Final Review on Self Progress

Hello All

We have came to our final part of class and now we have to assess ourselves and the progress that we have made from the beginning of our units to now.  I am unsure if I have made any progress since Unit 3, with it being Unit 10 now-but I do know who I am, and that I am a working progress always.  Physically I would say I am back on board than I was 7 weeks ago, because I am getting closer to my race day, I have started my training-I would rate myself 9/10, I am never a perfect score.  Psychologically, I am still progressing into a peaceful mental state constantly; it is hard at times of the things that are around you that can affect your emotions though-otherwise, I would rate myself 6/10.  Spiritually, I know I am around a 8-9/10, I am not a perfect Christian, but I try to be as good as I can as a servant of Christ-I have my days as a human, as we all do. But, from within, I do know what I believe in and what I practice makes me feel wholesome, peaceful and at center.

The only activities I would have to say that I put forth as goals for my three aspects, would be to run more and do more physical activities, and to meditate more.  Since Unit 3, I have brought more physical activities into my day, such as running, walking and using a step monitor to evaluate at the end of each day that I made my goal to 1000 steps.  Also, with the meditating I am still working on giving 5-10 minutes out of my day just to focus on my breathing and clearing my mind. 

I have personally enjoyed the class as a whole, I have learned quite a bit about the mind and the spirit, and have become more observant of my mind.  I have put more thinking before acting out since starting this course, I feel this course has helped me to become a more centered peaceful person.  I thank you to all my classmates for helping me along the way of my journey, giving me great insight with examples and ideas.  Also, I thank my professor for giving me a path on my journey to integral health.

So long everyone and your own paths to integral health and your life as a wellness professional.  I hope everyone is successful in all that you do. 
Bless you,
Nicole

My Integral Health Plan

Hello Everyone!! So, I have taken the time to assess my own life and health and to make choices of improvement.  This is my plan!!

I.                    Introduction

To have Integral Health is to love and give attention to every aspect of your life, psychologically, spiritually and physically.  Having integrated health in all aspects of our human body gives us a sense of wholeness and pleasure.  With my notion, this is why I feel its particularly important for health and wellness professionals to use these practices, so they in turn can teach others how it is done.

Personally, I myself feel its important for my to render into all aspects of the human body focusing on each of them as a prized possession.  My physical, spiritual and psychological aspects are all prized possessions to me, they are mine, I can do whatever I please with these aspects; I choose to use the aspects that I own in creating wholeness and a healthy lifestyle.

II.                 Assessment

Looking at my own domain of how I have assessed each of my aspects has been overjoyed in some areas, while I feel it has been a bit unfair in other areas.  In wholeness, I am a very spiritual person connecting myself with the Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus and I have a very close relationship and I take great pride in knowing Jesus everyday of my life-having this sense of spiritualism gives me my own calmness and peace.  Physically, I am beginning to work on this particular aspect more-I ran a ½ marathon last fall, in which I am registered for another one in May, I start training soon.  Otherwise my physical aspect has been ignored the last 2 months, only because the training I had to go through for my race in the fall was very intense, but nutritionally I do keep a good diet.  Mentally, or psychologically I do have a peaceful mind and a sense of calmness due to my spiritualism-at times of stress I do place myself in a quite setting and focus on my breathing, which I had borrowed from the subtle mind exercise of Elliott Dacher’s book.

III.               Goal Development

Goals I have planned for myself in each aspect of my life would have to be easily distributed and would have to be realistic.  Physically, instead of having to intense parts of the year where I am constantly running, and than putting off vigorous exercise for a while-I need to maintain vigorous and moderate exercise throughout the year.  Spiritually, I could start trying to love others more, showing love to them-such as strangers.  I have a problem that I am still working on and still praying for, which is my patience.  I am a nurse out in the health care field, at times I will have to make silly phone calls to insurance agents to approve a patients MRI or Cat Scan, which at times can be a headache.  I need to work on staying calm through these types of phone calls, and to not show impatience over the phone, instead to show love.  My goals realistically for psychological health would have to be more meditation time; I seriously would love to involve meditation into my life, sitting peacefully clearing my mind.  I have attempted this exercise a few times, and I cannot sit for more than 5 minutes, I need to learn that the stuff I have to do will get done, maybe just not right now.

