I think yoga is a great starter for this routine so I will set up a video and yoga station upstairs, enhancing the environment with essential oils, plants, and visually calming colors. I will start this routine on roughly the same hour in the morning I would work out, and simply do this every other day. This is also a great opportunity to meditate as well as stretch, which would help my overall stress levels, I think my other strategy to make this new routine work it to remind myself that it is ok to miss a day or do the stretching after work some days. Having flexibility with my schedule is equally important as having a schedule in my eyes; otherwise I would become too hard on myself every day and worry about time frames and the like. This strategy will help me progress instead of regress.
Spiritually: One of my strategies for implementing my spiritual goal is partly connected with my physical goal of stretching more. I plan to take on yoga as my stretching exercise and I feel that the meditation within this practice is a perfect time to connect my mind and body to the universe and higher being. Prayer is very important in my eyes, it is the conversation that I wish to have, not simply asking for forgiveness and thanks. I feel that I can implement this inner and outer connection with ease during my yoga practice. Another strategy is to implement visualization with meditative and loving-kindness practices every day. As we learned of visualization in this course, I feel that using this technique in the form of prayer would be very beneficial and help me progress within my goal. I have begun to connect the practices we learned in this course into one; I think this is a great strategy to initiate my act of prayer.
Psychologically: My first strategy for my goal of reading more for pleasure revolves around, again, my schedule. The bottom line is I have to find the time to read, which seemed to be the problem when I stopped reading for fun. This means I need to shift my routine and edit my day in order to allow myself the time I need for this goal. Since I usually take a break around 1:30pm to have lunch and watch a bit of TV, I think this would be a great time to read something while I eat instead of turning on the TV. I could sit at the kitchen table and eat while I read a magazine or a novel. Another strategy is to read at the gym while I am running. I usually run for 30 minutes to an hour which would give me ample time to read a favorite book. These strategies seem to be quite simple and easy to implement. My other goal of learning a new language each year will be a bit more time consuming, but I can work in several strategies to allow success throughout the year. For starters, I need to commit to a program, such as Rosetta Stone, and find time each day to work with the program. As my goal is set for the beginning of 2013, I will have ample time to do this once graduated on September, 11, 2012. It will be frustrating at first so every time I feel like giving up I will remind myself of my goal and how all great accomplishments in life are not easy to get, but so satisfying once done. A calm breathing session every time my frustrations get the better of me will help me implement this strategy. Another strategy for this goal is using what I have learned in my daily life. For Spanish, I work with several Spanish people in the restaurant and can communicate with them in their language to progress my skill. I can also speak to myself in Spanish rather than English to familiarize my mind with the ways of speaking that different language. I always have known that practice makes perfect, and practice is one of the best strategies I could implement for this goal.
Commitment:
Physically: My progress for my first goal of quitting smoking will be slow as this is a very hard habit to break. I will have to first smoke less before I can completely eliminate it, in which case I would view my progress by the will-power displayed, the actual number of cigarettes I smoke a day, and how long it takes me to cut it out completely. As I usually smoke 10 cigarettes a day, I will first cut back to 5 a day. I will eventually get to 3 a day, 2 a day, 1 a day, and then none. I will see progress when I am able to exhibit the control of my cravings after each change, the six month mark is the final stretch and I will have to carefully monitor myself at this point. With my stretching goal, I feel that my progress will be noticed with the results of my flexibility during the six months. The goal is to become healthier, and feeling that in body and mind will be the testament to progress I need to see. This goal may also be hard to keep up, but again it is important I remind myself that there is no relapsing in this goal, it is ok to be flexible in this routine and I can engage in this exercise any time.
Spiritually: The weight of progress I would see in this goal is difficult to explain, I don’t really know what to expect, but I do expect some change within myself to occur at some point, in which case I will continue to build on that change by continuing the practice. The only regression I foresee may be my lack of consistency, at which point I will need to remind myself of the importance of the act and begin implementing it again in my daily life.
Psychologically: As for my progress in reading for pleasure, I think this will be measured the amount of TV I watch in my spare time in comparison to how much I read every day. Any lack of progression of this goal may be because of lack of interest in what I have to read at the time, which may be a simple solution of going to a book store and getting several items which interest me. I did not have a time frame for this goal, but I hope to read a novel at least every month and not turn on the TV at all during the day.
