Holy Wellness Batman!
Can you believe that it is already ten weeks? Me either! :)
My growth over the last ten weeks has been without a doubt more than I could have expected. I normally finish a course and have an appreciation for what I have learned -but then I look forward to my upcoming courses. I can honestly say that I am sorrowful that this class is now ending. I loved learning about bettering myself. The skills and practices that I have learned during my coursework in integral health are priceless. I have been able to alter my own personal health by creating a wellness plan, directing my well-being attention to myself instead of only others, and learning key techniques to integral health. The only thing left to do now is practice what I have learned and follow my wellness plan of attack from my final project (which I really enjoyed doing).
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Unit 9 - Final Project
Classmates... I am still blogger upload challenged. My final project is located in doc sharing for your review.
Blessings
Mickey
Blessings
Mickey
Friday, July 30, 2010
Unit 8 - Favorite Practices
Happy Unit 8 Week Classmates!
My favorite personal practices that I have found to work best in my own personal life are the Taste of Human Flourishing and the Visualization techniques toward wellness. Although the meditation and subtle-mind exercises have been fruitful for me (with practice), it is the two mentioned that have provided the most benefit for me personally.
The Visualization technique enabled me to find a "happy place" for me to escape to during what amounts to a chaotic schedule with three children. I often find myself sitting in an orthedontist's office or picking out yet another birthday present for a friend of one of the kids whom I have never even met. Yes, these are the duties of a dutiful mother but I am not always happy about doing them. So, with the Visualization technique giving me the ability to focus on a happy place, I am now able to find peace even in these sometimes unpleasant moments of life.
My ultimate favorite method of personal wellness that I have discovered over the last eight weeks has been the most recent. The Taste of Human Flourishing (THF) gave me an "A-ha" moment for just a moment but it did seem to project my mind to an ultimate peacefulness. I have never been a very peaceful person. I work very hard to create peaceful situations for myself but it is not always possible. I found with the THF method of wellness enabled me to focus on some me time, remember some fond memories during a journey, and create a wholeness within that none of the other techniques have been able to do.
I will continue to work on all the techniques that I have been given even after my coursework. I feel like I have been given a gift -a gift for myself. I am almost guarding my new knowledge with baited breath because it is so precious to me!
Blessings!
My favorite personal practices that I have found to work best in my own personal life are the Taste of Human Flourishing and the Visualization techniques toward wellness. Although the meditation and subtle-mind exercises have been fruitful for me (with practice), it is the two mentioned that have provided the most benefit for me personally.
The Visualization technique enabled me to find a "happy place" for me to escape to during what amounts to a chaotic schedule with three children. I often find myself sitting in an orthedontist's office or picking out yet another birthday present for a friend of one of the kids whom I have never even met. Yes, these are the duties of a dutiful mother but I am not always happy about doing them. So, with the Visualization technique giving me the ability to focus on a happy place, I am now able to find peace even in these sometimes unpleasant moments of life.
My ultimate favorite method of personal wellness that I have discovered over the last eight weeks has been the most recent. The Taste of Human Flourishing (THF) gave me an "A-ha" moment for just a moment but it did seem to project my mind to an ultimate peacefulness. I have never been a very peaceful person. I work very hard to create peaceful situations for myself but it is not always possible. I found with the THF method of wellness enabled me to focus on some me time, remember some fond memories during a journey, and create a wholeness within that none of the other techniques have been able to do.
I will continue to work on all the techniques that I have been given even after my coursework. I feel like I have been given a gift -a gift for myself. I am almost guarding my new knowledge with baited breath because it is so precious to me!
Blessings!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Unit 7 - Be An Example for Others
Hello Wellness Classmates! Welcome to Unit 7! This class is flying by for me which is normally a good thing but this time it is not. I wish this course was longer. I am enjoying getting to know my inner self very much.
