Unit 4: Loving Kindness Practice

The first time I tried the Loving kindness exercise, I did not find it very beneficial.  Frankly, the speaker’s voice made it difficult for me to focus because I did not find it soothing.  The sounds of the waves were nice however and that did help me relax to a limited extent.  I continued to try the exercise for 4 more days.  Today was the first time I tried it in the morning (just after I woke up), and I found it to be a completely different experience.  I was more relaxed and focused and was able to fully experience the feelings of loving kindness for myself, my loved ones, and strangers.  If I were to recommend this to others, I would strongly advise them to try it early in the morning before the mind gets all cluttered!

To me, a “mental workout” is committing to exercises that develop and expand one’s mind and lead to a higher level of consciousness.  I am reminded of the studies conducted by Davidson and others, exploring the brain function of mental Olympians, contemplative scholars with superior inner development.  When an Olympian enters a state of “boundless compassion or pure awareness” (Dacher, 2006, p. 21), his right prefrontal cortex (associated with positive emotions) shows activation levels higher that the average person.  These mental workouts have many health benefits, including lower incidence (or improvement in symptoms) of heart disease, depression, and anxiety (Schlitz, Amorok, & Micozzi, 2005).

References

Dacher, E. (2006). Integral health: The Path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic

Health Publications. 

Schlitz, M., Amorok, T., & Micozzi, M. (2005). Consciousness & healing: Integral approaches

to mind-body medicine.  St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Inc.

Unit 3: Reflections, Goals, and Crime of the Century

Reflections on wellbeing:

I would rate my physical wellbeing at about a 6.  I have done a lot to improve my physical health (wiser diet and exercise habits), but there is still room for improvement.

I would rate my spiritual wellbeing at about a 5.  This is one area I know I need to focus more on and I feel I have much to accomplish in this area.

As for psychological wellbeing, I think I am at about a 6, nearing 7.  I work very hard in this area.  I think my biggest challenge is learning to calm my mind.

Goals:

In the area of physical wellbeing, I would like to tackle the last 12lbs I want to lose.  I have been successful at losing a considerable amount of weight so far, but these last 12 pounds have proven to be a challenge.  I am looking forward to the spring weather, when I enjoy hiking in the mountains and other outdoor physical activities.  I am confident I will reach this goal by the end of this summer.

To improve my spiritual wellbeing, one goal I would like to achieve is to be successful at meditation.  Although I enjoy relation and breathing exercises, I do not feel I have yet achieved a deep meditative state of complete calmness and clarity.

One goal in the area of psychological wellbeing is to improve my skills at mindfulness.  As I mentioned earlier, I still struggle with calming and quieting my mind.  I need to work on staying in the present and letting go of things from the past.   

Activities/exercises for goals:

To achieve my physical goal of weight loss, I plan to get outdoors more often.  I live in the Colorado foothills, which offer lots of great opportunities for physical activity.

I believe that reaching a deep meditative state, per my spiritual goal, requires practice and patience.  I intend to stick with it until I achieve it!

For my psychological goal of improving my mindfulness skills, I intend to continue to use relaxation and self-talk exercises.  As with meditation, this will take time and practice, but I will get there!

The Crime of the Century:

I found this relaxation exercise to progress a bit too quickly for my liking.  I didn’t feel completely relaxed until well into the guided imagery, thus was mostly unsuccessful at envisioning the colors suggested by the speaker.  I would have enjoyed this exercise more if the speaker had spent a couple more minutes with the initial breathing exercises, so that I could have been fully relaxed at the beginning of the guided imagery part.  Then again, perhaps I could have done my own breathing prior to starting the track, and been more relaxed and ready to proceed.   

Unit 2: Journey On Reflection

Overall, I enjoyed the Journey On relaxation track.  I have been practicing guided relaxation for quite a while now, and as usual, I feel calmer and more peaceful and energized than I did before I began the exercise.

That said, I feel it is time to mix a healthy dose of skepticism into this reflection.  From personal experience, I know how influential the power of suggestion can be.  During the Journey On track, I did, in fact, feel warmth in my arms and hands when cued by the speaker.  However, I have to wonder if actual physiological changes occurred (as suggested by the speaker), or if the sensations were merely my imagination at work.  I believe that the mind is a powerful tool; I have spent my schooling studying such things as cognitive distortions and cognitive restructuring, which have proven to me that the mind is incredibly pliable.  I also know from experience that the body is adaptable.  But do changes in the body take place as quickly and easily as suggested by the speaker?  Were sensations of warmth and heaviness a result of changes in blood flow?  Or, were the sensations a result of an active imagination? 

Thoughts?

Laura     

Unit 2: Welcome

Hello all,

Welcome to my health class blog.  I am looking forward to giving this blogging thing a chance.  You never know, I may find it to be fulfilling in some way, and decide to create a more personal one at the end of this class.  Either way, I'll keep you posted!  Best luck to all of my classmates.  Happy blogging and happy reading!

Laura