Unit 10 Final Reflections on the Integral Path

In week #3, I rated my physical well-being at a 6, my spiritual well-being at an 8, and my psychological well-being at a 9. I would currently rate them at pretty much the same level, yet in hindsight I think I had rated my psychological well-being a point or two higher than it really was at that time. My focus is better and I have a personalized wellness plan now, that has increased my psychological well-being.

My physical goal were to begin to eat healthier, well planned meals, with consistency, and to begin exercising again once the surgeon gives the okay. So far, I’m eating a little less eating a little healthier more often. I’m not where I want to be, but I’m intentional in pursuit of the goal. I am still in PT for my shoulder and will wrap up next week. I haven’t been released by my surgeon yet, so the weight training I crave is on hold. This weekend I plan to start walking outside again to begin rebuilding my cardiovascular strength and endurance.

My spiritual goals were to continue to spend time in prayer, time reading my Bible, and to spend more time each day listening to praise music. I’m doing well on the praise music and the breath prayers, yet the Bible reading has been lagging a bit. For someone who has a goal to read through from cover to cover each year in varying translations, letting go of the compulsive nature of the activity has been an important consideration in this goal.

My psychological goals are to utilize more of the relaxation techniques we are learning in this course as well as those learned in my stress management course, and to make an appointment for a check-up/in with my counselor in the next 2 weeks. I have been using a few more mindfulness techniques and have recently loaded some meditation apps to my phone so I have easy access to exercises wherever I am. I have also had 2 appointments with my counselor and we spent time putting things into proper perspective which is critical for true self-care.

This is the most phenomenal course I have had the privilege to take in my college career. Never had I had an opportunity to set aside 10 weeks to discover where I am lagging behind and where I need to focus my intent to become the person I desire in mind/body/spirit. As I mentioned to Dr. Aguilar in seminar last night, I’ve been on this journey somewhat haphazardly for a while now. I am excited to see where the road takes me now that I have my integral map. My toy box is overflowing with wonderful, shiny new things I cannot wait to share with my family/friends/coworkers/ and eventually my wellness client-base. Even what was difficult (challenging) was a blessing overall because it introduced me to meditative techniques that did not quite work for me, but gave me a level of insight that is critical. Not only that, it encouraged me to go out and find similar practices better suited to who I am and what my needs are at this juncture.

Still in this together,
Anita

Unit 9 Final Project - Anita's Fully Integrated Wellness Program

Introduction 

It is crucial for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically because those are the root components of integral health. By Dacher’s (2006) definition,  integral health is “self-generated and self-cultivated, (it) leads to a comprehensive, holistic, and far-reaching healing of body, mind, and spirit and that is immune to life’s adversities, including disease, aging, and death” (p.3). As he further explains, “the healer is the key to the evolution and fulfillment of the integral healing process” (p. 167). To me, this requires the process to not only begins with the healer, but also to grow and expand outward from this base into the healee, and into the world. As we go deeper, “we begin to know firsthand what can actually happen as we evolve a more expansive life” (p. 167). We cannot teach the amazing possibilities beneath the surface understanding of integral health unless we are continually and intentionally experiencing them. As we peel back the layers of the onion, be find deeper meaning and the desire for more grows. If we have not experienced this, how can we even begin to “sell” even the surface experience to our students effectively enough for them to want to immerse themselves in the experience as well? I love how Dacher describes how “our personal work becomes a sacred responsibility, a way that we can help others and create a better world” (p. 167). In this area, one must be able to teach what she knows experientially in order to have long lasting impact on a client’s lifestyle changes. If the practitioner is not making or has not made the any part of the journey, there is nothing to teach beyond textbook prose drawn from the experiences of another’s. As a business professional in my current career, I liken it to the old adage, people can be taught to manage effectively, but leadership is another matter entirely.

This desire is woven throughout the contribution I wish to make as a health and wellness practitioner. While I will admit to the need to continually work on all areas, the one requiring the most critical level of development would currently be the physical realm.