_____________________________________________
Mindfulness, meditation, and practice over the last six weeks for me has definitely increased my psycholocial wellness. At the beginning of this course, I actually wrote in one of my discussion board responses that I did not think that it was important for a wellness professional to "walk the walk" before they told someone to do something that was good for them. Well, I know most everyone said that I was not completely correct in my evaluation. I will now agree that it is really important for someone to practice what they preach in the integral health areana. It would be difficult for me to describe the feeling I have experienced while doing a mindful meditation for discovery on what I need to work on next to a client. There is no way that I could without first experiencing it myself. I realize that I would not be able to have all the experiences and knowledge for everyone who has an issue that walks through my office door. However, I can always be practicing integral health for myself as a way of walking the walk along with my clients.
The ancient history in holistic healing is rich in Greek heritage. Meeting Asciepius offers a simple message for me: this is going to take a while but it will be worth it for your own life journey.
I guess the key word in that sentence is "journey". As we think of a person from history beginning a wellness sabbatical, it would take a long time for the person to arrive at the temple for healing. It would take a while for the healing itself. It was a definite journey for a person. It took determination to get well in those ancient times. We would make our way to the wellness center, settling in for a stay that would only end when we felt revitalized, renewed, transformed, and healed. We did not go simply for a cure or a fix, but for an encounter with the healing god, the healer within, the deepter medicine (Dacher, 2006, p27).
Just a quick thought for sake of thought: In our current wellness culture, we complain if we have to wait in a waiting room longer than fifteen minutes to see a doctor. Compare that to what the ancient Greeks had to go through to achieve their wellness. I think we have missed the point along the way! :)
_____________________________________________
Mindfulness, meditation, and practice over the last six weeks for me has definitely increased my psycholocial wellness. At the beginning of this course, I actually wrote in one of my discussion board responses that I did not think that it was important for a wellness professional to "walk the walk" before they told someone to do something that was good for them. Well, I know most everyone said that I was not completely correct in my evaluation. I will now agree that it is really important for someone to practice what they preach in the integral health areana. It would be difficult for me to describe the feeling I have experienced while doing a mindful meditation for discovery on what I need to work on next to a client. There is no way that I could without first experiencing it myself. I realize that I would not be able to have all the experiences and knowledge for everyone who has an issue that walks through my office door. However, I can always be practicing integral health for myself as a way of walking the walk along with my clients.
The ancient history in holistic healing is rich in Greek heritage. Meeting Asciepius offers a simple message for me: this is going to take a while but it will be worth it for your own life journey.
I guess the key word in that sentence is "journey". As we think of a person from history beginning a wellness sabbatical, it would take a long time for the person to arrive at the temple for healing. It would take a while for the healing itself. It was a definite journey for a person. It took determination to get well in those ancient times. We would make our way to the wellness center, settling in for a stay that would only end when we felt revitalized, renewed, transformed, and healed. We did not go simply for a cure or a fix, but for an encounter with the healing god, the healer within, the deepter medicine (Dacher, 2006, p27).
Just a quick thought for sake of thought: In our current wellness culture, we complain if we have to wait in a waiting room longer than fifteen minutes to see a doctor. Compare that to what the ancient Greeks had to go through to achieve their wellness. I think we have missed the point along the way! :)
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Unit 6 - Universal Loving-Kindness (Mickey)
Hello Fellow Bloggers!
I hope you are having a wonderful week this Unit 6!
My experience with the Universal Loving-Kindness exercise was "ok". In my laziness, I believe that I would rather listen to someone telling me to relax and breath than read about affirmations. I believe that affirmations like those given to us in our p93 Universal Loving-Kindness exercise were definitely well worth saying and repeating. The only thing I can think of is that I felt a lack of calmness with regard to this exercise. I was waiting for an overwhelming feeling of calm and contentment like I received with most of our exercises. With the four lines of affirmations, I feel more impowered to go make a difference in the world. I do not feel stress or pressure but more of a motivation to help. Perhaps that was the goal of saying the lines ten times.
During my self-discovery assessment exercise (Dacher, p115), I have realized that I need to spend more time developing my spiritual self in the fourth quadrant of world (I hope I am saying that right). To flourish in this quadrant which I never spend much time in, I believe volunteering at my local recreation department would help. In our city, as probably with a lot of cities in the United States, our city recreation department budget has been cut to almost nothing. The kids are not being able to play summer league sports which keeps them occupied during the off hours. This leaves our youth at risk for poor behavior choices. I believe that I need to be more generous with my time to the community to raise my spiritutual being.