IV.              Practices for personal health

Practicing my personal health as of now spiritually is easy for me, because I have found time in my day where I can have my one on one with Christ and not have to be bothered.  During my spiritual exercises, if that’s what you want to call them, I take the time in doing them in my car while I am driving.  I also take time in practicing my spiritualism when I lay down in bed at night before I go to sleep.  Taking time out of my day to render the physical aspect of my body would probably, realistically, getting up in the wee hours of the morning to go out for a jog.  Also while I am at work, which is mostly all the time, I can take steps to get my heart rate going like taking 2 minutes to run up and down the stairs.  Last, to find time in practicing on my mental health, that I perhaps need to focus on the most, would be during my work day hours, I can find a quite place such as one of the exam rooms in our clinic and clear my mind.  Also when I get home from work is when I am the most relieved of my day, and when I feel the most sense of calmness-this would be a good time to sit, close my eyes and focus on one thing that was good during my day; this would make me feel like I have completed my main goal, which is to show love.

V.                 Commitment

Well I have already started accessing my physical aspect, by running 4 times a week for at least 20-30 minutes at a time. I am healthy physically, I eat the right foods, I monitor my portions and maintain my moderation with food intake.  After the month of May, I will no longer have to train for a running race, so I will try to access my exercise more efficiently by taking 30 minutes a day to at least walk or go to a fitness class.  I have already accessed my spiritualism, as I already have a great relationship with Jesus Christ, but to have a more abundant understanding of what my spiritualism is all about, I need to take time in showing others what Jesus’ love is all about and showing His immense gift of love-in which I will work on getting better at this everyday.  Mentally, I see my psychological aspect in the next 6 months as perhaps honestly staying the same as it is now.  I tell myself I want to improve with this aspect by taking time twice a day just to meditate for 5 minutes, but I do not know for sure if this will happen.  I need to take it each and everyday, day by day, to remind myself to do the meditation exercise, but I couldn’t tell you 6 months from now if I will have the same kind of stamina. 

Hope my ideas have given you great ideas-but its so important to focus on every aspect of you life to maintain health and wholeness. Yeah, you might eat right and work out all the time to stay healthy, but you could be a stress bomb waiting to explode-and your insides are just pleading for you to be calm, so they don't explode too.  It happens....everyday-cancers, diseases, illnesses.  Take care, and enjoy the health that you have by maintaining it, or preventing other 'stuff' from happening.  Enjoy you wonderful day! Good luck to all!

Week 8: Mental Exercises

Wow, I cannot believe we have just only 2 weeks left of this course! This term has really flew by, probably because I've really enjoyed it and its interesting!  Usually when things aren't interesting for me and I think a class is pretty boring, the term seems to never end...it defiantly drags.  I have loved every piece of information this Health and Wellness Class had to offer thus far, I've appreciated all the new knowledge I have gained to help others in the Wellness field as a professional.  I have kept an open mind through all of this, as I have my own beliefs of what calms me as everyone else does, it was nice to hear of new approaches.

The mental calm exercises we have went over in discussions, blogs and personally have been visualization, loving-kindness, subtle mind and meditation.  Through meditation focusing on someone who you love and admire focusing on your love for them is the loving-kindness exercise, the love you feel is suppose to make you feel calm and at peace. Through meditation the subtle mind is to relax your mind from all mental chatter and activity by focusing on one specific thing, such as your breathing-eventually your mind goes completely blank and you mere into a deep calmness.  Last through meditation visualization is the concluding mental practice of visualizing a place, person or thing that makes you feel calm by just focusing on that one thing.  Personally, my favorite that I have practiced is the subtle mind exercise, out of all the exercises, I felt the most relaxed from just focusing on only my breathing.  I feel that this specific technique will defiantly be an exercise that I will address to my clients for relaxation, as anyone would try it. 

Hope all who again decide to read my blog this week, have a wonderful day/week-hope its a calm peaceful week for you all~

Aesclepias Healing

Hello All! I am not that popular, but I must blog anyways!

So, after listening to the Aesclepias Healing exercise, I feel a peace of calmness and enlightment.  We were suppose to find a person who is a mentor to us in our personal life and focus on them as a communion bringing their wisdom to us through a light.  I chose my grandpa who passed away 9 years ago, he was like a father to me and I looked up to him in everything that he did.  To feel his presence next to me, focusing on just his face for the period of time the exercise was held, that there was peaceful.  But, than to bring more of the exercise into the situation, by placing light around his head and having his own wisdom comfort into me, felt uplifting, safe and peaceful.  

In my last weeks meditations, I have not been thriving like I would like in the sense of Integrative healing.  I do pray a lot; I am a very spiritual person, which in everyday situations puts me at peace and makes me feel more calm.  I do need to bring in more meditation focusing on myself as a whole, finding my inner being.  As I recall though, I have sat a couple times during my lunch breaks for about 5 minutes focusing on my breathing and creating a still calm mind-which feels excellent!  