Assessment
Based upon my reflections throughout this course, on a 10-point scale, I would rate my physical well-being at a 6, my spiritual well-being at a 9, and my psychological well-being at a 9. Things have been very stressful for the past 8 months, and it feels as if I have been running back to back marathons. No matter how much I know about taking care of myself first and then nourishing others from the overflow, when I find myself in the trenches, neck deep in the one crisis after another, I slip effortlessly into survival mode. Most days I eat enough to keep some fuel, sleep just enough to bypass deprivation, barely find time for myself, let alone time to make an appointment to see my counselor for a tune up and check in. I pray to stay centered and focused - that is my sustenance. I simply have not had time for me, and instead of making myself that priority I've slipped to the bottom of the list.

Goal development
My physical goal is to returning to caring for my physical body as the gift it is. To further explain this goal, I will endeavor to become my primary focus again by sleeping more, eating healthier, making time for cardio, strength, stretch and flexibility. My spiritual goal is to renew my spirit through contemplative prayer practices, fellowship with other Believer’s, studying my Bible, making praise music part of each day, and sharing my faith whenever and wherever I am called. My psychological goals are to utilize more of the relaxation techniques we are learning in this course as well as those learned in my stress management course, and to make an continue spending time with my counselor for support, guidance, and encouragement.

Practices for Personal Health      

I have brainstormed extensively and developed numerous creative strategies to begin implementation in fostering growth in my Spiritual, Psychological, and Physical domains. All of the exercises and practices identified will require intent and planning. To be successful, my primary focus will have to return to being inward, with Anita being my first priority. This will require a dynamic paradigm shift and will initially demand adherence to somewhat rigid scheduling so that “my” priorities are not bumped in lieu of the needs and desires of others, at least until they have become habits.

Spiritual Domain

Spiritually I will begin by incorporating bible study with my weight management program utilizing The Lord’s Table: A Biblical Approach to Weight Management by Mike Cleveland. It is a 60-day course of biblical instruction designed to redirect the focus of gluttonous behaviors through scriptural teaching. I will also return to my daily practice of intention daily contemplative prayer practice and bible reading. Finally, I will begin reading one book each month on spiritual growth and development. My currently reading list includes Experiencing God by Richard Blackaby, The Gospel According to Jesus: What is Authentic Faith by John MacArthur, The 40 Day Soul Fast: Your Journey to Authentic Living by Cindy Trimm, Commanding Your Morning by Cindy Trimm, and Word, Spirit, Power: What Happens When You Seek All God Has to Offer by Kendall, Carring & Taylor.

Psychological Domain

In addressing the psychological domain, I will first maintain my monthly visits with counselor – twice monthly when needed. I will begin reading one book each month on personal growth and development. My currently reading list includes           Changes That Heal: How to Understand Your Past to Ensure a Healthier Future by Henry Cloud, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey, Beyond Fear: A Toltec Guide to Freedom and Joy -Don Miguel Ruiz, The Five Levels of Attachment: Toltec Wisdom for the Modern World by Don Miguel Ruiz, Jr., The Voice of Knowledge – Don Miguel Ruiz,  The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz, The Fifth Agreement by  Don Miguel Ruiz, Destructive Emotions: How Can We Overcome Them? By Dalai Lama and Daniel Goleman, and Genuine Happiness: Meditation as the Path to Fulfillment by Alan Wallace.

I will seek to incorporate Loving Kindness and Subtle Mind practice into my daily routine, utilizing the former in the morning upon starting my day and the latter in the evening to unwind and off-load daily thoughts and worries before going to sleep. Additionally, I will begin making a concerted effort to read for pleasure more often, crochet for stress relief and enjoyment, set realistic goals for the next two semesters to finish my degree, and begin exploring the Body Talk CAM therapy.

