Growth & Development

The universal loving kindness exercise was short and simple. It focused on your capacity of loving kindness which you share with loved ones but it focuses on spreading it towards everyone even enemies and strangers. Our text stated that learning this can help you to let go of anger and hatred. I think that is really good and important. I already feel as though I have a huge heart and I am always open to helping others but this exercise and topic opened my eyes to see that there is much more to learn. I can expand my mind and heart even further. I intend on practicing this exercise more especially before work and on my breaks. I really feel as though it will help motivate me and put me in a better mood as all of my customers are not so friendly when I’m only trying to help them. Also, I have been pondering on what direction I should take with my experience, wisdom and degree. I know whatever I choose, I want to help people so this exercise would be useful.

I think my focus of growth and development needs to be in psychospiritual flourishing and then biological flourishing. I need to gain emotional control, period and this will also help me work on fitness, nutrition and self-regulation. Growth and development in these areas will definitely make me feel better and promote wellness and wholeness. I can practice meditation, praying and learn about different exercises like those in our text. I have to start training my mind first and then incorporate the physical acts of exercising more and eating right.

Subtle Mind & Wellness

So honestly I think the guys’ voice is boring like “dry eyes, gets the red out” lol. Sorry but it was hard for me to even listen to him in the beginning. Once the lady started talking, I starting listening. Also the ocean sounds always take me to a peaceful place and it’s like everything around me disappears. I like the fact that she gave ample time to allow me to focus and refocus if I lost that focus. The loving kindness exercise touched several different areas which could be helpful in different peoples focus areas. This subtle mind exercise focused on just you. I feel as though a person may want to master this one first to learn to relax, focus and breathe properly. Attention span and focus is the first steps in my opinion.

Spiritual, mental and physical wellness are all intertwined. You can’t neglect one part and expect the others to flourish; you must find and maintain balance. In my personal life I pray, meditate, go on nature runs, choose to eat healthy foods, complete puzzles and utilize my creativity. These are just a few things that help in maintaining my balance.

Mental Workout

I think the concept of mental workout is to progressively develop expanded consciousness and its healing capabilities. The benefits of mental workout are related to reduced stress, increased focus, better sleep and things like better perception. To foster my psychological health I could implement meditation and prayer at the start of my day, find the positive side of all situations, count my blessings, avoid confusion and busyness, and have positive self-talk. These are just a few things that I do and suggest to others.

Loving Kindness

This exercise was better than the last one. What I liked most was the fact that the ladies’ voice was soft and soothing, not boring and the sounds of the ocean and flute was nice. I often listen to sounds of nature and flutes to sleep better anyway so this was perfect for me. In the beginning of this exercise, it asked me to think of someone I hold dearly. I immediately thought of my grandfather who passed away and then I thought of my cat Smokey who just passed away Friday. I started to get emotional but I had to refocus and think of the happiness they brought me when they were both still living. The exercise shifted my focus to myself so I was able to let the sad thoughts go completely. I was having a very hard weekend with the passing of Smokey so this exercise allowed me to clear my mind and refocus my thoughts. I found myself at peace because of this exercise. Even if it was only temporary, it was very beneficial. I would definitely recommend this to others because sometimes you need direction and natural ways to calm the mind, body and soul. I do feel some of the things were not for me but I understand the concept or the reason behind touching so many different topics in the exercise; which I believe is to satisfy a wide range of personal areas. This way there is something for everyone in it.

Relaxation

I completed the relaxation exercise titled “The Crime of the Century”. I am not very sure what the title meant as it had nothing to do with what the exercise consisted of. Of course I was able to relax and follow the instructions; I can relax anytime my eyes are closed and I’m in a quiet place. It was somewhat beneficial because I learned points of the body to associate certain feelings and thoughts with. Imagining beams of light was not soothing to me though. Overall, I still found the exercise beneficial as it was a learning experience. I would do this again on my own without the recording and without imagining the different colors.

Ratings, Goals and Moving Forward

Based on my reflections, I would rate my physical well being an 8 because I feel as though I am physically well. I have no illness, only allergies and a great immune system so I rarely get sick. I would rate my spiritual well being a 7 because I know I have much more to learn but I am on a good path compared to where I was say 10 years ago. I would rate my psychological well being an 8 because I no longer suffer from depression, which I battled with all my life until April 2013. I found peace within, changed my perception, became closer with god and removed negative people out of my life.

My physical goal is to become more physically fit. I want to go running almost every day consistently. I also want to control my eating habits better and make healthier choices. I am trying to reprogram my mind, as I did before, to eat to nourish the body instead of eating because something tastes good which leads to overeating. Spiritually, my goal is to be at peace within and feel a complete connection with my personality, intellect, will power and emotions. Psychologically, my goal is to finish training my mind and maintain it where my mental state is at peace at all times. I want to always view things in a positive way no matter how negative it may be. I want to have complete emotional control.

To move toward each of my goals, I need to make time for running and also treat it as a priority. I need to pray and meditate more, do more research and be true to myself. I need to continue training my mind, have positive self-talk and be aware of negative emotions.