My progression with my second mental health goal of learning a new language each year can be seen with the amount I have learned at the six month mark. I should be able to carry out some conversations in Spanish and should be getting better every day by that time; my only worry is the initial frustration of learning the basics will get in my way of progressing to that six month point. If this happens, my consistent visualization of me speaking fluent Spanish in a year and reminding myself of the work that comes with accomplishment will be my striving steps toward progression and completion.
With all goals there will be some regression, which is part of being human. It is thus important to remember that accomplishment includes the ability to fall and rise again and again, the power to utilize the notion “mind over matter”, and the ability to tap into the thrill of the challenge as a motivating force in order to succeed at any life goals. The road that we take toward our goals is what enriches our lives more so than the simple goal itself, we all can be amazed at ourselves if we allow it.
-Stacey Smith
Reference:
Dacher, E.S. Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishment. (2006) Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.
Integral health and wellness is a broad subject which includes a vast number of methods, ideals, philosophies, techniques, and internal/external developments, most of these areas take time, patience, and understanding to accomplish much less undergo. Each of us are unique in the way we develop and integrate overall integral health into our lives, some may need more practice or have more trouble initially than others, some may learn many things about themselves which may take time to fully comprehend, while others already have some practices and techniques underway and simply need a guiding hand to the next step. Whatever the walks of life we all take, whatever paths we have individually chosen to pursue, the key to integral health is individuality. This is where, as health and wellness professionals, it is imperative that we practice what we preach. The unknowns of possible exploration must start with the teacher or healer, or they may never fully be able to understand let alone teach the art of integral health and wellness. It is the professional’s job to know the practice like the back of their hand, which in this practice it takes self exploration and integral practices in one’s own life to grasp the full content of the practice. In essence, this is why it is crucial for all professionals in this field to develop in the aspects of their lives before teaching the practice to others.
When it comes to my life, I feel I always have room to progress and develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically. I am currently working toward further developing my mind and skill as I am going to school and trying to learn something new every day, but I feel that this is a constant process that, hopefully, will never be over. Spiritually, I am a nature child. I feel that the greater being that made us all is in everything around us, even the air we breathe. I think I would like to further develop a personal relationship with that being, like having a relationship with God. I feel that when I have consistently prayed and given thanks for my blessings in the past I have been showered with wonderful feelings and the world seemed brighter. I would like to get back to that state of being. Physically, I do work out for an hour five days a week and eat very healthy, but I am a smoker. I think this is one hurtle I need to overcome so I can be in optimal health.
Assessment:
When going through my assessment of the different domains in my life, I realized first that I was missing something psychologically. I used to read books and health magazines every day, finishing a book every two weeks, but now I have become so busy in life I have let my love of reading fall by the wayside. Although I am currently working hard to learn all I can in work and make it a point to learn something new every day, I find myself missing my comfort reading. With this in mind, I think I would score my psychological development at a 7, I feel that I work hard to learn every day and keep my mind sharp but miss the creative juices that flow when I read for pleasure, this is one area I hope to progress in.
As for my spirituality, I feel that through my everyday meditation and loving-kindness practices I have a wonderful sense of connectedness and being able to listen to my inner voice, but I do feel that life’s daily grind still has its way of getting to me sometimes. I feel that I need to progress with my personal relationship with the higher being around us, that I need to pray more and give thanks more often for any little happy occurrence throughout my day. With this being said, I think I would score my spirituality at a 6, there is much need for improvement and further development here, but I do feel I am on the right path.
With my physical wellness I can say I am pretty healthy. I exercise five days a week for an hour, my husband and I are eating mostly organic and very healthy selections from our own garden, and I make sure to keep active and outside as much as possible throughout the day. The only real detriment to my health that I feel needs to change fast is my addiction to smoking cigarettes. My smoking has not yet caused any health issues but I know the harm it can cause after so many years, which is why this habit must go. I would have to score my overall physical health at a 6; there is always room for improvement such as quitting the smoking for good.