Physical Domain

I will focus on a commitment to intention health through nutrition. This will be accomplished by increasing hydration, decreasing unnecessary calories from junk food consumption, eliminating deep-fried foods, eliminating artificial sweeteners, planning healthy meals, keeping healthy snacks on hand, and increasing fresh fruit and vegetable intake. Daily intentional movement through structured exercise will include strength training 3 days /week, cardio training 30 min 5 days/week minimum, and flexibility training daily. The final critical key to this triad is the attainment of consistent, deep, restorative sleep. I will commit to increasing sleep quantity and quality by winding down prior to bedtime and eliminating computer or TV/tablet use within 30 minutes prior to bedtime.

Combined spiritual/psychological/physical strategies for implementation

I have also identified several strategies that will foster ongoing growth in all three domains. These include visiting my chiropractor once each month, visiting my massage therapist two times each month, visiting my acupuncturist once each month, visiting my Reiki practitioner once each month, and making a concerted effort to begin journaling consistently.

Commitment
I possess a strong analytical background and I am a master planner. I have begun devising tracking mechanisms to help me in logging and assessing my daily, weekly, monthly physical goals. Additionally, I have several wellness/fitness applications loaded to my smart phone and my iPod, I have a new piece of electronic equipment that will track my sleep quality, my daily steps taken and synchronizes to my phone so I have up-to-the minute data and trend lines to follow. The spiritual and psychological aspects will not have to be tracked in the same manner. By entering everything from workouts to wellness appointments on my integrated calendar system, am making these exercise key priorities in my personal health and wellness. In six months’ time I will reassess and determine what is working well and what needs to be redefined and/or streamlined in the process. I will also be in a good position to review my original assessment of each domain to determine to where I have progressed on my journey to holistic wellness and designed next steps for further progress.

References

Dacher, E.S. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

 

Still in this together :-),

Anita

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Revisiting and Reflecting on Loving Kindness Meditation/Subtle Mind Practice - Unit 8

Things were still off kilter this week. Juggling work, school, mom, and physical therapy is wearing me out at a time when I need rest most. I didn't have a chance to revisit the practices until this afternoon when much had quieted down (relatively speaking). I actually did the practices back to back, and experienced the tip of the iceberg regarding the feeling/experience I've been anticipating all along. Because the Loving kindness Meditation took my focus out to the world, there we very few rambling thoughts to deal with as I approached the witnessing mind in the second practice. Unfortunately, by the time I hit the fringe of my subtle mind, my mom started moving around upstairs, and I became more caught up in 1)what is she doing, 2)is she safe, 3) has she tried to go to bed too early. I realized how hyper vigilant I am in her care, and I truly understood for perhaps the first time how important these practices are in restoring/maintaining my health in the time she is still living with me.

So how do I make it work for me since I do NOT have 60-90 minutes to meditate during any point in the day. Starting the day with Loving kindness seems like a right decision. Focusing my attention and intention on just what I have to give before encountering anyone else sets a new tone in a crazy workspace. Using the Subtle Mind Practice to wrap up the day will prepare me for more restorative sleep - something woefully lacking in my life. Funnelling all of that end-of-day mindless chatter through my witnessing mind and then experiencing more of the subtle mind allowing me to end my day in a peaceful mind space much as I started my day.

I'm interested in seeing what some of you have chosen to do in implementing similar exercises into your journeys.

Still in it together,
Anita

Reflections on Meeting Aesclepius

Well, I have to admit that Aesclepius and I didn't have a very good meeting this week. I had surgery on Wednesday and my focus was all over the place in the days leading up to the procedure and has been solely on pain management and physical therapy in the days since. I was more frustrated by this exercise than even the universal loving kindness because I didn't have the presence or absence of mind to fall into the practice. Even with my physical contraindications, I struggled with the approach of this exercise. It seemed to me it would have been much better suited to following the subtle mind practice where the mind has been "debugged" and calmed before specific visualization occurs. After I'm a few days farther out from my pain I'm going to try again, but after using the subtle mind practice, to see how my results differ.