From the "Consciousness & Healing" book, in one of the readings, the saying, "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself."  I am suppose to describe what this saying of reason means to me.  This kind of reminds me of someone stopping and asking for directions about how to get somewhere to the clerk, if the clerk had never gone there, the clerk isn't able to give the directions-makes sense right?  Just like the saying if you haven't gone there, how can you lead someone else there?  This make sense in every aspect, from the reading though, the particular saying is coming from an inner consciousness aspect.  You cannot find a Wellness mentor who hasn't gone into their own inner-self, in unity consciousness and expect them to lead the way for you to eventually get there.  This makes sense, you have to find someone who has been there so its easier for you to get there too.  I do feel that I do have an obligation for my clients to pursue in the practices of meditation becoming, healing the spiritual, mental and physical aspects of my own life.  Personally, I am not going to take someone serious if they aren't doing what they say themselves.  Practice what you preach!! You hear this everyday~!
So long everyone who decides to read this this week, have a wonderful weekend!! Bless all of you :)

Integral Assessment

Having completed the Loving-Kindness exercise as I have been trying to do since the formal practice 3 weeks ago, I can say I am presently calm and at peace.  Looking from a place of peace, refraining on my health and my life, I can now make an assessment.  Looking at my life in all four quandrants; psychospiritual, biological, wordly and interpersonal, I am unbalanced probably like most people.  To that of a bar graph, my psychospiritual life is peaceful and whole, I am a big believer in our Lord Savior Jesus Christ as some may disagree, I well respect that, but with this, this makes me feel complete and thankful and whole. Biologically, I am healthy thus far with a bug here and there, but for the most part my immune system isn't too shabby.  Interpersonally, I do indeed have a support system and a social life, I feel that this area in my integral life is up to par, with the boyfriend and great friends around me and a wonderful family that loves me, I feel that this is also a strength I have in my life.  Last in my integral health, as for Worldly, I feel that I am getting there, slowly but surely.  I am young, and being young you're still trying to get out there into the world in finding your purpose.

Things I can work on personally in my own human flourishing would to have more interpersonal skills, it would be a thrill to me to work with those that are strangers, such as doing volunteering, mission trips, etc. I feel that the more I have to give to those that are in need of someone, I can feel more at peace with myself.  Biologically I can improve as well, I am always trying to keep a peaceful mind in the midst of a loaded work day, driving in high traffic or getting involved with a confrontation.  Biologically and psychospiritually these two go hand in hand, if I keep my mind at peace and keep it still as much as I can, than my body will feel at peace, with my immune system being at peace and doing what its suppose to do. Hope you that are reading, enjoyed my personal insight and the best of luck to you and your forthcomings!

Week 5: The Subtle Mind

Okay! So, the Loving Kindness exercise was great and everything, it opened my heart to others whom I don't even know, but The Subtle Mind exercise I thought was much better personally! In comparison, I felt more relaxed focusing on my breathing, than trying to think about people-if this makes any sense?? Sitting in silence, with or without the ocean waves and the flute, my focal point of my own breathing seemed to be very relaxing and I did come to a point of stillness.  I am not so sure if I totally understand myself from witnessing my mind yet, I don't know if I have gotten there or not, but I understand stillness, and my mind was still and peaceful and if felt so wonderful!!  

I am habitual with physical fitness, I think its very important for your body to have exercise due to your vital organs needing they're nutrition of oxygen-but, mental fitness is pretty awesome too.  Peacefulness and stillness of the mind, creates stillness and peace throughout your entire body I feel, and it feels so good, just like after a run you feel more energy and have more alertness.  I have ran 1/2 marathon, not only to me did that feel mentally great, but I felt like I could do physically anything after that (not right after....maybe 2 weeks after..You are defiantly sore!) As I gain more mental fitness and I prosper eventually to the ultimate goal of unity consciousness, I hope to feel just as I did after my 1/2 marathon that I can concer anything!! 

Good luck to all those that try the Subtle Mind exercise! Have a great week everyone!

Unit 4: Loving Kindness

Today's exercise on Loving Kindness was beneficial for me, it was not difficult at all to sit and think of someone I truly love and experience the feelings.  Throughout the exercise I had to hold on to these feelings throughout the exercise thinking about the things that make me happy in life, whether they are people or things, and than I also had to think about the things that don't make me so happy, also enemies if there were any.  This task was a bit difficult at first, to think of something negative, inhaling it, and exhaling happiness and joy-this exercise reminds me of Chapter 4 in Dacher's book of Integral Health, about every action, is skilled, and all actions have consequences. Why not make every skilled approach lead to a positive consequence? 

Working out the mind is a very interesting task, as Chapter 6 notes in Dacher's book, it'll be tuff at first to sit peacefully for a long period of time, start only doing it the first week everyday for about 5 minutes.  I have never mediated like this before, can't wait to start this week with this exercise and find out what my mind will be like the rest of the coming day.  Good luck to all those that try it with me.