Goal Development:
Physically: As I stated above, the number one goal I have for myself physically is to stop smoking. I would like to put a time limit on this goal as I have been good with completing goals when I give myself a time frame. So, I think I will set my “stop smoking” goal to stop by the time I graduate from Kaplan, which is September 11, 2012. Another physical goal I would like to set is becoming more flexible. I already work out consistently and eat healthy, but I must admit I have never been very flexible. I would like to set a goal to start stretching in a regular routine for an hour three days a week and working out four days instead of five, this being because flexibility is equally important as working the muscle groups for strength and fitness. I think I will set this goal for, again, at the time of graduation on September 11, 2012.
Spiritually: I am by nature a very spiritual person, but I must admit to not having the connection to certain elements as I would like to. With this being said, I feel that my spiritual goal would be to, once again, connect with earth and universe and form a personal relationship with our creator. Prayer has never been my strong suit, but I think this is the element that I am missing in my daily routine of meditation and loving-kindness exercises. I don’t want to put a time frame to this goal as I know it may always improve and develop through time, I simply wish to begin the process now.
Psychologically: As I mentioned above, I try to learn something new every day and am very consistent with my studies as a Kaplan student, but I feel there is certain level of creativity I have left behind since I started school, which reading for pleasure always gave to me. One of my mental health goals is to start reading for pleasure again, whether it is a novel, biography, or a wellness/gardening magazine. I feel that setting time aside every day to indulge in my reading will help my creative side come to life once more. Another goal in this area is to learn a new language, which I have never been able to do. I love to listen to other languages being spoken, but have never been able to speak them, I think this is a perfect goal to strengthen my mental health. The first language I would like to learn would be Spanish and I want to set this goal of becoming fluent in Spanish by the beginning of next year, 2013. At this point, I want to learn Italian; I will set this goal for the end of the following year, 2014. I’d like to progress each year with learning a new language and see how many different languages I can become fluent in within my life time.
Practices for personal health:
Physical: For my first goal to stop smoking, I can think of several strategies to implement that would help me reach my goal; first being a mindset of mind over matter. I have to understand what triggers me to want a cigarette, I need to delve into the witnessing mind and identify my reactions to situations and events when the craving comes on, am I stressed out, did I just eat, am I driving in my car, am I sad or depressed about something. First understanding the triggers can then lead me to dealing with the negative reaction of smoking a cigarette. I can then use intention to replace those cravings with feelings of being satisfied, calm, and happy. Another strategy is to use the visualization to overcome my cravings and help me to stay focused on the goal. In this way I can visualize my body feeling so much healthier, my lungs feeling cleaner after I have reached my goal. I will visualize myself never wanting a cigarette again and how my life will change after the goal is met. I will do this every time I get a craving in order to help stave it off.
As for my other physical goal of wanting to become more flexible, my strategies will be simple as I will set my schedule to engage in stretching exercise three days a week at home and go to the gym the other four days in the week. I think yoga is a great starter for this routine so I will set up a video and yoga station upstairs, enhancing the environment with essential oils, plants, and visually calming colors. I will start this routine on roughly the same hour in the morning I would work out, and simply do this every other day. This is also a great opportunity to meditate as well as stretch, which would help my overall stress levels, I think my other strategy to make this new routine work it to remind myself that it is ok to miss a day or do the stretching after work some days. Having flexibility with my schedule is equally important as having a schedule in my eyes; otherwise I would become too hard on myself every day and worry about time frames and the like. This strategy will help me progress instead of regress.
Spiritually: One of my strategies for implementing my spiritual goal is partly connected with my physical goal of stretching more. I plan to take on yoga as my stretching exercise and I feel that the meditation within this practice is a perfect time to connect my mind and body to the universe and higher being. Prayer is very important in my eyes, it is the conversation that I wish to have, not simply asking for forgiveness and thanks. I feel that I can implement this inner and outer connection with ease during my yoga practice. Another strategy is to implement visualization with meditative and loving-kindness practices every day. As we learned of visualization in this course, I feel that using this technique in the form of prayer would be very beneficial and help me progress within my goal. I have begun to connect the practices we learned in this course into one; I think this is a great strategy to initiate my act of prayer.