Overall, the mindfulness practices have been very beneficial. The meditations helped prepare me for the procedure and I definitely use them in physical therapy to move through the discomfort and achieve the goal of rebuilding my arm strength. There's a lot going on right now in general with my mom's health and the more rapid decline we are seeing in her condition. I will need to have these practices in my toolbelt for myself to cope and stay functional in the transitional days ahead. After the dust settles and I start rebuilding a different life, I want them to be part of my growth and rediscovery process as well.

Health and wellness professionals have a responsibility to walk their talk. This is one area where hypocrisy is not an option. And because integral health is an ongoing process, I see the need for HW practitioners to continually be studying, experimenting, searching, and growing right alongside their clients. Then again, unlike a lot of professions, I don't think a lot of folks just wake up one morning and say, "hey, that'd be a neat major - don't know what kind of work I'd do with it, but I'll give it a shot and see what turns up." We are those who have healed and grown through pains, problems, and illnesses. We know there is more than we have been offered before and we want to take what we have mined and share it with others in a perpetual gifting cycle. Personally, I see a counselor, I read, I pray, I have a close faith community, I'm moving back toward realigning the physical so that all is in better harmony. Every single day I'm given breath, I strive to make progress on my journey no matter how big or small.

Still in this together,
Anita

Reflections on Universal Loving Kindness

The exercise involved closing the eyes for a few moments to still the mind and fall into the natural flow of the breath. Then it involved repeating the indicated phrases sending love, freedom from ill health, happiness, freedom and wholeness out to the world. The idea was to shift awareness from an internal focus to an external one.

The assessment process involved the six principles of as a guide. They included alleviating needless suffering/promotion of human flourishing; distinguising the difference between short term freedom from needless suffering and permanent relief; recognizing the difference between immediate vs. long term pleasure; acceptance as an essential part of being integrally healthy; relying on guidance and deep listening; and addressing relevant aspects within current circumstances (Dacher, 2006).

I discovered that I am depleted emotionally, physically, psychologically. I have poured so much into others without renewing my resources. For months I've been on autopilot, just weathering storm after storm after storm. As I'm bottoming out, I know the way out is to begin when I have had success before, in the biological realm. When I start moving my body on a consistent basis, I naturally begin to eat healthier. Both directly and immediately impact my sleep habits. When I'm sleeping better, I awake refreshed and ready to take on the day. I'm more positive overall, and I have energy reserves to pour into others. After my shoulder surgery next week, my plan is to begin stopping by the park on the way home from work to walk and release the stressors of the workday so I'm not taking them home. It's finally springtime here in Central Ohio, and I LOVE to be engaging with the natural realm. Quite honestly, I had a lot of trouble with the universal Loving Kindness exercise because I'm so depleted. When you are struggling to take care of yourself because you've been taking care of others, it is very hard to spend meditation time focused on the needs of others. That is not a cop out, that is a hard truth. The farther we go in this study on the concept of integral health, the more the universe shakes me up and shows me just how critical all of the pieces working in tandem really is. 

 

Still in this together :-)

Anita

 

 

Dacher, E.S. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

Reflections on the Subtle Mind Practice

As great as I thought the Loving Kindness exercise was last week, I know see that it pales in comparison to the Subtle Mind practice. I can only surmise that as we grow to higher levels of consciousness we can no longer find satisfaction in lesser states than our achived whole. In hindsight, I realized I struggled to bring people to mind in the Loving Kindness exercise. I used it twice daily for 7 days and found I was always sending out love to the same people. That can be very limiting in learning to love globally. Even at the time I recall forcing myself to choose a new person, but in the end, I was only loving about 4 people. When it came to loving enemies, they were all faceless, and when we expanded to all things, how did I end up on the same hill top in Austria where Julie Andrews sang and frolicked in the Sound of Music. Very odd in retrospect - entertaining, but very odd!!!

