Loving Kidness, Subtle Mind, & The Mind/Body/Spirit Connection

The Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise

The loving kindness exercise for me was not as effective as the subtle mind exercise. I enjoy types of relaxation techniques where I do not have to have an audio cd in order to execute them. The voice on the loving kindness exercise almost was enough to creep me out and break my concentration. Loving kindness was more about gaining control of our self-centeredness and making ourselves more open to those whom are around  us: to love and make more room for them. I do not tend to have an issue with this but in regards to issues with taking care of myself and ensuring my mind/body/spirit is balanced. The subtle mind exercise really achieved what I was looking for in a relaxation therapy. Focusing on my breathing and exploring my inner most consciousness really gave me some insight onto what is on my mind the most: stressful situations. I now know what works for me and how I can continue to open up my mind and clear my thoughts in order to give my brain some rest from the everyday stressors it faces. Focusing on my breathing has always been an effective tool for me to calm myself; especially during yoga.

The connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness

Spiritual to mental to physical wellness is all connected. I know that when I am spiritually fulfilled, my mind set is top notch, and I’m motivated to exercise and just overall be a good person. If something wrong (like I need to repent or spend some time in prayer) it throws off my mentality which affects the physical me. How many times have you woke up and just had been in horrible spirits and mood then you notice you are getting a headache and your tensing up in your upper back and arms? This is a normal stress response and I lessen my stress by means of prayer. Mentally I need to work on relaxation techniques and how to be the most successful in executing a healthy mind which will lead to a healthy physical body.

Mental Workouts & Dacher

My experience of the meditation offered by Dacher on the Path to Human Flourishing was really exhilarating at first and very refreshing as the waves were crashing the in the background. I took myself to the beach as I heard this and even felt the wind on my arms and the sun on my face: then I heard the voice of the lady conducting the meditation activity. She really seemed to snap me out of my concentration. I am not sure if it is her voice or what but it was a really deep type of a voice for a lady: one that is not very soothing I might add. I believe this would have been more effective with a different narrator.

This type of meditation can help strengthen our brain and even give it a work out. Mental work outs are really important because just as we keep our physical body fit; we need to keep our mind fit as well. There are tons of research that backs up these statements in Dacher’s text. He states that we can actually unlock our natural wisdom, inner peace, and kindness through these types of mental exercises (Dacher, 2006). As we grow as individuals: even in the regard to success or life, it is so important to grow mentally as well.

Works Cited

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA:: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

     Based upon my reflections of my physical, spiritual, and psychological assessment of my overall wellness, I would have to say that I really need to start taking more time for myself. A lot of times in life we get so caught up on helping others, especially if you’re in the health and wellness field, where you do not get to concentrate on the key component in your work: ourselves! My physical wellness is about a seven. I exercise at least four to five times a week and eat very healthy. I am under chiropractic care which is essential in maintaining an optimal wellness. However, I do need to focus on taking better care of my dental needs. I just went to the dentist a few weeks ago and I have a lot of cavities I was really unaware of. My pregnancy drained me of nutrients it seems and that are when I started to have dental issues.

     My spiritual health is about an eight. I am a proud Christian and we are in church Sunday morning and evening: My family takes part in most activities, fellowshipping events, and dinners that the church has. There is room for improvement since we do not attend church during the week because of our schedules but we really need to focus on how to make this work with our schedule. Also, there is always room for improvement in our walk with God. I do not always have faith that He will see me through and to let His will be done in my life instead of trying to do things on my own because I am not patient. As far as my psychological wellness, I feel as if it is about a 7. I have a lot of stress in my life, especially being an army wife. The deployments are bad and having kids just make it harder. I need to find more coping techniques in the fight against the stress in my life. I also have my own struggle against anxiety/depression sometimes as well but I have been trying to deal with that through prayer, natural herbs, and through wellness care.

     A few goals I have set for myself is to make more time for myself. This will help me see the issues that I have with my physical and psychological well-being as they arise along with allowing myself to do some relaxation therapies such as meditation or even yoga in the fight to rid my life from stress, depression, and promote a healthier me. I can walk closer to God by doing devotions during the week, trusting in Him more, and trying to utilize all the areas that our church has in order to strengthen our faith in God.

     I really enjoyed the relaxation exercise, The Crime of the Century,  It helped me relax obvious by clearing my thoughts after a full work day and just daily life. I liked how I could focus on the various colors but I didn’t care for the speaker’s tone. It was more annoying to me than soothing for some reason. Maybe I need to find relaxation therapies where I find the voice soothing since everyone is different I’m sure not one speaker will suit everyone.

Welcome All!

Hello everyone, I am a firm believer that we all have a need for balance for the optimization of health and wellness. There are various ways in helping us to reach this balance; CAM (complementary and alternative medicines) is a great way of doing this. A technique that is looked to in this field is relaxation therapy and our recent relaxation exercise I participated in was wonderful. Talk about a way to relieve stress within eighteen minutes! Having the ability to calm yourself by focusing on the simplicity of blood movement through your limbs is really fantastic. I will continue to enjoy dong exercises such as these in order to relieve the everyday world of stress we encounter in life.