Psychologically: My first strategy for my goal of reading more for pleasure revolves around, again, my schedule. The bottom line is I have to find the time to read, which seemed to be the problem when I stopped reading for fun. This means I need to shift my routine and edit my day in order to allow myself the time I need for this goal. Since I usually take a break around 1:30pm to have lunch and watch a bit of TV, I think this would be a great time to read something while I eat instead of turning on the TV. I could sit at the kitchen table and eat while I read a magazine or a novel. Another strategy is to read at the gym while I am running. I usually run for 30 minutes to an hour which would give me ample time to read a favorite book. These strategies seem to be quite simple and easy to implement. My other goal of learning a new language each year will be a bit more time consuming, but I can work in several strategies to allow success throughout the year. For starters, I need to commit to a program, such as Rosetta Stone, and find time each day to work with the program. As my goal is set for the beginning of 2013, I will have ample time to do this once graduated on September, 11, 2012. It will be frustrating at first so every time I feel like giving up I will remind myself of my goal and how all great accomplishments in life are not easy to get, but so satisfying once done. A calm breathing session every time my frustrations get the better of me will help me implement this strategy. Another strategy for this goal is using what I have learned in my daily life. For Spanish, I work with several Spanish people in the restaurant and can communicate with them in their language to progress my skill. I can also speak to myself in Spanish rather than English to familiarize my mind with the ways of speaking that different language. I always have known that practice makes perfect, and practice is one of the best strategies I could implement for this goal.
Commitment:
Physically: My progress for my first goal of quitting smoking will be slow as this is a very hard habit to break. I will have to first smoke less before I can completely eliminate it, in which case I would view my progress by the will-power displayed, the actual number of cigarettes I smoke a day, and how long it takes me to cut it out completely. As I usually smoke 10 cigarettes a day, I will first cut back to 5 a day. I will eventually get to 3 a day, 2 a day, 1 a day, and then none. I will see progress when I am able to exhibit the control of my cravings after each change, the six month mark is the final stretch and I will have to carefully monitor myself at this point. With my stretching goal, I feel that my progress will be noticed with the results of my flexibility during the six months. The goal is to become healthier, and feeling that in body and mind will be the testament to progress I need to see. This goal may also be hard to keep up, but again it is important I remind myself that there is no relapsing in this goal, it is ok to be flexible in this routine and I can engage in this exercise any time.
Spiritually: The weight of progress I would see in this goal is difficult to explain, I don’t really know what to expect, but I do expect some change within myself to occur at some point, in which case I will continue to build on that change by continuing the practice. The only regression I foresee may be my lack of consistency, at which point I will need to remind myself of the importance of the act and begin implementing it again in my daily life.
Psychologically: As for my progress in reading for pleasure, I think this will be measured the amount of TV I watch in my spare time in comparison to how much I read every day. Any lack of progression of this goal may be because of lack of interest in what I have to read at the time, which may be a simple solution of going to a book store and getting several items which interest me. I did not have a time frame for this goal, but I hope to read a novel at least every month and not turn on the TV at all during the day.
My progression with my second mental health goal of learning a new language each year can be seen with the amount I have learned at the six month mark. I should be able to carry out some conversations in Spanish and should be getting better every day by that time; my only worry is the initial frustration of learning the basics will get in my way of progressing to that six month point. If this happens, my consistent visualization of me speaking fluent Spanish in a year and reminding myself of the work that comes with accomplishment will be my striving steps toward progression and completion.
With all goals there will be some regression, which is part of being human. It is thus important to remember that accomplishment includes the ability to fall and rise again and again, the power to utilize the notion “mind over matter”, and the ability to tap into the thrill of the challenge as a motivating force in order to succeed at any life goals. The road that we take toward our goals is what enriches our lives more so than the simple goal itself, we all can be amazed at ourselves if we allow it.
-Stacey Smith
Reference:
Dacher, E.S. Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishment. (2006) Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Unit 8
Hello class,
After I reviewed the practices we all took part in over the progression of this class, I decided that meditation and loving kindness were the two I felt most beneficial. I had actually incorporated all of them into one progressing session, but after doing this for a week or so I started to feel that I enjoyed and felt more of a response from the act of meditating while including the loving kindness exercise. It is important for me to remember these exercises while engaging in my daily life and routine, I sometimes witness myself becoming agitated or irritated with others around me. When this happens I have to center my focus momentarily on those feelings and replace them with compassion, love, and patience. I then purposefully send my light and good energy toward that person in a subtle practice of meditation. This all may take only a minute at best but I have seen huge results. I find that if I add this practice in everything I am doing that I feel like the world around me becomes brighter, the people in my life and the strangers around me seem more at ease and in comfort. This is a testament to the power of meditation and loving kindness and how easily and profoundly it can change the world we live in.
