Most Beneficial

The lotus flower is the symbol of human flourishing in the East. These exercises and practices sessions that we have completed in this course has been apart of my human flourishing. Loving-Kindness, Subtle mind, Visualization, meditation have all been beneficial to me, the two practices that I think were the most beneficial were Love-Kindness and Subtle mind.

I can implement these practices in my personal life to foster mental fitness when I effectively stabilize my mind and lessen the grip of self-centeredness (which is the root of all my problems) than I can embrace others. I can accept people just for who they are instead of attaching expectations on them and when they fail me I will not have those destructive emotions like anger, intolerance, jealousy, pride, and greed that agitates my mind. I am powerless over people, places, and things-when I don't accept this my life becomes unmanageable. I think I can accomplish this today and everyday for the rest of my life with a little practice through prayers, advice and basic generosity to others and their differences. I can be patient and understanding to the cashier at walmart when the lines are long, and she is very slow doing her job.

The second practice that I determined was beneficial to me was Subtle mind.

Wow! Taking these steps helped to tame my overflowing mind and cultivate a witnessing consciousness. I was able to clear & still my mind, and stop the mental chatter gaining a valuable freedom. I felt as though I have been liberated from lifelong old crazy thoughts that use to own me;finally I gained the capacity to choose where my thoughts goes creating a foundation for calm-abiding and integral health.

As a result of folling these step I now have a" teflon" mind, thoughts that use to upset me simply come and they go I do not hang on to them for a day, week, or month anymore I might have a bad moment but not a bad day. I have become closer to my God of my understanding.

Meeting Asciepius

This has been the best exercise in the past six weeks for me because it used visualization and transpersonal imagery that is used from one person to another. These mindfulness, meditations and practices over the the last few weeks for me has been definity forstered and increased in my psychological and spiritual wellness. Once becoming aware has put more meaning, enlightenment, creativity, happiness and confidence in my life. To continue to apply these practices in my life I can use several different exercises and practice for example visualizing the scene with detailed imagery, imagining the effects on all five of my senses when possible. Meditation and training my mind to personally experience what I have read helps me with my health and life at its optimal performance levels.
"One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" means experience is the best teacher no one can judge another unless they have walked in that persons shoes. Yes, as a professional health care person I have an obligation to my clients to develop my healthy psychologically, physically, and spiritually because I want to make a difference in the sociocultural problems that I see in medicine today. I want to change the disease in my patients life to grace which can guide them and myself to healthy living. Implementing psychological and spiritual growth in my personal life involves' seeing the godly in everyone and treating them as if she or he was the child of God.

Practice the universal Loving Kindness (meditation) exercise

Phenomenon Woman
As our awareness expands, so does our reach. Our empathic listening, seeing and caring for the other open heartedness can spread to all our relationships, to see, acknowledge, hear another and be present with them even an enemy. The development of universal loving-kindness is the final leap in our interpersonal development.
My personal reflection and daily practice has given rise to a profound and enduring health, happiness, and wholeness. Each day I can ask myself have I hurt anyone today and if I so did I promptly ask for forgiveness? In this way, integral assessment helps me get from one level of development to another, progressively moving toward my precious goal of human flourishing.
This exercise and assessment process was easy for me showing kindness to my fellow man-this begins the final process of integral assessment this begins the process of human loving kindness to everyone, this idea is simple but profound. What I discovered about myself is I always have to peak experience in any one line of development, that could be a moment of unity consciousness attained through nature, but these are temporary states. I am not in control of this glimpse, the circumstance is. The area I have chosen to focus of growth and development is fitness because staying health and fit can be very challenging when we live in a "fast food" and fast-paced society. There are times when eating right tends to go to the back burner due to lack of time, stress, overworked, or even boredom. Some specific exercises I can implement to foster greater wellness in this area would be to be wise choices in eating, find time to exercise, awareness, and meditate.

Subtle Mind

Phenomenon Woman
Subtle Mind
Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc.This was an excellent subtle mind exercise because it focused so much on the breathing. There is so much of a direct relationship between the breath and the mind; still the breath and you still the breath. Breathing is a part of us so we can breathe anywhere at any time, during this exercise I was able to tame and stabilize my mind and develop a clear witnessing consciousness, I have been able to eliminated my anxiety symptoms simply by changing the way I breathe. By watching the fall of my chest on inhalation, I know my lungs are being pulled down to bring in air and on exhalation the air goes out, with deep breathing it is extremely relaxing to the autonomic nervous system and is essential preparation for deep meditation. I begin by bring my breath as a focal point starting with ten deeps breaths slow in and out breaths this exercise was easier. It is my experience that in my life-long history of panic and anxiety attacks, if I do not make a conscious effort to do deep cleansing breaths, the anxiety and stress builds up and then it is too late to use breathing exercises to calm myself.

The Loving-Kindess CD

As I listened to the relaxation technique Loving-kindness by Dacher, I could relate because I was at the beach in Destin, Florida on vacation, and just like listening to the CD I could hear the waves crashing on the beach shore and how soothing that sound. I went out to the balcony, sat down in a comfortable chair, closed my eyes, and started breathing deep and slow, I immediately started to feel a sense of ease. This experience was an excellent way to quiet my mind and I would recommend this to others because it works.
Mental Workouts take practice just like physical workouts however, training our thoughts can take us to a deeper level of consciousness which will help create a healthier life, happiness and wholeness. I have decided to practice mental work outs everyday as part of my daily routine instead of a onetime thing. I can think of no better way of inner healing,and self empowerment.

Integral Health

This is a great book to read as I tend to learn more about how the integral approach will lead me to a more profound, precious, and eduring level of health, happiness, and wholeness.

1. Based on your reflections, and on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being optimal wellbeing), where do you rate your A-physical wellbeing, B-spiritual well-being, C-psychological well-being? Why?
Based upon my new growth in my knowledge of science and consciousness on a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate my physical wellbeing as a 10. I have hired a personal trainer and we work out three times a week for 30 minutes and I have started eating healthier, no fried or fast foods, I have added more fruit and vegetable to my diet and limited my sugar intake.
My spiritual well-being would be a 10 also, I have develop my spiritual well-being therefore expanding my consciousness I am able to gain access to the stillness of a calm mind. When my mind is abiding in calmness I can gain openness, ease, connection, insight , and loving-kindness. My psychological well-bell is a 10 as well, I have came to believe the mind and body never separate from each other they are interconnected and plastic. I have been able to move into another dimension that I thought was not possible, I now move with confidence and clarity toward genuine and sustainable health, happiness, and wholeness.
2. Develop a goal for yourself in each area (physical, spiritual, psychological).The goals I have set for myself in the physical area is to walk my dog more in the evenings which will allow me to get more exercise per day and develop the habit of exercise as a part of my daily life instead of three times a week. The goals I have set for myself spiritually is to pray a short pray all though the day, and read a daily meditation book. The goal I have set for myself psychologically is to take my meditation further instead of ten minutes I would like to try thirty minutes of quite time in my mind.
3. What activities or exercise can you implement in your life to assist in moving toward each goal? For the physical activities I am implementing in my life to move toward my goal is to have a set of work out cloths and shoes in my car to change into when I leave work, and have extra water available . For my spiritual assistance I will go to church on Wednesday noon Bible studies, and participate in vacation bible school classes. For my psychological assistance I can place sticky notes to myself to remind me of my daily meditation and relaxation during the day.