Past, present and future...

I.  It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop in the three areas of wellness; psychologically, spiritually and physically, because you cannot lead someone where you yourself have not gone. A professional who is practicing integral health has a profound sense of the depth and importance of total health and a desire to assist their patients/clients in achieving them. As Dacher points out, “We begin to know firsthand what can actually happen as we evolve a more expansive life.  We come to know that the alleviation of suffering and the ascent to human flourishing are more than ideas”. In my personal quest for integral health my weakest point is spirituality. I have been working on reconciling some deeply ingrained beliefs and incongruencies in order to work toward a spiritual peace and unity within myself.

(Dacher, Elliot S. M.D., “Integral Health: The path to human flourishing”, 2006)

II. I have assessed my health in the three domains. I will give the physical area a 9, the psychological area 6 and spiritually a 5. The physical health aspect is a much easier one to make for myself and most of us in general. We have tools such as the scale, or cholesterol tests and other “physical” exams that can quantify it. My own personal health ranks pretty high. My weight and body fat percentage are in healthy ranges. My lab numbers are healthy; my stamina and cardiovascular output exceed the norm for my age range. Maintenance is my daily health goal. My psychological health is not as easily measured but I can easily see that it is not at par with my physical health. After this course though I can see when my mind is racing and running into distant points in the future in order to cope and deal with stresses or mental and emotional anguish of the moment.  A purposeful and mindful attempt to stay in the moment is how I am coping with that in the short term with meditation being the long term practice. Spiritually I struggle more with just letting go of thoughts and opinions that bind me and hold me back from becoming at peace and developing a loving-kindness. But again I truly believe that awareness of this is the key to developing an integral health in this area and seeking out resources that will teach me practices to turn my thoughts from the outward constraints of religion and spiritually that I have always known to the inner and innermost aspects of peace and tranquility.

III. My personal goal in the physical area is to compete in a figure show. Figure competition for women is a step below bodybuilding and very popular with women my age. My purpose in competing is to make the commitment to the amount of work it would take to successfully go on stage. Psychologically and spiritually go hand in hand. I have been doing some research in the Buddhist traditions and I would like to learn more about the three areas and find a center nearby where I can study them in further detail and to also have a teacher to offer me the guidance it would take to help me grow and move towards spiritual and psychological health.

IV. In my opinion a strategy is a plan implemented in order to achieve a goal. Since my goal is to improve in each of the three areas then a daily plan is needed. Again, the physical aspect of my health is easy for me because I am a fitness professional who counsels people on a regular basis on the benefits of a healthy diet and exercise program. In this regard I follow my own advice. My passion in this area is evident. Two ways I can practice this is to follow a daily exercise regimen and to keep a food log so that I am assured I am eating a nutritious daily diet. I also believe the spiritual and psychological aspects go hand in hand so my daily strategy must include ways to improve them both. As previously mentioned, I plan on studying the Buddhist philosophy but since access to a center is limited then I must learn to meditate on my own. My plan is to practice meditation and if that seems unattainable then I will at least practice positive affirmations daily.

V.   The best way to measure my success is to create some kind of accountability. In the area of physical improvement I can set a date for the figure competition and train at the intensity level in order to achieve the physique needed to compete by that date. Having a training partner with the same goal is also a way to stay accountable. The spiritual aspect will be more difficult because people in my immediate circle of concern are not necessarily supportive. In my upbringing Buddhism was considered a “religion” and any religion other than Christianity was not accepted. I think if I can participate in a retreat of some kind that will greatly improve my success rate in my quest to learn the Buddhist tradition and accept the fact that my family may not understand. Also finding a nearby center will connect me to other people like myself and keep me committed to the quest. Psychologically is also a difficult area to be held accountable to. I once was able to see a counselor who taught me certain practices such as learning to stay in the moment and chant my mantra and positive affirmations. If financial circumstances prevail I would like to resume my visits with her. Otherwise I will continue to set aside time each evening to improve my meditation skills and to learn some relaxation techniques.

My favorite techniques!