So on to the Subtle Mind practice. I find it is not an easy exercise for me use to start the day. This could be because I don't have much going on in my mind when I first awaken, so my mind wants to wander and exhibit sympoms of ADHD. If I wait about 90-120 minutes, it flows easier and allows me to realign my thoughts for the day, now that I actually have some. Each time it was easier and easier to fall into the simplicity of the witnessing mind and then to allow the thoughts to simply dissolve. I even experienced calm-abiding several times, and can I just say that I LOVED that more than I would have ever expected. I think we are sometimes afraid to be alone with our thoughts, and then we are afraid to be without thought. For me it was arriving home to a place I've never been. I was in the middle of time and space, free floating yet securely anchored to I didn't know or care what exactly. One day I actually completed the practice with my eyes open, staring at the ceiling in my office. That surprised me because I thought I had to close out everything and found that to not be the case.

So where does this lead me on my perspectives on the connection between spiritual wellness and mental/physical wellness? I've been on this path for several years now, and the essence of wholeness for me begins and ends with spiritual wellness. From what I had been taught, to what I have learned, to what I have had the privilege to teach others, the essence of life lies in the spirit. Who we are and what purpose we have in this time and space is found in spiritual wellness. As we go deeper and learn these things about ourselves we begin to live with intention. We desire wholeness of mind and body as the completion of ourselves. For me, the growing spiritual essence of me drives the desire to be well in mind and body so that I can fulfill my purpose. I have experienced periods of mental and physical illness/disease/distress. In hindsight I can tell you that the symptoms were most prevalent during times of spiritual malnourishment. Looking forward to going deeper and learning from the experiences of my past as I move closer to total wellness in the future.

In this together,
Anita

Reflections on the Loving-Kindness Practice

WOW - this is a very cool exercise!! I was able to get started on my reading for this unit very early in the week, so I'm on day 5 of this practice, and I've completed the exercise 10 times. At first I struggled a bit as my mind wandered periodically. As each day passed, I was more and more able to brush aside errant thoughts or even embrace them and allow them to dissolve. It it beneficial to me, and will prayerfully become one of my cornerstone meditations, not simply in focused times but throughout the day in loving myself and freely sharing that love with others. Now here's the interesting part. Since I read early on, I didn't realize there was a recording of the practice in doc-sharing. I hate trying exercises like this from a book where you have to read a bit and try it out and then just when it's getting good you have to go back and review the information in the text. Or worse yet, trying to recall everything you read and chasing down those thoughts rather than calming the mind and focusing on the exercises. So I recorded my own voice reading the instructions. Low and behold, I LOVED it!! I don't always like my voice on recording, but this time I got the right pitch, tone, timing, rhythm and it just flows effortlessly and directs my mind with ease!! It wasn't until today I found out the MP3 existed and I must admit that I hate the sound of that woman's voice. LOL!! One thing I've learned in this exercise is that there are times when a meditation should be recorded in the users voice. After all, isn't that the voice it instinctively recognized and responds to on a daily basis? This is a practice I would love to incorporate in my wellness teachings as a foundation for growth and development. Far too many don't love themselves, and therefore think they aren't worth the effort or attention required to restore health and wellness. This is a great tool for reprogramming those wayward and untrue thoughts.

Dacher encourages us to evolve in our psychospiritual lives through daily practices like meditation. We can achieve wholeness by committing to daily mental practices to calm our minds just as we commit to daily exercise to trim our bodies. And just like exercise we can achieve monumental change only through that daily commitment, for once we cease to be committed we backslide. Research from Eastern medicine has proven the validity of these practices in enhancing mental capabilities. Contemplative practice teaches us to calm the mind - taming those wayward thoughts, and then allows access to new realms of thought. Practices like Loving-Kindness are a great place to start. I have a selection of meditation mp3s on my iPod for healing, clarity/focus, and sleep. I also have a series of gamma wave meditations. From this weeks reading I realize if I stay focused on utilizing these resources consistently that will become my mental workout that continues to foster psychological health wherein my mind is not cluttered with the past or the future, or irrational things in the present but working to bring health and drive the charge toward integral health.


On this journey together,
Anita

Dacher, E.S. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.