2 Most Beneficial Practices

I really liked the subtle mind practice and the visualization one...the meeting Asclepius. I could and should incorporate these in my life more frequently than just a an assignment for class. It's hard. It feel that if I take the minutes to meditate, that I'm taking that time away from being productive. I need to view it as being productive for myself and mental health though. It is definitely difficult to be stressed and high strung and then try to sit in a quiet room and control my thoughts and clear my mind. I need to try to do it though and I know with practice, it will get easier.

The subtle mind and Asclepius exercises helped me to clear my mind the most. To block out unwanted thoughts or mental chatter. The Asclepius exercise helped me focus on the things that really matter. I pictured my grandmother and it helped me to feel wiser and more focused. Sometimes the little things really get to me, mainly when they start to pile up into a big thing but this exercise really helped keep me grounded.

Meeting Asclepius meditation

1. This exercise was really nice. I envisioned my grandmother who passed about 3 years ago. She was a very wise, spiritual person with a soft, caring voice. It was nice to concentrate on her face and voice and to feel her presence. Toward the end of the meditation it was nice to take her in as the bright light and become the wise person she was. I havent been able to fully give myself to the meditations because of time limitations. Once I can do these without worrying about getting all the other assignments done, Im sure Ill reap greater benefits. I try to incorporate time for myself but I usually end up letting my thoughts run wild and really...that can be therapeutic too. I will continue to use these exercises though to improve my mental wellness.

2. The saying "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself," does apply to the health and wellness professional. I believe there is an obligation to my clients to develop my psychological, physical, and spiritual health so I can therefore teach my experiences to them. What kind of professional am I if I havent been through it myself? Plus, how can I 'preach' about something that I know nothing about? I'd be a phony salesman trying to sell something to someone without fully knowing how it works.

2nd Loving-Kindness/Integral Assessment

Ok, so I did the Loving Kindness meditation again and I still dont like it. The other meditations I like better. I still have issues when the part comes up for me to take in everyone's pain, including strangers, and breathe our well-being to them. Over time and experience with people, I have found that more times than not, whether Im kind or not, other people are still cruel. I feel sorry for them but I have no desire to help them anymore...so many people dont have the desire to help themselves.

The aspect of my life that is suffering or difficult now is interpersonal. At this point, Im not really sure what my line, level, and aspect of development is yet. Im still trying to analyze the situation and decide how to approach it. Its a friendship that is suffering and Im trying to determine whether it is worth salvaging or letting fade. Maybe some meditation and focusing on the issue at hand will help me have unbiased thoughts and clear my mind to approach a logical solution.

Jess

Power Point

Hi class - I had issues going to the google docs page so my .ppt is in the doc sharing section.

:)

Subtle Mind Exercise & Comparison to Loving-Kindness

1. I liked the Subtle Mind exercise much more than the Loving-Kindness one. Even though I fell asleep (again!), I feel this one was easier to to do. Focusing on one thing and keeping my focus there was more simple than trying to incorporate the pain of others and exhale health and well-being. There seemed to be a lot more to think about in the Loving-Kindness exercise verses the Subtle Mind exercise which I would think having to redirect my thoughts numerous time would be a more advanced exercise for a better trained mind. I wouldn't mind do the Subtle Mind exercise many times but the Loving-Kindness...I guess Im just not that kind (kidding). I dont mind taking on my stresses and my loved ones stresses but to incorporate strangers, I have a hard time doing that. I guess I have some serious judgements about people that I have a hard time letting go.

2. I think Im having a hard time differentiating between the mental and spiritual. I know that spiritual doesnt not mean religion but I dont know how else to feel spiritual if it isnt that. I feel that meditations and such are more for mental health which can be spiritual, I guess. I am incorporating deeper thinking and responding rather than reacting to things. I am also starting to listen to more calming music or nature sounds before bed so I can relax and sleep better. My workout routine is suffering. I used to workout all the time but with school and work and my infant son, it is very difficult to make the time to workout the way I want to (which is time consuming and pushing myself very close to the max). Now my workouts need to be quick and not quite as intense as before. Im trying to work around it but to be honest, school is simply too demanding and time is just not there. I feel that there are too many things on my plate and I would love to cut some of them so I could focus on my well-being even more but at the current moment that would be quitting school and its simply not going to happen. I do a lot of self-talk to keep going and make all A's. This situation is my biggest hurdle right now so I feel that my mind-body-spirit connection cannot manifest the best.

Loving-Kindness/"Mental Workout" Exercise

Ok, so I had a hard time with the Loving-Kindness exercise. Picturing that loved one was easy as well as allowing myself to become overwhelmed with love thinking about that person but I wasnt sure what 'sensations' my body was feeling or how to give them my 'love'. I mean, are they talking about hunger pangs? I was hungry during this exercise. I dont think I was prepared to calm my mind and do this exercise. I guess I was being too practical and the requests of the exercise to shift thinking to encompass all people's suffering and bring it into my heart and then breathe out health and joy...that was difficult because in my mind, I dont want everyone elses suffering. To take on on everyone elses problems is stressful. Granted it was supposed to 'dissolve' in our hearts and then we breathe out the good health but it felt as though I was suppose to take on everyones stresses and then fix it for them. Maybe that's the whole point of loving-kindness and really, that makes me feel cruel. Many people bring on their own suffering so it's hard fro me to be sympathetic and want to help them. I guess this is where my mind was analyzing it too much so I couldnt actually participate in the exercise with an open mind and relax. How do I get over that hump? If I am to do this exercise twice a day, I think Id feel frustrated twice a day.



The concept of a "Mental Workout" is much the same as a physical workout. We train our mind and with practice, we get better. Consistency is key in order to achieve the results we want. Implementing mental exercises, we learn to focus and control our thoughts instead of our thoughts controlling us.