I have to say I have enjoyed all of the techniques so far...except the one where we have to picture a wise person to identify with. I struggled greatly with that one. But for me the two best were the visualization and meditation. I really enjoy the visualization technique because imagining being in a place other than where I am is easy to do. The sound of the ocean has always been a source of relaxation and I have spent many nights sleeping right on the beach as a child and young adult. So looking at a picture of the Caribbean or a peaceful beach somewhere takes me away to a place where my stresses and day to day struggles do not exist. I think this is a useful technique to teach to people, especially those are who are not quite adept at mediation or haven't even really thought about becoming adept at it. The phrase "Calgon take me away" sort of sums it all up. We all want to be taken away to a land of peace and tranquility. We just need to figure out where that is and create it in our mind.

The other practice I enjoyed is the breath meditaion. All of these practices are a form of meditation but the breath meditation is one I am comfortable with and have practiced before. It's also a way to get in touch with my body and it's inner working because because the movement of my breath makes me very aware of the rest of the movements of my body and gives me a way to focus on that instead of my thoughts that are constantly trying to intrude. This is exactly why I would encourage my clients or patients to use this technique. It is much more natural for us to become aware of the movements of our body. At least this is a place I would start with someone who was interested in learning how to meditate as a stress reliever.

Meeting Gandalf...I mean Aesclepius

Ok, so in this exercise we are supposed to "commune" with someone like Aesclepius who would be our teacher on this journey to integral health. This person is suppose to be someone that we believe represents or is the qualities of someone who has acheived integral health by using the practices we have learned throughout the course. I kept trying to think of a family member...no luck there. And in all honesty I can't remember a specific person I have met that embodies these traits. So then my mind went off on a tangent about that. How sad for me not to have known an Aesclepius. The instructions then said to make up someone and the first person that entered my mind at that point was Gandalf, the good wizard from the Lord of the Rings Triolgy. Well I tried to go with that but throughout the exercise I just couldn't take it seriously. I tried to backtrack and find someone else but by that time I had lost all commitment to the exercise. I continued on to the end only to discover that I was really looking for my own heart and inner essence. I will try the exercise again but this time I will search my mind a little deeper to find someone real with whom I can relate! Needless to say this was not my favorite exercise.

We have discussed many times throughout this course about the importance of being an example in the wellness practices we teach. The phrase "You can't follow a parked car" comes to mind. The journey to integral health is ongoing and continuous and I believe we teach best by example. I would lose all my credibility if I walked into a nutrition counseling session with a bag of McDonald's. It is also important to be well-rounded at least in our knowledge. It's true that the practices I choose for myself may not be the best path for my clients but I need to know other alternatives. And finally when my clients see for themselves through my life that integral health is the only true wellness, it inspires them to seek it for themselves.

I have learned many useful practices and gained access to tools that will help me to become more spiritually and psychologically healthy. However, I still believe it all starts with the conscious choice of whether to use them or not. Only I can pick up the fork and eat with it!!!

Confirmed: I have ADD

Well I am so glad I saved myself lots of money in doctor visits to determine that I have ADD. I mean I always figured we all suffer from some level of it but I really didn't know ten minutes could be so long!! I sat down in the quiet stillness of my home to complete the loving kindness exercise thinking that ten minutes of my life would fly by. Well I cracked my eye open after what surely seemed like at least 5 of it and to my utter disbelief I was barely at 2 minutes. So I thought to myself, "Let's shoot for five". Well after another few minutes of chanting I was able to get into a rhythm but I will be honest and say that I did not make it to ten. I really enjoyed the exercise though as I do all mantra style exercises and I believe there is definitely power in the exercise. I will continue to push forward in hopes of gaining some discipline and adeptness at it.

As for the assessment exercise my weakness was the psychospiritual aspect. This came as no surprise to me and is something I have worked on for a couple of years now. I watched the "Secret" a couple of years ago and realized then that I tend to project negative signals and so have been working on that since. I know I have made definitive improvements but really need to continue growing spiritually. There is a phrase from a song that I learned in vacation bible school when I was a little girl and it goes, "I've got the peace that passes understanding down in my heart". I completely understand that now and it will be a priority in my life!

Well I was all ready to relax and further my learning into taming my mind. And as we all know by now the CD is bad and a horrible noise came into my ears to startle me out of all peace and quiet I may have been experiencing. I was able to come back to it though. I don't see a huge difference in the exercses, both are about focusing and connecting to the body so that the mind can simply be observed. Like most people I struggle with the clutter and my mind wanders often.  A part of me feels like I will never master it and another part of me can't wait til I do. I long for that stillness. And not only do I long for the stillness, I want to have mastery over my mind so that healing in other regards can follow. This leads right into the discussion of spiritual wellness. When the mind is calm and thoughts enter in a peaceful and free fashion then I feel more "healthy". By that I mean that when my thoughts are not heavy then I feel less stress regarding them. Stress makes me feel heavy and burdened and this affects my physical health, perhaps more subltey than some because I am in good shape but I do experience stomach pains sometimes when I am nervous and stressed.

