Unit 10

This review has a bit of hardship.  I negated to complete that portion of the blog history.  So, my report will include a walk down memory lane. 

Part A-physical well-being: My initial score for this part was 4.5/5 out of ten.  I  have been trying to change my past ways in order to help me grow healthier and stronger for the future.  Why should my golden years be filled with illness and restrictions?  An increase in exercise and food modification has been a daily plight.  Plight, I say, for it is not easy to change bad habits.  Society does not help with commercials offering daily reminders of their need for you to purchase 'junk'. My initial goal is to increase the exercise and switch to a healthier way of eating. 
Today after the 7 weeks of information and practicing of the subtle mind, I feel more in control.  When I miss a day of meditation I am not in sync with the day.  I have moved my scale up to a seven.  Once the mind had a controlling part everything else follows  My goals then are still in play today.  I am working to include exercise weekly, I joined a  gym  with a commitment of 2 days a week.  The other time is fun activities outside the house that incorporate exercise as well, walking, planting flowers, and soon vegetables.  Once a week I spring clean a room lasting about an hour.  With the food section my kids comment the refrigerator is filled with so many greens you can hardly see the inside.  We are also experiencing with foods never served on out table before. What fun! So far I have been living up to my goals in this area of my life.

Part B-spiritual well-being:  I have always believed there was some force or energy guiding my way.  When I chose to listen all went well.  When I did the opposite - disaster.  My parents called it "God" just as they were told.  They had me following in their footsteps.  But there was something else that kept nagging at me.  Wayne Dyer once mentioned we are all a part of the source - no matter what they call it.  This made the greatest sense to me.  Although I am part of something, I have the same amount of awe as my source.  My initial scoring in this area was a 3/4. Not much stock in myself and letting down my guard to open up and let go.  My goal was to use the meditation and other external influences to grow in this area.  Slowly but surely it has made a difference.
 Since my early childhood I seemed to have the ability to see and know things.  Intuition would be the best definition.  As I grew and became an adult in society these differences were not praised but condemned.  Not spiritually strong enough I gave in and followed suit.  This class has given me the opportunity to go back to these roots hnd express who I truly am. I have upgraded my scoring to a 6/7 since I am still a work in progress. The change has emanated out and is reflective in all I see.  When problems come along I know the answers will manifest themselves and my stress level dissipates.  I have extended my goal scoring to an infinite number for I will never stop growing in the area.

Part C - psychological well-being:  The mind, what a complex organ.  it gives each of us the opportunity to rule the world in our section.  It also can ruin us if left unleashed.  Confirming to a societal view gives us the opportunity to think and live in harmony, but this does not always become fulfilled.  Balancing the chaos can be the biggest struggle.  My first measure of the balance was a 5/6.   I have some intellect and am able to maneuver the hurdles and potholes life has thrown at me.  There is still a part that does not like change and reverts to an egocentrical attitude towards others - this definitely needs working on.  This is where my goal comes into play.  Utilizing the loving kindness meditation exercise to let go of the negative opening and spreading more of the positive.
The part has been my biggest challenge - letting to.  I have for many years used my wits to survive in society and I have done well.  The success is imbedded in my memory.  With repetition I have seen some progress but it is very slow.  I do make conscious efforts to improve and at times see success.  These new memories are replacing the old and should grow.  Calming the ever-changing mind is the new passion.  I feel I have moved up to a solid six.  Review of the meditation gives me a little more strength with every event. I will get there.

Ten weeks ago I was a ball of nerves.  Through the course I have learned to seize the unwanted energies and turned them into positive outcomes or have dissipated them all together.  I still struggle but know that I have the tools to improve and help myself.  I have often wondered is Jesus had these strategies already in place when he arrived here.  He always knew the outcome.  This fact alone disseminates negative thoughts resulting in calm throughout.  Placing the thoughts that are of no use out of my mind and resulting feeling in my biggest challenge and also my greatest good.  The struggle is worth the outcome.  

