UNIT 8

     The two practices I have determined to be most beneficial are meditation and visualization. I can implement these practices daily by taking time in the morning (I work eves) when my mind is clear and to help me start the day off on the right foot. After I work out in the morning I will set aside anywhere from 10-20 minutes to practice my meditation and visualization exercises. I will sit in my sunroom where I can see the birds and squirrels outdoors and start by practicing deep breathing. I will then visualize a nice quiet place such as in the woods near a waterfall and just imagine the sounds of the wilderness, the birds and the wind. It is easier for me to visualize serene settings than it is to concentrate on individuals or problems in my life.

unit 7

     1. I found the exercise difficult at first until I just imagined a fictional person who I look up to. I was able at that point to complete the exercise. Meditation and mindfulness have fostered an increase in my psychological and spiritual wellness by helping me to concentrate on healing the inside. I can continue to apply these practices daily to enhance my wellness.

     2. Basically you need to walk the talk. The health and wellness professional needs to practice this themselves to be able to help others. It will give more credence to what you're explaining. The professional also has more enthusiasm towards the subject because they have reaped the benefits of integral health. Yes, we have an obligation to our clients. I feel we need to be genuine to be believed if we have never practiced it our clients will not respect what we are saying to them. We can integrate these practices daily such as yoga, meditation, and mindfulness exercise.

blog 6

     1. I found the universal loving kindness practice beneficial. It was very calming. What made it even better were my surroundings I was in a quiet room watching the snow fall. It was easier for me to think loving kind thoughts of strangers in general than to think of people I know and do not like.

2-3. I found the exercise and assessment process to be somewhat confusing and hard to follow. I found it easier to take on small section at a time. I discovered that I did not want to focus on areas of my life that are a problem.The area I chose to be a focus of growth and development is interpersonal because I let things bother me very easily which causes me stress. I need to concentrate on this area of my life and try to control it before I can move on to other areas. Meditation and Yoga are two activities that I can implement to foster greater wellness in this area.

unit 5

1. I found the subtle mind exercise easier because the difference from the loving kindness exercise is the subtle mind exercise is  simpler. In the subtle mind exercise you concentrate breath and ignore thoughts as they come in. The loving kindness exercise is more difficult because you have to concentrate on loving kind thoughts of others in your life instead of just clearing your mind of any thoughts and concentrating on your breath which I find is less frustrating, maybe because that is what I am used to doing. It's more difficult to think about things and to take the negative thoughts out. I found more benefit for me to do the subtle mind exercise. It was more calming and peaceful to just concentrate on my breathing pattern to clear my mind.

2. The connection between spirit, mind, and body is all interconnected. In order for total wellness you need to be in touch with all 3. You need to be connected to some type of spiritual belief to connect on a higher level and to be well physically and mentally. The spiritual self needs to be healthy. 

unit 4

1. I found the experience to be peaceful. I did find it beneficial because I tend to carry negative feelings towards individuals with me and it was good to let those feelings go. I have been trying to practice this throughout the day. When a negative thought enters my mind I immediately try to diffuse it with positive thoughts. This is the year to really concentrate on internal wellness. I would definitely recommend this to others because a person needs to start with loving, kind thoughts in order to move on with deeper, inner healing. It is very beneficial and I have learned that to be physically well is only part of wellness.

2. The concept of a mental workout is practicing daily for five minutes to an hour 2 x's a day working out your mind as you would any other muscle in the physical body. Just like anything else with daily practice you will improve. The point of the daily mental work out is to find inner peace by first practicing loving/kindness. During the meditation you work on having only kind thoughts towards yourself and others. The proven benefits are an improved self physically and mentally. I can implement mental workouts to foster my psychological health by taking just 10 minutes a day to find a quiet place and concentrate on loving/kind thoughts which is the first step to becoming psychologically healthy.