I am glad to have these exercises available because I have know the benefits of mind exericises for quite some time. I will continue to practice them as I truly believe achieving mental and spiritual health is the key to having integral health.

Experiencing the sensation of loving kindness.....

Wow! Seems like it should be so easy to just let your consciousness go and focus on the good feelings. I really struggled with the part about being in tune to all your body's sensations...good and bad, and then only on the good. The physical aches and pains were as difficult to let go of as the emotional ones. But after a while of observing my feeling in a completely detached way I could feel myself relaxing into the exercise. I will need to practice this alot because once I got in touch with the loving kindness feelings I felt truer to myself. By that I mean that I perceive of myself as a good person with thoughts to others but having to first start with those thoughts on myself was difficult, and the time it took to get there was a overwhelming. But this is exactly the kind of meditation that I have been wanting to explore and I believe that it is the key to finding peace, not only with myself but those around me and especially the ones I love. Just listening to the exercise gives me hope that I can truly be that whole and happy person and can share the wholeness with those I love!!

The exercise was definitely a mental workout as I had to work really hard to lose the distractions of the environment around me, and I was even at home alone on a quiet morning. I believe the benefits of the exercise are definitely worth the work and would recommend them to everyone. But I can see time as being the biggest obstacle. I set aside a good deal of time and worked really hard to stay focused and still felt frustration at times. As a professional I would "prescribe" meditation to everyone, strongly encouraging them to make the time for it!!!

Seeking higher level of wellness!!!

Well a self reflection of my own wellness reveals the fact that I am far from "well". That is to say that I feel I have only just begun this discovery of self awareness and the desire to achieve it. On a scale of one to ten I would rate my physical as being a 9. I am a fitness instructor and exercise regularly. I do suffer from some chronic aches of pains of my determination to be physically healthy but I look at those as a testament of my commitment. My spiritual well-being...well that falls at the other end of the spectrum. I would rate it a 3 at this time in my life. Why? Well because I believe my spiritual development was waylaid by over zealous pastors and family members of my past who tried to force me to believe that their was only one way to truth and the light. I have since come to accept that that particular path did not work for me and now armed with that acceptance I am searching for the truth that resonates within me and gives me peace. My psychological well-being gets a somewhat higher score of 5 because, again,of the awareness that it needs to be developed has been the key in getting me to improve it. I believe it's all about a mature acceptance of who I am at this particular point in my life and recognizing what doesn't make me happy and searching out the means of changing that!

Creating goals to help me improve in each of the areas has not been a difficult task for me. On the physical side I am training to compete in a figure competition this coming August. The training is all about dedication and whether I will stick to it! My spiritual goal is to find a form or medium that connects me to that higher power I believe exists. I am participating in yoga and searching for a spiritual meditation center in my area. For the psychological aspect I am doing some recommended reading and just being open about where my thoughts and feelings are. I try to reach out to people I trust and respect for good advice.

The relaxation exercise was very nice and I enjoyed it. I will use it again. So far I have only worked on the breath but I get very frustrated because my thoughts tend to wander and then I get tired of "gently" bringing my thoughts back to my breath. I really think learning meditation for me right now will be a very rewarding challenge.

Adventures in Blogging

Just a year ago I didn't even know what the word blog meant. Oh who am I kidding...I still don't really know! But I figure if I follow directions carefully I will be a pro at whatever it is by the end of the week! I must admit I am very happy though to be learning how to keep up with modern day communication media.

For my relaxation technique I would like to share something I became aware of the other morning in quite a funny way. It has been a very cold winter here and I find that I have prematurely developed spring fever. The other morning when I walked out to my car I was delighted to see bright blue skies and to hear the birds chirping. But when I got to my car it was covered in ice. Perhaps scraping ice off the car is not so relaxing but it brought to mind a certain discord of nature. My senses, specifically my hearing and sight, were filled with the promise of a change of seasons that hadn't quite occured yet. At that moment I became acutely aware of my cold fingers and my cold breath visible in the chill air and I had to smile. "Mother Nature", I thought, "you're such a tease!"