K

Unit 9

blog  Unit 9    Kathleen StPierre
    Introduction:
    Why is it important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically? What areas do you need to develop to achieve the goals you have for yourself?
“..if we transform the activities of daily life into integral practice, we will be practicing all the time” (Dacher, 2006, p.121).  The practitioner needs to be the ‘picture of health’ to provide the best and most thorough care for the patient.  Without the balance of the mind, body , and spirit the healer cannot fully be aware of the healing process of the patient.  My path has many ways and I must take them one step at a time to reach the goals I have set.  Presently I start at the bottom rung but am constantly looking up.  At times I can see the next area of concern and other times I need to wait and strengthen where I am at now.  My physical health is of most importance at this time, so this in my primary focus.  My second area involves the spiritual aspect since this part has been hidden beneath the intellect.
    Assessment:
    How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically?
“The evolution of our personal life towards integral health is a result of conscious choice” (Dacher, 2006, p.38).  Psycho-spiritually expanding my consciousness has greatly increased my awareness of who I am and the potential I have.  These ideas enhance my motivation even though I am still in the infancy of this track.  The witnessing mind is my highest level.  Biologically I am working at the mind-body transformation.  I am comfortable with this level.  Inter-personally I have graduated to the top of the ‘you’ chain and working on the ‘us’.  Worldly has challenged me the most but I have been able to rest at the fulfillment level on several occasions. 

    Goal development:
    List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area, Physical, Psychological (mental health) and Spiritual.
    Physically increasing healthy attitudes and practices resulting in a strong body.  Healthier food choices along with daily exercise to combat many aspects.
    Review many of the meditation offered within this class along with outside influences to release the constraining thoughts still left within own mind.
    My new connection with the one inside has given me snippets of the bliss and benefit the mind can offer to the physical world around. 
    Practices for personal health:
    What strategies can you implement to foster growth in each of the following domains; Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual. Provide at least two examples of exercises or practices in each domain. Explain how you will implement each example.
    Physical – routine exercise 30 min aerobic exercise 3-5 days a week – on-line food strategies for healthier eating.  Consistent tracking in y exercise log with help to show the track I am on.
    Psychological - Meditation – Qigong (meditation and exercise combined) Set up a meditation area for retreat to practice meditation.  Taking outside class of the Qigong
    Spiritual – thankfulness - gratitude.  Offering thanks and gratitude each morning upon waking. Just to be alive and greet the day is a blessing in itself.   
    Commitment:
    How will you assess your progress or lack of progress in the next six months? What strategies can you use to assist in maintaining your long-term practices for health and wellness?
Progress is the accumulation of change.  Willing to look beyond and be open to the information returned removes the insecurities that block the good from coming out.  Reviewing daily logs and comments will remind me of the goals and actions I want to accomplish.  Once implemented daily these actions and thoughts will become part of my network and will function without enticement similar to my breath I take every moment.  Modification can always be accounted for but normalcy will win. 
Reference
Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral Health The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach: Basic Health Publication.

Unit8 Review

1. Review the exercises and practice sessions you have completed in this course. (Loving Kindness, Subtle mind, Visualization, meditation etc.) Choose two practices that you have determined to be most beneficial. How can you implement these practices in your personal life to foster “mental fitness”? Provide specific examples.

Hello all....The subtle mind exercise  and just meditation have been of the most help and use for myself.  The audio destription of how to focus my mind to clear out all busy thought and try to focus on the moment has given me glimpses of peace.  Practice does need to be a part of my daily existance.  I now need to focus on the time to give myself for a better grasp of my life.  I have dedicated a room to this event and am working on making it the place of peace and tranquility.  Here is where I plan on regrouping and finding my inner self. 

