unit 6 post

Describe the exercise and assessment process. What did you discover about yourself? What area have you chosen to be a focus of growth and development? Why? What are some specific exercises or activities that you can implement to foster greater wellness in this area?

Completing the Loving Kindness exercise before participating in this integral assessment provided a sturdy baseline and open mindset to gain the most out of the experience.  It allowed a calm approach to begin the assessment, whereas if I had just jumped right in, without the preparations, the assessment would have been perceived completely different.  That being said, to the question asked, "What aspect of my life - psychospiritual, biological, interpersonal, or worldly - is the source of difficulty and suffering?" I found that my main strain right now is time management and the stress that comes along with being over consumed with simply too much to do.  I wonder if this exercise was performed NOT a week before Christmas, would the outcome have been different?  I suppose worldly would be most effected by this right now.  I can gladly express that I truly have no complaints in the other areas of my life at this time!  I think in an effort to decrease those stressors related to business, I need to maintain a focus of my To-Do list, don't oversleep or socialize too too much :) and prioritize tasks in order of importance, which as a nurse is what I do every time I go to work - it's outside of my job that I must carry this over.

Condition our Minds unit 5 presentation

http://prezi.com/8v0nvyob6c2q/conditioning-our-minds/

the subtle mind exercise ~

Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc.

To be honest, Dacher's voice itself is distracting with both of these exercises but I was very receptive to the woman's voice.  She was able to help me focus and minimize my distractions.  I feel that I have started to make substantial progress with these mind exercises and I'm beginning to enjoy them since I'm becoming more comfortable with their outcomes.  I self-admittedly have a very busy mind, and this was the first exercise yet that was effecting in calming it down and also left me feeling refreshed and positive upon it's completion.  Basically, since the Loving Kindness exercise, I'm grasping this whole concept better.  Yay!

Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life.

We have learned that mind, body and spirit are all interconnected and either uplift or pull one another down, depending on their strengths and weaknesses.  I see this daily depending on my mood.  If things are going well, I'm properly rested, and I get quality time with the people closest with me, I become so happy, and therefore effortlessly muster up energy to go, Go, GO!  All I want to do is take on the world.  However if I am experiencing solitude and detachment from important things in my life, I lose focus on priorities and end up sleeping a lot or "venting" to a close friend.  Having learned about the Witnessing Mind during this unit is exactly what I must practice during these "uncontrolled" periods.  Noticing these emotions and therefore controlling them is so simple yet so powerful and I look forward to building this skill up!

Loving Kindness

Well, class, I am happy to report that this week I have had a much better, and not so backfiring, experience with the Loving Kindness exercise.  I did have to (still) redirect my attention back to focus a few times, but I feel that will dissipate with practice.  I was able to find peace and oneness within myself and with my close relationships.  I believe that for me, my state of mind before the meditation is crucial in directing the success and outcome of that meditation.  It's difficult to explain, but after the deeply saddening feeling after the rainbow exercise, I realized that if I am sad, lonely, or down, a meditation won't ease that, just magnify it.  This week, I was in an ideal mood for meditation, therefore, it worked beautifully.  I would recommend it to to others, but perhaps a more advanced practiced person, as many of the blog post I've read stated some difficulty.

To me, a mental work out is just that: exercising your mind.  It will take practice.  You may feel pain.  There will be frustrations along the way, and you may need to snap your motivation back into gear.  However despite all of that, the outcomes can be beneficial in so many ways, it it will only help your mind, body and soul.  I believe practice is the key here, with daily moments set aside to complete these exercises.

unit 3 exercises

Take a moment to reflect on your own level of wellness; physically, psychologically, and spiritually, and then answer the following questions in your blog.

  Here’s to self improvement!

reflection experience with the Journey On exercise

I'm not sure how many of you have tried participating in yoga, but that is the first thing that came to mind while experiencing the Journey On exercise.  I don't attend yoga classes regularly, however the times I have, always begin and end with some style of relaxation technique.  This provides a platform for a clear state of mind to allow you to get the most out of your impending workout, or to cool down from one.  Concentrating on breathing, visualizing flexible and pliable muscles, and focusing on fluidity and weightlessness is where I found myself during this brief 10 minute long exercise.  Although I had just gulped a big cup of black coffee, the calm music and smooth voice instructions were all that I needed to slow my mind down to find peace and quiet.  It was wild to actually be able to feel myself directing my own blood flow around my body, as directed!  I can foresee this being an excellent routine to unwind after work, or to start your day off on a refreshing note.

Go on, try Journey On out! 

welcome to my path, my journey!

As I am working towards completing my Bachelor's degree of Science in Nursing, I have chosen an elective course to supplement my studies, Creating Wellness: Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing.  Although it is not a nursing-specific class, I felt that it would be interesting and applicable towards my profession, as an enlightening way to channel the care I deliver to my patients.  The term has just begun, and I can already tell its going to be very insightful and inspiring class.  Focusing on holistic healing and complete wellness, this curriculum takes from Eastern practices to instill integral health and human flourishing in conjunction with all components of one's lifestyle. This is exciting to me because it is rare to see this perspective of treatment working in a modern-day American health care system.

As an ongoing, progressive "assignment" for the class, each student is to create, follow and participate in blogs that will reflect our growth and understanding of the course material.  Please follow along and share this journey with me!  Welcome to the path of me.