Now my true journey begins with the end of unit 10

 

In week 3 of my Integral Wellness class I rated my psychological, physical, and spiritual well-being and wrote about it in this blog.  I rated my physiological well-being at 6 because I have a lot of inner demons. I still rate myself as a 6 but feel that I am making my way to a rating of 7. I am working on being more accepting of the choices that I have made in my life. 

I rated my physical well-being at an 8 which I believe is now at a 7 because my migraines keep me from working out as much as I should. I am trying to improve my physical wellness by replacing my harder workouts with easier ones. Like, instead of working out on the elliptical I do yoga or tai chi instead.   

My spiritual wellness I had rated at a 6 and I now believe to be a 7. I was very confused by human’s existence and was not sure what to fully believe in. Now I have become much more accepting of what life is and should be. 

Goals that I have set for myself to improve my wellness are as follows:

Psychological- Meditate everyday as long as possible, practice loving kindness, and take more walks in nature

Physical- Workout daily; yoga, tai chi, and/or nature walks

Spiritual- Meditate loving kindness, subtle mind, and calm-abiding daily

In unit three I set goals to improve my wellness and would say I am proud of myself on the improvements I have made so far. The only goals that I had set in unit 3 that I have yet to commit to were my physical goals due to my health issues. My severe migraines hinder my physical abilities at times so I have needed to set new goals to improve my physical well-being.

I feel that I am on a solid path to integral health with the goals I have set for myself in this course. After altering my physical goals I believe that this will be a great base to continue my integral wellness path along.

Over the past ten weeks I have obtained so much beneficial knowledge to apply to my life’s journey. I have learned how to meditate more effectively and on a more regular bases. Before I assumed I needed the perfect time to meditate and I needed to do it for a long period to succeed. Now I realize that anytime is a great time to meditate and the length does not matter. Even a minute here and there can help center one’s self and improve the overall day. The more I mediate, the more my mind automatically thinks positively in chaotic situations. I am reacting less and enjoying life more. 

I hope to use this blog to keep track of my integral wellness and to aid in my ability to reflect on my goals I have set in the past. I will also use this blog to share body-mind-spirit wellness techniques and tips with others online. I hope to better myself and influence others to better themselves through this blog and my ongoing integral health journey to human flourishing.   

Unit 9

1.  Introduction:
   Why is it important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically? What areas do you need to develop to achieve the goals you have for yourself?

I believe that integral health in a practitioner or a healer can influence others to practice the same lifestyle because they view it as an obtainable goal. On the other hand if a practitioner does not practice what they preach then their patients will view inner health and wellness as an unattainable goal. I know that others look to me for answers about becoming healthy ever since I adopted a plant based diet and cured my cancer naturally. The only thing that I believe I need to work on developing currently is regular exercise. In order to motivate myself to regularly exercise I am trying to meditate on a daily bases. My meditation more often than not leads into a yoga or tai chi session. So I believe that daily meditation will ultimately lead to daily exercise.

2. Assessment:
   How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically?

Through daily meditation and quite walks in the woods I have focused my listening skills inward to reflect on my current wellbeing. After doing a self-reflection these past couple of weeks on my physical, spiritual, and psychological wellbeing I have concluded that I have room for personal developments in my life.  My current physical state I rated at an 8 because I my lifestyle is very healthy. I eat only a plant based diet and try to exercise daily. I only gave myself an 8 because I feel like I do not drink enough water and I should partake in more outdoor activities.  My spiritual wellbeing I rated at a 6 because I have yet to discover what I truly believe about human existence. I am not religious but do enjoy the harmony of nature and life on earth. I feel like I could be more accepting about what is spiritual or not. I need to judge less and accept more in life. Psychological wellbeing I rated myself at a 6 because I have a lot of inner demons that I haven’t been able to accept. I feel like I have come a long way in my psychological journey throughout my life but I still have many obstacles to overcome.

3. Goal development:
   List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area, Physical, Psychological (mental health) and Spiritual.

To improve myself in each of the giving areas I will strive to implement beneficial activities and or exercises to improve my overall wellbeing.

·         Physical wellbeing improvements: Exercise outdoors at least three days a week, i.e. hiking, walking, running, biking, tai chi, and yoga. Drink a glass of water at the beginning of everyday and before each meal.

·         Spiritual wellbeing improvements: Meditate every day for at least twenty minutes. Research more human history of spiritual practices and beliefs.

·         Psychological wellbeing improvements: Utilize meditation to accept what I have been through in my life and how each experience has made me stronger. Journal on a weekly bases about my psychological progress, hopes, dreams, and fears.  

4. Practices for personal health:
   What strategies can you implement to foster growth in each of the following domains; Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual. Provide at least two examples of exercises or practices in each domain. Explain how you will implement each example.

In this rat race we call life it is so easy to not have time to develop one’s wellbeing. My strategy to focus on my wellbeing is to take time every morning while I do my morning sun salutation to evaluate my day and set time aside for my personal development.

·         Physical improvements: Tai chi and nature walks alternating every day. I will set aside time in the morning, which means waking up an hour earlier, to complete my morning workout.

·         Psychological improvements: Meditation and journaling will foster improvements in my psychological wellbeing. I aim to meditate every morning and every night before and after sleeping. Journaling will be done every week on Sunday to reflect on my life and my wellbeing.

·         Spiritual improvements: Nature walks and meditation will develop my spiritual wellness. Daily meditation and nature walks will help me to unleash my true spiritual flourishing. I aim to look within myself and except all that is in life and how it is all connected during each meditation session. 

5. Commitment:
   How will you assess your progress or lack of progress in the next six months? What strategies can you use to assist in maintaining your long-term practices for health and wellness?

        I will use my journal as a reference of my progress or lack thereof over the course of the next six months. I will do monthly assessments and keep a record of my self-reflection on integral health blog. In six months I will set new goals once I realize what works and what does not work to foster my human flourishing on my path to integral health. I am looking forward to continuing on my path to human flourishing and I am excited to see where it leads

Unit 8 Blog Post: which two meditation methods are most beneficial to me

 

In the past eight week I have partaken in many new meditation methods which include loving-kindness, subtle mind, calm abiding, meeting Aesclepius, and visualization. Out of all of the new methods I have been practicing I feel that the loving-kindness and the visualization meditation have been the most beneficial to me. The loving-kindness practice has helped me slow down life’s daily chaos and replace negative emotions with loving-kindness. When I am more positive, the outcome of my day is better, my relationships with my family improves, and my patience for others is better than it ever was before. I know that I will continue to practice loving-kindness to the end of my days. 

The visualization meditation was extremely beneficial to me and I think it will continue to be a positive influence for the rest of my life. By visualizing health, happiness, and wholeness that I have experienced in my life I am able to harness these positive emotions long after the feeling has passed. Feelings that we feel so deeply in our lives should be cherished and not forgotten. Visualization is beneficial way for anyone to realize their own mind’s true potential. Through meditation anyone can harness love, acceptance, happiness, and health that they have experienced to better their current frame of mind. No matter how bad your day is, these blissful feelings live within yourself, the key is to slow down, breathe, and let past positive feeling replace today’s negative emotions.