I am working on utilizing these techniques to reduce the ideas and feeling that stress my body.  When I have success with the exercises My day runs smoothly and I can handle much more than I normally do.  This is good.  I keep trying to keep the good inside so I can offer it to others.    K

Unit 7

Unit 7
working with the newer exercise in Meeting Aesclepius proved to be harder than I thought.  The focus on an entity or human from my past that offered me comfort, solace and direction did not materialize.  There was one whom I have thought offered me much direction in my life but I could not manifest her image for long and wasn't able to hold on to what I have had. 
Leading others requires some aspect of past experiences.  These learning events also offer a better perception of how others around you think and subsequently act.  As a healthcare worker this is a beneficial asset when dealing with individuals.  Being able to see all view points aids in completing your job successfully.  Constantly keeping myself healthy and in top performance I can offer the best of all situations for my patients. This new path I am on will offer me the ability to promote wellness from within then expanding out to those whom I encounter daily.
K

Unit 6 Assessment

Unit 6
The universal loving-kindness meditation does not seem to make me feel productive in my actions.  I am still blocking some aspect of this work that hinders me from concentrating on the phrases.  I will continue to keep working on it.   I feel I do not have conviction in the mantra and thus do not take it seriously. 
The next part the integral assessment has been most helpful... The items of urgent need are always in the forefront but many other needs linger and are not pinpoint enough to demand attention.Utilizing the assessment I can direct my mind to areas of need using the life chart to open lines of communication. 
The areas of the chart chosen are anchored in each of the four aspects.  My first challenge in the psycho-spiritual.  I have buried this section for many years and now would like to be able to bring to the forefront.  Much of the opening revolves around balancing the biological - a healthy body enhances a healthy mind.  MY interpersonal accomplishments are tandem with the psycho-spiritual it such a way each small step taken strengthens the other.  Within the worldly aspect the work part is on auto pilot.  The balance of this section is on the very bottom of the list.  If  I cannot care and strengthen myself I will not be able to help others.  This last aspect will be my greatest accomplishment.
For my psycho-spiritual workload I have using the breathing techniques with the mindfulness to clear the clutter and focus.  much of my day is spent in mindfulness of the days events as they occur.  I constantly remind myself 'life is worth living to the fullest'.  This positive attitude enlightens the day and provides many graces my way.  I have just had a feng shui teacher go through my home to aline my energies with the surroundings.
K

Unit 5 stillness

Unit 5 stillness
I very much enjoyed the subtle mind exercise better than the loving kindness tape.  This one seemed to help me focus with directions to show me how to accomplish the task at hand.  My only downfall in working with this is getting the others in house to stay quiet or leave so I could concentrate on the exercise. 
With some luck I was able to relax my physical body and concentrate on the activity without any worries about what needs my body had at the time.  I did seem to reach a point that I did not use the sequencing of the breathing to keep my mind focused.  It was brief since I was exposed to outside influences.  I shall try again but on the weekend when I can be alone. 

Unit 4 Loving Kindness

Unit 4
Reading and listening to this weeks assignment has been more a challenge than I thought.  I have lately redirected much of my energies toward self-actualization in addition to allowing myself to be the center of attention and gratitude.  I have been seeking the methods of meditation to realign myself with my initial energy.  My concern is I am not applying the techniques efficiently.  It is hard to say  if my results are what is expected of such exercises. 
I have learned to relax my emotions of anxiety and fear is many situations.  Now I am working on the anger.  It can come strong and seemingly out of nowhere.  I am utilizing the method of self-talk (sometimes out loud) to counteract the outburst of the anger.  At times it works well but other times it is seeded deep and I am unable to pluck it out.This frustrates me since I feel this should have been part of my upbringing.  It would make my daily life easier to have these skills present and ever attentive originating from a childhood acquired behavior.  But I am an adult and I will press on. 
This weeks assignment of loving-kindness has touched my life on diverse occasions.  Unfortunately they were sporadic.  My biggest hurdle seems to be with the commentator's voice.  If their tonal expression does not harmonize with my wavelength of energy I cannot focus on the exercise.  I have tried the exercise just using the reading but this difficult to focus when you need to refer to text.  I like the preface of the readings so I alone can concentrate.  I have borrowed a few other CD on meditation and will try these.  I may even record myself reading and see if this works.  Reviewing this activity daily will train my brain to become more proficient in these types of activates.  Practice, practice, practice.  The more I do the easier it will become.  K

relaxation

Hey all Just listened to the relaxation exercise.  The guys voice is so soothing but I am unset that he seems to be speaking to a guy " loosen you belt or your tie".  The tape was relaxing and I did feel energized when I was done.  The background music pinging did nothing for me.  K