Blessings
I hope you are having a wonderful week this Unit 6!
My experience with the Universal Loving-Kindness exercise was "ok". In my laziness, I believe that I would rather listen to someone telling me to relax and breath than read about affirmations. I believe that affirmations like those given to us in our p93 Universal Loving-Kindness exercise were definitely well worth saying and repeating. The only thing I can think of is that I felt a lack of calmness with regard to this exercise. I was waiting for an overwhelming feeling of calm and contentment like I received with most of our exercises. With the four lines of affirmations, I feel more impowered to go make a difference in the world. I do not feel stress or pressure but more of a motivation to help. Perhaps that was the goal of saying the lines ten times.
During my self-discovery assessment exercise (Dacher, p115), I have realized that I need to spend more time developing my spiritual self in the fourth quadrant of world (I hope I am saying that right). To flourish in this quadrant which I never spend much time in, I believe volunteering at my local recreation department would help. In our city, as probably with a lot of cities in the United States, our city recreation department budget has been cut to almost nothing. The kids are not being able to play summer league sports which keeps them occupied during the off hours. This leaves our youth at risk for poor behavior choices. I believe that I need to be more generous with my time to the community to raise my spiritutual being.
Blessings
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Unit 5 - Subtle and Loving
OK, not funny! This weeks exersise in suble mind was frustrating to me! I tried so hard to quiet my mind and stop it from moving all over the place. That is really hard for me. I must be a really flight-y kind of girl or something! ggggrrrrr!!! I never thought of myself as too light-hearted to quiet my brain down but apparently I am. Here is my story...
Loving kindness exersises are so much more natural for me than the subtle mind exersises. Talking about feelings, thoughts, and images are a very natural part of my life. I practice this based on my upbringing. My family has always prided itself on providing loving kindness to themselves, others, and especially those in need. Turning the mind inward in order to provide kindness to another is a natural process for me.
In contrast, the subtle mind exersise on the Dacher CD was extremely frustrating for me! I can not seem to quiet my mind. This technique is going to take a lot of practice for me. We learn through the subtle mind exersise that we have the power to impartially observe our lives without an emotional response to the events. Per Dacher, after mastering the subtle mind techniques, our clear and still mind is revealed (Dacher, p73). Like I said earlier, I will have to practice this one for a while before I can quiet my brain! :) However... I will prevail!
One way I can accomplish this will be to concentrate on my mind-body-spirit connection. It is amazing to me how well the mind can affect the body and change actual heart rates or hormones due to emotional response. An example of this is how I can affect my response to a very normally stressful situation by practicing a quiet mind, calm innerself, and focused intent for response. For me to affect my workouts at the treadmill I now try to picture my muscles getting leaner and stronger with thick fibers running through them. I seemingly make a better workout if I do. I guess that would be considered mental imaging.
Until next week... I will be working on my subtle mind technique by utilizing the calm-abiding theology. Wish me luck! :)
Loving kindness exersises are so much more natural for me than the subtle mind exersises. Talking about feelings, thoughts, and images are a very natural part of my life. I practice this based on my upbringing. My family has always prided itself on providing loving kindness to themselves, others, and especially those in need. Turning the mind inward in order to provide kindness to another is a natural process for me.
In contrast, the subtle mind exersise on the Dacher CD was extremely frustrating for me! I can not seem to quiet my mind. This technique is going to take a lot of practice for me. We learn through the subtle mind exersise that we have the power to impartially observe our lives without an emotional response to the events. Per Dacher, after mastering the subtle mind techniques, our clear and still mind is revealed (Dacher, p73). Like I said earlier, I will have to practice this one for a while before I can quiet my brain! :) However... I will prevail!