-Stacey Smith
After I reviewed the practices we all took part in over the progression of this class, I decided that meditation and loving kindness were the two I felt most beneficial. I had actually incorporated all of them into one progressing session, but after doing this for a week or so I started to feel that I enjoyed and felt more of a response from the act of meditating while including the loving kindness exercise. It is important for me to remember these exercises while engaging in my daily life and routine, I sometimes witness myself becoming agitated or irritated with others around me. When this happens I have to center my focus momentarily on those feelings and replace them with compassion, love, and patience. I then purposefully send my light and good energy toward that person in a subtle practice of meditation. This all may take only a minute at best but I have seen huge results. I find that if I add this practice in everything I am doing that I feel like the world around me becomes brighter, the people in my life and the strangers around me seem more at ease and in comfort. This is a testament to the power of meditation and loving kindness and how easily and profoundly it can change the world we live in.
-Stacey Smith
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Unit 7
Hello fellow classmates,
This weeks healing practices have been interesting to say the least. I have actually taken the practices we learned throughout the semester and integrated them into a 30 minute meditation session I have practiced twice a day all week. This last practice, Meeting Aesclepius, was integrated by understanding that this image of a wise healer with all "her" energy, peace, and love was already inside of me-emanating with light and healing power. I took this healing and peaceful knowledge and light and guided it through every cell of my body, healing or correcting any abnormality within. When my inner cleansing was complete I then guided this energy and love to every living being in this world-I didn't have to imagine a whole slew of people and animals, just the radiating energy their physical being had. I gave them all my love and my healing energy, I gave it to the universe to distribute as need be, and I gave it to my loved ones and friends. After this, I would return my thoughts to within myself- my healing energy once again became infused with only my body while bringing with it any suffering or negative energy I could grab from others. I took all this energy, bad and good, and imagined my inner light cleansing and purifying it, recreating this energy into my own that was filled with love and compassion. To end the session I would return my mind's eye to my inner voice and let it sit in calmness-listening to any lesson needing to be told.
As this is the first time I have ever really integrated several practices together I must say I have been feeling and seeing a difference in my life, I feel as though my surroundings have become lighter, the people around me becoming happier, and situations getting better. I like this change, and I will definitely continue to use and add to this method with time and as I find other practices.
I feel like what I just described has some connection with the saying "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself". (p.477) Basically, if I as a healer or professional do not understand or have experienced my own teachings or practices, there will be no real way for any change to come to my clients or students. A person has to integrate their practices into their lives or they will not fully be able to illustrate change for others. To me, this is an unspoken rule and obligation to my future clients because it allows me to understand their progress or regression more thoroughly-which allows me to help them more. In doing so, in practicing what I preach, there may come about positive changes in all aspects of my life.
-Stacey Smith
This weeks healing practices have been interesting to say the least. I have actually taken the practices we learned throughout the semester and integrated them into a 30 minute meditation session I have practiced twice a day all week. This last practice, Meeting Aesclepius, was integrated by understanding that this image of a wise healer with all "her" energy, peace, and love was already inside of me-emanating with light and healing power. I took this healing and peaceful knowledge and light and guided it through every cell of my body, healing or correcting any abnormality within. When my inner cleansing was complete I then guided this energy and love to every living being in this world-I didn't have to imagine a whole slew of people and animals, just the radiating energy their physical being had. I gave them all my love and my healing energy, I gave it to the universe to distribute as need be, and I gave it to my loved ones and friends. After this, I would return my thoughts to within myself- my healing energy once again became infused with only my body while bringing with it any suffering or negative energy I could grab from others. I took all this energy, bad and good, and imagined my inner light cleansing and purifying it, recreating this energy into my own that was filled with love and compassion. To end the session I would return my mind's eye to my inner voice and let it sit in calmness-listening to any lesson needing to be told.
