Unit 4: Loving Kindness

I found the experience of the Loving Kindness exercise difficult at first. I was able to comfortably rest and was also able to bring to my mind someone close to me that I had great love and tenderness for. I was able to turn that towards myself and experience a sense of peace. I was also able to accept all the thoughts and feelings that crept into my mind and let them go. I do have a close friend who is experiencing a major health issue and was able to take in his suffering through my breath and release it. The difficult part was the circle of strangers, even though I am an open and caring person, I have great difficulty allowing people to get close to me. I have a tight circle of friends and family, but seem to be a little distant when it comes to other people. This is why I believe I had a hard time with this part as well as the last part of embracing all living things. I have a sincere fondness for animals and things that grow from the earth, it is sometimes people that make me wary. While working on this for the week, I found it did come a little easier, however, I believe with more practice it will become second nature.

I would recommend this exercise to others as I believe it has started to work on my heart becoming open and if that is the case than it can work for others. I also think this exercise has given me some self awareness which can also help others become aware of their own self and what it is that holds them back.

I think the concept of a mental work out is to stimulate the mind, to train it to move beyond the everyday thoughts and feelings and being able to control what we put into it and what comes out of it. To me it is the same as the food you but in your body, what you fuel your body with, will ultimately become how well your body functions. The same with the mind, what you feed it, positive, peaceful, and kind thoughts, and eliminating negativity will ultimately produce a stronger trained mind, where we are in control of our thoughts and feelings. We are better able to embrace all that is good, and live within a peaceful, loving environment that is concentrated on the present moment.

We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think.

When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.

~ Buddha ~

Peace - Robin

Unit 3: Reflection

Wellness is striving for the highest level of existence, including mental, psychological, social, spiritual, and physical components. It is dynamic and multidimensional and is related to heredity, environment, and individual interests.

Physical Well-being is the capacity to use our bodies efficiently and effectively. This can be achieved through physical exercise; strength, flexibility, endurance, as well as through nutrition, utilizing safety precautions, and self-care.

Spiritual Well-being is the practice and philosophy of the integral aspects of mental, emotional and overall well-being. This is not the property of any particular religion, faith, or culture. Spiritual well-being is a practice, a way of being that exemplifies and keeps track of one's own journey to discovery of oneself., and it can be practiced in many ways.

Psychological Well-being is our ability to handle the stresses of daily life and maintain a positive attitude and sense of purpose. Some other areas that fall under psychological well-being include personal growth, positive relationships, purpose in life, and self-acceptance

At this time I give myself;

Physical - 7

Spiritual - 5

Psychological - 7

My goal is to be at least an 8 in the physical and psychological areas and a 6 in the spiritual area before the end of this semester.

The exercises I can implement in my life to assist in moving toward this goal are;

Physical - Adding variety to my work-outs, and implementing more cross training. Even though I am very physical, work-out 6 days per week and have a sound nutrition plan, I am not quite the athlete I want to become. There are many different ways to work-out and variety is important. My goal is to be able to run a 9-10 minute mile (5K), to have greater upper body strength (to be able to do at least 10 pull-ups and 25 push-ups at one time).

Spiritual - Even though I consider myself a highly spiritual being I am not even close to becoming the spiritual being I have the potential and aspirations to be. I do practice yoga and meditation on a daily basis, however, I have not even touched on the level of spiritual enlightenment that I aspire to achieve. Yoga is actually derived from the Sanskrit word yuj, which means "union". A union between the human soul and the Divine Soul or the merging of the human consciousness with the Divine Consciousness. Meditation is said to be the vehicle used to travel on the spiritual journey and it is through meditation that higher states of consciousness develop. As higher states cannot actually be measured but are experienced this will be a personal endeavor.

Psychological - I am a very positive person, however I do find myself at times becoming agitated especially in my work environment. Even though I do not intend to stay in this position for an length of time it is paying the bills. I know this atmosphere is not good for my growth and I do try and practice empathy, it is quite difficult at times. I do feel I am getting better at this I have a long way to go. The exercise I will pursue in this area is not to be judgmental. My affirmation will be "Today I will judge nothing that occurs, and throughout the day I will remind myself not to judge".

The mind is everything. What you think you become.
~ Buddha ~

While experiencing the relaxation exercise two thoughts came to mind, first the rainbow of colors/windows  reminded me of the yoga psychic anatomy or nadis/chakras. Each window was in the same position with slightly different symbolization although some where very close to being the same. This exercise was relaxing and the experience was tranquil. "I feel relaxed"

The second thought that came to mind was, why is this called "The Crime of the Century"?

Unit 2: Journey On

 



 I enjoyed the Journey On, I clicked on the audio at the precise time that I needed to, and these are my thoughts; To achieve an inner sense of calm we must have peacefulness, this is attained by being still, reflecting, and meditating. To be free from worry and strife one must have a peaceful heart. To understand yourself you must become quiet so you can clearly comprehend what is important and what isn't. Peace comes when you let go of things you can't control. Everything can be done better when you are relaxed.

Come in the evening, come in the morning, Come when expected, come without warning; Thousands of welcomes you'll find here before you, And the oftener you come, the more we'll adore you

~ Old Irish Rhyme ~



There is nothing so disobedient as an undisciplined mind, and there is nothing so obedient as a disciplined mind. ~ Buddha