One way I can accomplish this will be to concentrate on my mind-body-spirit connection. It is amazing to me how well the mind can affect the body and change actual heart rates or hormones due to emotional response. An example of this is how I can affect my response to a very normally stressful situation by practicing a quiet mind, calm innerself, and focused intent for response. For me to affect my workouts at the treadmill I now try to picture my muscles getting leaner and stronger with thick fibers running through them. I seemingly make a better workout if I do. I guess that would be considered mental imaging.
Until next week... I will be working on my subtle mind technique by utilizing the calm-abiding theology. Wish me luck! :)
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Loving Kindness and My Mental Workout!
We get what we give!
Showing kindness - this begins the process of human loving kindness. This idea is simple but profound. There are few things that we can all give to each other on this planet that do not cost a single penny and yet can give the receiver a peaceful moment in time. Loving kindness is such a thing. After listening to the Dacher CD this week, I will say that my outlook on the world is now a bit rose tinted. I have more love to give in my heart after listening to this recording.
Everyone in the world should have to listen to this recording at least once a week. It would greatly improve our planets humanity if we could only take twenty minutes each week and focus on loving kindness. How wonderful our world would be if we could! To take the focus off of oursevles and our perceived stresses of our own lives and move that focus to being kind, mindful and our actions toward others, and holding each other closer to our inner self... this is what makes the world go around.
_______________________________________________
Working our our minds!
Working out our minds is yet another part of human flourishing. Practicing with our subtle mind is a tool to move from our second level to our third level of development according to C.G. Jung. In order to make this movement from just observing our psychospiritual self into an actual intentional action of psychospiritual self, we must practice within a safe mental workout. The second track from this week's Dacher CD takes us on that practice.
In order to accomplish this type of transition from observance to intentional spiritual growth, we must look to a professional holistic healer. It is not good enough to utilize a professional from just one of the human flourishing quadrants. We must look to someone who has mastered the quadrants themselves and can guide us in our own mental workouts.
____________________________________________________
In my own personal growth, this type of conversation (blog) would not have even been possible until obtaining the knowledge base that I now have because of my course at Kaplan University. I am in awe just sitting back and thinking about how blind I was prior to taking this course. It is funny but I am not the only person that is benefiting from this new found knowledge either; my family is as well! I share my discoveries each week with my family and friends and they are learning with me. I would call this "sharing my mental workout" to stimulate their human flourishing as well. How cool is that?!
Until next week peeps!
Showing kindness - this begins the process of human loving kindness. This idea is simple but profound. There are few things that we can all give to each other on this planet that do not cost a single penny and yet can give the receiver a peaceful moment in time. Loving kindness is such a thing. After listening to the Dacher CD this week, I will say that my outlook on the world is now a bit rose tinted. I have more love to give in my heart after listening to this recording.
Everyone in the world should have to listen to this recording at least once a week. It would greatly improve our planets humanity if we could only take twenty minutes each week and focus on loving kindness. How wonderful our world would be if we could! To take the focus off of oursevles and our perceived stresses of our own lives and move that focus to being kind, mindful and our actions toward others, and holding each other closer to our inner self... this is what makes the world go around.
_______________________________________________
Working our our minds!
Working out our minds is yet another part of human flourishing. Practicing with our subtle mind is a tool to move from our second level to our third level of development according to C.G. Jung. In order to make this movement from just observing our psychospiritual self into an actual intentional action of psychospiritual self, we must practice within a safe mental workout. The second track from this week's Dacher CD takes us on that practice.
In order to accomplish this type of transition from observance to intentional spiritual growth, we must look to a professional holistic healer. It is not good enough to utilize a professional from just one of the human flourishing quadrants. We must look to someone who has mastered the quadrants themselves and can guide us in our own mental workouts.
____________________________________________________
In my own personal growth, this type of conversation (blog) would not have even been possible until obtaining the knowledge base that I now have because of my course at Kaplan University. I am in awe just sitting back and thinking about how blind I was prior to taking this course. It is funny but I am not the only person that is benefiting from this new found knowledge either; my family is as well! I share my discoveries each week with my family and friends and they are learning with me. I would call this "sharing my mental workout" to stimulate their human flourishing as well. How cool is that?!
Until next week peeps!
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