As this is the first time I have ever really integrated several practices together I must say I have been feeling and seeing a difference in my life, I feel as though my surroundings have become lighter, the people around me becoming happier, and situations getting better. I like this change, and I will definitely continue to use and add to this method with time and as I find other practices.
I feel like what I just described has some connection with the saying "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself". (p.477) Basically, if I as a healer or professional do not understand or have experienced my own teachings or practices, there will be no real way for any change to come to my clients or students. A person has to integrate their practices into their lives or they will not fully be able to illustrate change for others. To me, this is an unspoken rule and obligation to my future clients because it allows me to understand their progress or regression more thoroughly-which allows me to help them more. In doing so, in practicing what I preach, there may come about positive changes in all aspects of my life.
-Stacey Smith
Monday, March 12, 2012
Unit 6
Hello classmates,
This week the exercises were a bit different than the previous units, I actually really liked the Loving Kindness exercise because after a few minutes of really envisioning the words I was saying I began to feel my body getting warm. I felt happy and strong, as if energy was just radiating out of my body and into the universe for others to use when they need good energy. As far as the integral assessment, it was pretty clear from the start what area of life I really needed to work on, which is my career. I have always been the type to worry about everything, which can sometimes get in the way of positive progression. I seem to worry and stress about the way my career is going. (I currently am in the food and beverage industry and have not a clue what field I want to go into after school) When I really looked at my life it seemed that this was the only real stressor in my life right now, and that it is because of the worry that this stressor exists at all. This is definitely the area I choose to focus on for inner and outer growth. I know I am capable of anything I put my mind to, so I have to begin to calm my mind, put good energy out into the universe, and stop faltering when it comes to researching job opportunities. One exercise I think would help is imagery meditation. I need to focus on the negative feelings I have for this area of my life and begin to infuse them with loving-kindness and patience. I think this will be a great first step to overcoming my unwanted fears and self-doubt.
-Stacey Smith
This week the exercises were a bit different than the previous units, I actually really liked the Loving Kindness exercise because after a few minutes of really envisioning the words I was saying I began to feel my body getting warm. I felt happy and strong, as if energy was just radiating out of my body and into the universe for others to use when they need good energy. As far as the integral assessment, it was pretty clear from the start what area of life I really needed to work on, which is my career. I have always been the type to worry about everything, which can sometimes get in the way of positive progression. I seem to worry and stress about the way my career is going. (I currently am in the food and beverage industry and have not a clue what field I want to go into after school) When I really looked at my life it seemed that this was the only real stressor in my life right now, and that it is because of the worry that this stressor exists at all. This is definitely the area I choose to focus on for inner and outer growth. I know I am capable of anything I put my mind to, so I have to begin to calm my mind, put good energy out into the universe, and stop faltering when it comes to researching job opportunities. One exercise I think would help is imagery meditation. I need to focus on the negative feelings I have for this area of my life and begin to infuse them with loving-kindness and patience. I think this will be a great first step to overcoming my unwanted fears and self-doubt.
-Stacey Smith
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Unit 5
Hello all.
The Subtle Mind practice is one I have been using to initiate meditation for some time now. I found that it was very easy for me to go through this exercise, unlike the first Loving Kindness exercise which I was not so familiar with. In comparison, they both work on understanding the mindless chatter of the mind and teaching yourself how to overcome that and dig deeper to find a higher state of being. In contrast, the loving kindness exercise was asking us to reach within ourselves to find energy to send to another person, as well as coming to terms with certain emotions related to bodies and inner self image. This is what was the hardest for me in the loving kindness practice, whereas the subtle mind exercise is a way to calm the mind and in doing so allows me to get greater understanding of my body and mind, how they each work in unison and against eachother. I think this is where spiritual, mental, and physical wellness are connected. It is through the mind and our experiences which we all are exposed to our sense of spirituality, which gives us the capacity to love and heal. With this capacity I think we are able to change our lives, which enevidible changes our bodies (for better or worse). I someone has a healthy mental and spiritual state, their bodies will react to that in a healthy manner. A great example is how depression can cause our bodies to react in a negative manner, how stess can cause our bodies to hurt, or how being nervous can cause us to sweat or shake. It is all connected.
