Final Project

See Doc Sharing for the Final Project.  I could not get it onto this blog.  It has been a pleasure being in class with you all.

Good Luck in All That You Do.

Unit 8

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

Of all of the practices that we have looked at the one that I have found to be the most beneficial to me is  loving kindness.  I find it very energizing to wake up in the morning as send love, kindness and compassion out into the world.  Then to keep this frame of mind during the day and try to radiate love and kindness.  I have enjoyed seeing and feeling how people react to this newly discovered part of my personality.  I will continue to make this a part of my morning, and as a warm up for the day.

The other practice I am finding very beneficial is meditation, and this is something I am trying to get in the habit of doing each evening.  This is going to take some practice because I am not used to siting still, and I tend to fall asleep, but I know that with practice I will become better at it.  I have to add also when I meditate I also use visualization.  I mention this because if I happen to fall asleep I do so with a positive image in my mind which helps me to sleep better.

One cannot lead another where one where one has not gone himself is simply saying that a person that has not traveled down the path to Integral health to Human Flourishing can't possibly lead someone else down the path.  In order to teach we must first learn and experience for ourselves.

By becoming "integrally informed" (Dacher, 2006) and bringing what we have learned into the medical practice we can help to change the relationship between patient and medical community back to the kind of relationship it once was as opposed to the distrustful, frustration laden relationship that it has become.  In order to offer this change we must first work on our own Integral Health.  Only then can we share and teach.  We need to e living examples of Human Flourishing not just conveyors of information.

This course is a good beginning to implementing psychological and spiritual growth in my life.  Continuing to seek information and practice will make this a natural part of my everyday life, and with time I expect to see a transformation within myself.  Walking in loving-kindness and remembering to be grateful everyday is the first step for me, and I remind myself to make sure I do this through out the day, in every situation.

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

NOTE:  I did not answer the question regarding the Meditation because my disks skips so badly I cant hear it. I tried cleaning it but it didn't help.

Unit 6

Let me begin this post with an apology.  I should have had this post up days ago, but I got what felt like the same ailment twice in a row.  I got a stomach virus from my mother which had me down for a few days.  Once I was feeling myself I ate something that was not good and was sick all over again.

Unit 6:

The Universal Loving-Kindness exercise was very enjoyable to me.  If left me feeling a greater sense of peace.  Similar to the way I feel when I perform a random act of kindness for someone.  I ended feeling as though I had contributed positively to someone else.  The feeling really was almost the same.

The assessment on page 115 left me feeling as though I need to focus on my spiritual growth and development.  My faith is strong but I don't feel as though I am a connected to the Universe as I should be.  In an effort to strengthen this area I am beginning to read the bible more followed by a time of reflection after each reading.  I am also trying to be much more mindful of my connectedness to the Universe and Humanity.  I believe that with time my connectedness will come naturally, but right now I need to stay aware of it in an effort to create a habit for lack of a better word.


Trish-

Unit 5 Post

The biggest difference I noticed between the Loving Kindness exercises and the Subtle Mind exercises were that te Loving Kindness exercise was more of an active exercise.  What I mean by that is that we are actively creating an image, focusing on it, and speaking it.  With the Subtle Mind exercise we are concentrating more on calmness and breahing.  I found te Subtle Mind exercise more relaxing and I was able to go with it easily.  I think it will be interesting to try this exercise in different situations to see if I can achieve the same result.


Spiritual, mental and physical are the three parts of the whole.  In order to experience true wellness we must be well in each of these area's.  As the book shows with the colored circles al area's overlap, none stand alone.  In order to be a balanced person and expereince peace we have to care for each area equally, and find ways to grow in all ways.  the mind is a very strong and resilient thing, but it requires exercise just as the body does.  We should all seek ways to make ourselves stronger in each area.

Since beginning this class I have taken on a few new exercises to help in the three area's.  Quitting smoking for my physical health, and learning new meditation and relaxation techniques for mental health, and I am reading the bible more and praying for spiritual health.

Try a Mandala

If you would like to try a Mandala follow this link, print one out, and enjoy.  I would love to hear what you thought.

http://www.mandali.com/sample/

Unit 4 Exercse

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

I had a great deal of difficulty with this exercise.  I think that I do better with music than I do with the sound of water.  What I found was that as long as the guide was speaking I was focused on her voice, but when he stopped to give us a chance to experience I drifted in numerous directions.  I did not particularly like this exercise, but I would recommend it to others because I think that we have to try all sorts of techniques until we find the one that works for us.




2. What is the concept of “Mental Workout? What does the research indicate are the proven benefits of a Mental Work Out? How can you implement mental workouts to foster your psychological health?

The concept of the "Mental Workout" is the same as that of the physical workout.  We have to create a regular schedule of exercise in order to reach our full potential.  We have to also understand the techniques that we are using and their purpose.  It is not enough to just go through the exercises, we have to understand what we are attempting to accomplish in order for them to have a real benefit. 

In this section we are focusing on the practice of giving love and kindness, which calms the mind.  This is a mental attitude that takes practice, but which will flow naturally after a while.  The other practice is the subtle mind which is the "cultivation of wisdom" (Dacher, 2006)  This is the practice of quieting the mind, releasing the clutter.

For me the most difficult of the two is the subtle mind.  My mind is anything but quiet.  I have so many things going on at once that my mind u usually anything but quiet.  Right now I am learning to be quiet for small periods of time.  I believe that if I can learn to be quiet for 15 minutes that will be the first step.  Then once I get that I can lengthen the time.  It isn't that I cant sit still, I can do that for extended periods, but keeping my mind quiet and still is quite another matter. 

I have mentioned the mandala before, but this weekend I took a rather complex picture, put on some classical music, and got comfortable on the couch.  I did not have a plan I just began to color.  I found that when I was done I had been sitting there for over two hours, and my mind was completely focused on the picture.  I also noticed that when I was done  was calm and relaxed.