Looking forward to integral health

Hello classmates~

I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone by for this class.  I’m nearing the end of my time at Kaplan and I’m so glad that this class was one of my last.  I feel I can take more away from this class than any other class.  

The two practices that I found most beneficial to me in this course were Loving Kindness and Subtle mind.  The Loving Kindness exercise gave me “permission” in a manner of speaking to love myself and then share that love with those around me.  Even share it with those who I may have a hard time loving.  I was able to give loving kindness, even mentally, to my ex-husband.  That is a huge step in my growth as a person and along my path to complete integral health.

The Subtle Mind session really helped me calm down and become centered.  When I did the subtle mind exercise for a few days during that week I really felt more able to focus and was able to handle more stressful situations at work.  We recently had an office move and it was pretty hectic and stressful.  By following the subtle mind sessions I felt that I was more calm when I walked in to the office filled with boxes to be unpacked and was able to make sound decisions on where to put things.  

I want to integrate both of these sessions into my life because of the help that they provided me.  I think that meditation has helped me become more focused and much calmer.  I’ve even had friends comment that I seem more relaxed and I’m smiling more.  I’m looking forward to getting done with school so that I can focus more time on me and healing myself so that I can move forward with the rest of my life.

Finding the Inner Healer

My meditative practice this week was very poor because it has been a very stressful week at work and I’m fighting a cold.  I did manage to listen to the Meeting Aesclepius two times.  The first time I fell asleep and the second time I was able to enjoy the visualization of the inner healer.  I do feel that meditation has helped my outlook on life and has made it easier to handle this stressful time in my life.  I plan on continuing this application to my life even after this class is over.  I will read more on meditation exercises and try to increase my meditation time. 

To me the saying “One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself” means that you cannot teach or train someone in an area of life unless you have some reference point.  For instance I have a physician friend that deals with patients with addiction problems.  His son became addicted to drugs and is now recovering however he feels that his experience with his son has helped his practice immensely.  I feel that as a health care provider I have the responsibility to continue to grow as a person as gain more wisdom from life in order to help guide others along the path to integral healing.

My experience with Loving Kindness

Hello fellow bloggers~

This week has been so crazy so the Loving Kindness exercise came at just the right time.  I had to see my soon-to-be ex-husband last Friday and it was tough.  As I was going through the Loving Kindness exercise ironically I thought of him.  I thought about how forgiving him and sending him well wishes could be cathartic for me.  I can actually wish him the best of luck, maybe not to his face but in thoughts. 

I discovered through the Integral Assessment that I have many areas that I need to work on but not to get overwhelmed with the prospect.  If I can just focus on one area and work on that I will make progress.  I have chosen self-love to be the focus of my growth and development.  For so many years I put him first trying with no luck to make him happy that I lost myself.  I am working on meditating at least three times a week.  And I’m going to get my nails done.  This is something simple but I feel so good when I get pampered.  I am worth it and I will work on this area of my life. 

Subtle Mind exercise

First of all let me say thank you to all who comment on my blog.  I don’t always get a chance to reply to your comments but all of them have been encouraging and uplifting.  We all lead very busy lives and I know it takes time and effort to compose a response and I appreciate all of them.

Now…on to Loving Kindness and Subtle Mind exercises.  I have been listening to the Loving Kindness exercise since last week and then this week added the Subtle Mind exercise.  I think both exercises are good and I felt better after taking the time to do them.  But personally I think I got more out of the Subtle Mind Exercise.  I think we should have done that first.  The speaker makes a statement about calming the busy mind.  I didn’t realize how busy my mind was.  It kept jumping around and being busy.  The more I listened to the exercise the more calm my mind became and I could focus on my thoughts and let them go.  I think we need to learn to be calm and then we can learn to share our loving kindness.  

If we don’t take care of our spiritual wellness our physical wellness will suffer.  There have been studies that show that people that are depressed or cynical are more likely to become ill.  Since I am older I have seen trends in my life.  When I am under extreme stress and I plow through it without regard to my spiritual health I usually get sick within two to three days of the stressful situation.  When I take the time to read my bible and meditate, even if stress comes I manage to keep it together and remain calm.