-Stacey Smith
The Subtle Mind practice is one I have been using to initiate meditation for some time now. I found that it was very easy for me to go through this exercise, unlike the first Loving Kindness exercise which I was not so familiar with. In comparison, they both work on understanding the mindless chatter of the mind and teaching yourself how to overcome that and dig deeper to find a higher state of being. In contrast, the loving kindness exercise was asking us to reach within ourselves to find energy to send to another person, as well as coming to terms with certain emotions related to bodies and inner self image. This is what was the hardest for me in the loving kindness practice, whereas the subtle mind exercise is a way to calm the mind and in doing so allows me to get greater understanding of my body and mind, how they each work in unison and against eachother. I think this is where spiritual, mental, and physical wellness are connected. It is through the mind and our experiences which we all are exposed to our sense of spirituality, which gives us the capacity to love and heal. With this capacity I think we are able to change our lives, which enevidible changes our bodies (for better or worse). I someone has a healthy mental and spiritual state, their bodies will react to that in a healthy manner. A great example is how depression can cause our bodies to react in a negative manner, how stess can cause our bodies to hurt, or how being nervous can cause us to sweat or shake. It is all connected.
-Stacey Smith
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Unit 4
Hello class and professor,
To start with, this exercise was both easy and hard for me-I do feel that overall it was beneficial and I will be trying it again every day for the designated 15 minutes. This exercise was a bit different than simply meditating, I feel that it was difficult for me to release my hold on certain emotions I had about my body, my knees in particular. You see, I have broken, twisted, and busted up both my knees numerous times over the years, I actually had to give up my first love of classical ballet dancing because of a drastic knee injury in which I never fully recovered from, so I have some underlying hatred for the pain I have in my knees on a daily basis. This was hard to release, it took me several tries to somewhat relinquish, but it did happen at some point during the exercise. I would definitely recommend this exercise to others, I feel that it made me come to terms with my held back emotions about certain aspects, I felt a great sense of relief when it was done though, a good first step in emotional and mental health.
Speaking of mental health, the mind has recently been seen as another part of the body which needs to be worked out in order for wasting not to occur. As they say, use it or loose it. It is important that we all use our minds in multiple ways in order to keep mental health and alertness as time passes-studies far and wide has shown that an active mind is more apt to stay active as age progresses. There are actually mental workout centers and personal trainers to help individualize a workout plan depending on what areas (math, science, literature, art, language) a person is most weak in-it is a proven method by way of detailed diary records taken by participants to show overall progress in certain skills. I think being able to use your mind as a muscle to be worked out is a clever tool to use in increasing creativity, openness, understanding, and overall wellness.
-Stacey Smith
Reference:
Tannen, S. Mental Fitness-exercises for the brain. Retrieved 2/28/2012 from www.bellydoc.com/articles/article 7.html
To start with, this exercise was both easy and hard for me-I do feel that overall it was beneficial and I will be trying it again every day for the designated 15 minutes. This exercise was a bit different than simply meditating, I feel that it was difficult for me to release my hold on certain emotions I had about my body, my knees in particular. You see, I have broken, twisted, and busted up both my knees numerous times over the years, I actually had to give up my first love of classical ballet dancing because of a drastic knee injury in which I never fully recovered from, so I have some underlying hatred for the pain I have in my knees on a daily basis. This was hard to release, it took me several tries to somewhat relinquish, but it did happen at some point during the exercise. I would definitely recommend this exercise to others, I feel that it made me come to terms with my held back emotions about certain aspects, I felt a great sense of relief when it was done though, a good first step in emotional and mental health.
Speaking of mental health, the mind has recently been seen as another part of the body which needs to be worked out in order for wasting not to occur. As they say, use it or loose it. It is important that we all use our minds in multiple ways in order to keep mental health and alertness as time passes-studies far and wide has shown that an active mind is more apt to stay active as age progresses. There are actually mental workout centers and personal trainers to help individualize a workout plan depending on what areas (math, science, literature, art, language) a person is most weak in-it is a proven method by way of detailed diary records taken by participants to show overall progress in certain skills. I think being able to use your mind as a muscle to be worked out is a clever tool to use in increasing creativity, openness, understanding, and overall wellness.
-Stacey Smith
Reference:
Tannen, S. Mental Fitness-exercises for the brain. Retrieved 2/28/2012 from www.bellydoc.com/articles/article 7.html
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